The three world’s best doubles players to compete in Düsseldorf

With the US twins Bob and Mike Bryan (together the No. 1) as well as Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic (No. 3) the three currently world’s best doubles players will compete at the ARAG WORLD TEAM CUP, to take place at Düsseldorf Rochusclub on May 17-23. Additionally, Sweden has named Robert Lindstedt (No. 20), a downright doubles specialist as well. All this provides enough evidence that several teams will not only depend on their singles players at the Tennis World Team Championship but hope to rely on the possibly decisive doubles match that is played after the two singles. Well, the statistics speak for themselves: in the past 31 tournaments since 1978 the doubles match in the final determined the new Tennis World Team champion on no less than 16 occasions.

The Bryan twins – they will celebrate their 31st birthday on April 29 – have so far won 53 doubles titles. Among them already four this year: the Australian Open, Sydney, Delray Beach and Houston. 32-year-old Zimonjic, Number 1 on the doubles’ ranking at the end of 2008, has so far earned 25 titles, among them this year the one in Rotterdam and last Sunday in Monte Carlo. And Sweden’s Lindstedt (32), already celebrated victories in Auckland and Zagreb in 2009. And life as a doubles player seems to be quite good as the prize money shows: Bob Bryan has so far earned more than 5.7 million US$, his twin Mike about 5.5 million and Serbia’s Zimonjic pocketed more than 3.2 million US$.