One of the greatest American tennis players of all time will lead the U.S. Davis Cup team into its next chapter.
After serving as a coach for the team in 2022, Bob Bryan, a winner of 23 career Grand Slam men's and mixed doubles titles and a member of the last U.S. team to win the Davis Cup, has been named the squad's next captain, effectively immediately.
“I am extremely honored and humbled for this opportunity to captain the United States Davis Cup team," Bryan said. "I have been inspired watching these young American players continue to rise and I am motivated to contribute to this positive momentum. I am passionately looking forward to working with the players, their coaches, teams, and the USTA support staff in our mission to bring the Cup back to the United States.”
Bryan will make his debut as full-time captain for September's group stage of the 2023 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals. Last year, he was deputized as acting captain when then-captain Mardy Fish was unable to travel to Glasgow, Scotland due to contracting COVID-19, and guided the team to a 2-1 record and a berth in the Final 8 stage.
Bryan competed in 31 Davis Cup ties for the U.S. in an 18-year period from 2003 to 2020, and was part of the U.S. team that won a record 32nd Davis Cup title in 2007. He and his brother Mike Bryan went 25-5 together in Davis Cup doubles matches for the U.S., setting the team record for doubles wins as a pair. Individually, Bryan was 30-7 in his Davis Cup career, as he also played six singles matches among his appearances.
Wearing the red, white and blue was an opportunity that Bryan said he relished as a player, and part of the reason why he's so excited for the opportunity to be the team's next captain.
"I feel grateful to have represented my country in Davis Cup," Bryan said. "These experiences have offered me my proudest moments on the court and my most unforgettable memories. Playing Davis Cup was a dream for me as a young junior and the goal of making the team pushed me while I played on tour."
Photo by Mike Lawrence/USTA.
As captain, Bryan will also have an active, year-round role with USTA Player and Coach Development. He will travel to tournaments and camps to support American players and serving as a mentor for American pros and juniors.
“Few players in the history of the game have personified a champion the way Bob Bryan has,” Brian Hainline, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA, said. “Bob’s consistent and long-term success at the highest levels, as well as his demonstrated leadership in a team environment, make him an ideal captain for the Davis Cup Team amid such an exciting era for American men’s tennis.”
Bryan takes over a team that has its sights set on a record-extending 33rd Davis Cup title; under the guidance of interim captain David Nainkin in February, it successfully qualified for the 2023 Finals by beating Uzbekistan 4-0 in Tashkent. September's group stage will feature four groups of four nations each competing at four different locations worldwide. The top-two finishers of each group will advance to the Final 8, to be played from Nov. 21-26 in Malaga, Spain, which will crown the Davis Cup champion.
The Bryan brothers retired from tennis in 2020, and played their last professional match in the 2020 Davis Cup qualifying round. As a pair, they won 16 Grand Slams and 119 ATP titles, spent 438 weeks as co-No. 1s, and won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
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