The world’s greatest professional doubles tennis team, the Bryan Brothers, dominated the San Quentin Inside Tennis Team in every match they played on the prison’s tennis court recently.
Mike and Bob Bryan’s serve was too hot to handle for Geno Sevacos and Jason Mcginnis, who are members of the San Quentin tennis team. The S.Q. team was definitely overmatched. They began to volley well but were not able to score a single point, losing the match 4-0.
The brothers played a handicap match, and did this while holding each other’s hand. Then, Henry “M.C.” Montgomery joined in the middle of them and they still defeated the S.Q. team.
Then Ronnie Mohamed and J.T. Taylor both playing for the S.Q.’s tennis team, finally scored a point off Taylor’s nicely placed ball, which caused the crowd to cheer. Mac McCarthy and Montgomery joined in the middle of the brothers to assist in a handicap match and still the S.Q. team was not able to compete with them.
After the first round of games, the brothers demonstrated the side-to-side volley. Their father, Wayne Bryan, stated that this exercise sharpens hand and feet movements, as well as eye coordination. Bob said, “It’s called the RDC volley drill. It’s a volley drill when we’re moving laterally. It’s like reflex volley and we’re hitting them pretty hard and it works on your independence of hands and feet. So you’re hitting volleys from every direction, every height and your feet are moving side to side. We’ve been doing that since we were 4 years old.”
Troy Williams and Henry Townsend were next to play the brothers. The brothers played a handicap game by holding Gary Scott and JulianGlenn Padgett hands as they played. Despite the handicap match, the brothers were able to display their coordination and why they are the tennis double champions. Although the brothers are great players, they also have a compassionate nature by not slamming the ball on the S.Q. tennis team players.
Robert Kaliski, a director of the Strawberry Tennis Club at Harbor Point and chief financial officer of the Harbor Point Charitable Foundation, helped to organize the Bryan Brothers’ visit.
The Bryans came to the Bay Area for a jam session as a part of the charitable Esurance Tennis Classic, where they played San Rafael teenagers in a handicap match.
Mike said of his San Quentin visit, “We see a lot of stuff on TV and movies and San Quentin is a famous place in California and all over the world. So just going through the gates we definitely got a little quiet and didn’t know what to expect. But then coming out here and seeing you guys and seeing how nice you were to us and the respect made us feel a lot at ease.”
He added, “This is definitely a unique experience. We’ve played all over the world, at all different settings, but never been inside a prison. But we’re really impressed. All of the inmates are great players and they have a passion for the game. We learned a few things out here today. They’ve got some wicked shots. There’s only one court out here and there’s a lot of guys who want to play, so it’s pretty amazing that they share the court and that they get enough time to become the great players they are right now. I mean they’re a lot of 4.0. 4.5 and 5.0 players out here, which is pretty impressive.”
Bob commented, “Yeah, we had to bring our best stuff, take these guys down and I’m kind of blown away by the talent. I asked these guys if they played college tennis or high school and no one’s really played in school. It’s amazing. They’re all learning all of their stuff right here. So they’ve got good coaches. They’ve got good players to play with. I hope to come back. This was a thrill for us. Well, it’s safe to say for a lot of these guys that are in here had a lot of time to work on it.”
Bob expressed his thoughts concerning incarcerated men being able to play tennis. He said, “I really think it’s a good way for these guys to stay in shape and stay mentally fit. It’s awesome. Many people don’t realize the benefits that come from playing tennis. Tennis is a sport that calls for you to think about several things almost at once.”
Bob added, “It’s inspiring to see all the programs here: the media program, the tennis, people getting their degrees in school, people trying to better themselves. That’s what we try to do everyday. And we respect you guys for doing the same thing.”
Bob also explained how he met his wife, Michelle Alvarez, who is a Florida attorney. “My mom taught her tennis lessons when she was 10 years old. And I’m like 6 years older so I would always go down there. She’s a lefty so I’d go down to the court and help Michelle, the little 10-year-old with her serve. Then we went off on the tour and then to college and I didn’t see her for 15 years. Then Face Book came along and I saw her pictures and I’m like, whoa, she’s grown up. So I started sending her some messages.”
The brothers support a kids charity, which is an after-school program. Bob said that the program “helps kids out because some kids don’t have any place to go to when school is out, where they can go and feel safe. My brother and I feel it’s important to give back and help. We have a lot of times here to give back and we do two charity events and we ask our buddies …to help us out and we raise money for inner city kids in Ventura County and all around the country. And, you know it means a lot to us to give back and help kids have a better chance to succeed in life.”
Mike and Bob have been the World No. 1 doubles players for over 240 weeks as of May 9, 2011.
The brothers attended Stanford University in 1996 through 1998. In 1998, Bob became the first player since Alex O’Brien in 1992 to win college’s “Triple Crown” of NCAA singles, doubles with his twin brother, Mike, and team titles.
The Bryans have a passion for playing music. They have their own band with Mike playing on the drums, Bob on the keyboard, and father Wayne on the guitar.
Mike and Bob’s mother, Kathy Bryan, is a former women’s tennis circuit player. She participated at Wimbledon four times. Their father is a tennis instructor who studied law during college. During tours, Wayne and Kathy involve themselves in various ATP Kids’ Days and clinics.
The Bryan Brothers worked out for their parents and for the San Quentin tennis team. Mohamed of the S.Q. team said, “It was like getting a visit from a star or an actor that you admire. It is a feeling that I cannot explain. It was a very joyful experience. They treated us like they have known us for a long time.”
Raphael Calix, a member of the S.Q. tennis team, said, “Playing tennis that day with the world’s best truly gave me an experience of freedom and of joy. They were gracious but relentless in their groundstrokes and serves. So for a brief time in history I had the opportunity of returning some serves and exchanging some ground strokes and volleys with the best in the world. This experience made me feel a deep appreciation for human kindness which for me I could only have on the tennis court.”
—JulianGlenn Padgett
contributed to this story.
