If established doubles partnerships are like marriage—and many players describe them as such—mixed doubles is the equivalent of the occasional assignation. The man woman pairing is infrequent, often hastily arranged and rarely lasts. Complicated? Yes. But it has sweet rewards for participants and spectators alike. "We call it 'mixed troubles,'" jokes Bob Bryan, who had won six Grand Slam tournament mixed doubles titles with, appropriately, six different partners when the 2010 season began. Bryan calls the inter-gender dynamics and tactics "fun" and "weird."He's a huge proponent, even if he sometimes ends up "pulling my hair out." "That's why tennis is such a great sport," he adds. "It's the only one where men and women can play together."
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While it has slipped in stature from decades past when participation was de rigueur, a healthy collection of doubles specialists and singles stars continue to make mixed a hidden gem in the crowded calendar. Played only at the four majors and competitions such as World Team Tennis and Hopman Cup (an international mixed team event), mixed doubles is more than just a chance for today's peripatetic pros to bond on court. "I think, if anything, it just increases interest for the game of tennis," says Max Mirnyi of Belarus. Adds top-ranked doubles specialist Liezel Huber: "A lot of spectators have the delusion, 'Oh, this is mixed doubles; these are the people who couldn't get in the regular tournament.' But what they don't realize is these are actually the elite players because you have to be ranked really high to get in."
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Reasons vary for why players choose to compete in mixed doubles. Some play for titles. Some enter to sharpen their skills or to log extra practice. Some play for the extra prize money, which can cover travel expenses or fatten pockets. Bryan, for instance, estimates he has won more than $500,000 in the discipline (mixed earnings are not tracked separately). "I usually spend it right when I make it so the taxman doesn't know," says the laid-back Californian, winner of seven Grand Slam tournament men's doubles titles through 2009 with twin brother Mike.
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Some, of course, chase glory, particularly players from smaller nations where major hardware of any kind can transform them into local heroes. "It is nice to say you have a Grand Slam trophy, even if it's mixed," says doubles stand out Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, who began 2010 with three mixed crowns. Bryan can vouch for the flip side. "I've won [six mixed doubles Grand Slam events] and I've probably got one line written in any kind of press, and that was when I won with Martina [Navratilova at the 2006 US Open]. But then Andy Ram wins this for Israel, and he goes home to a parade."
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Still, many top players take a pass. Top ranked Roger Federer has never played mixed at a major, though he has captured the Hopman Cup with Martina Hingis. Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Justine Henin are others with zero mixed experience at majors. The overarching reason top players give for skipping mixed is wear and tear. "It's a lot physically and mentally when you want to focus on singles," says former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who nonetheless says she finds mixed more interesting than women's doubles. "We like it," echoes Venus Williams of herself and sister Serena Williams, "but physically it's not possible." (The sisters achieved a "Williams Slam" in 1998, with Venus winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros alongside Justin Gimelstob, while Serena won Wimbledon and the US Open with Mirnyi.)
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A few players question whether mixed has a future in the game with fewer stars electing to play. "Are there are a lot of people buying tickets coming to watch mixed doubles?" asks Mardy Fish, who prefers to play doubles, although he partnered with Serena to capture the Hopman Cup for the United States in 2008.But a solid majority say fans enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere, where personalities can shine and the intricacies of dueling sexes can play out. If some feel it doesn't get the respect it deserves, few players or officials seem prepared to call for its outright elimination. "You have a lot of different and crazy points," says Serbia's Zimonjic. "There are a lot of tactics involved there: how the women will respond to the men's power, how they use their strengths. I think it's good the way it is."
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At the grassroots level in this country, mixed doubles is holding its own. Since 1999, USTA League Mixed Doubles participation has increased 41 percent to more than 100,000 players in 2008. The numbers have increased every year during that span and today account for about 15 percent of the 700,000-plus competitors in USTA League.
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The International Tennis Federation believes mixed doubles plays an important role for both pros and casual players. It lobbied successfully for the discipline's recent inclusion in the Olympics. "Mixed doubles has been intrinsic to the history of tennis and maintained in the modern era through the Grand Slam tournaments, where it remains a popular event for players and spectators," says ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti. Throughout history, mixed doubles has seen many intriguing pairings. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, the first African Americans to win major championships, teamed in the 1973 US Open. Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors, once tennis' love couple, were mixed doubles runners-up at the '74 US Open. This begs the question: How do partnerships form?
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The truth is pairings can be haphazard and random, though some are planned out far in advance. Huber said she "hounded" Bob Bryan for years before he agreed to play at the French Open last year—and even then the two teamed up at the 11th hour, when Huber's original partner, Jamie Murray, was on the Mixed doubles pairings are often random, their results unpredictable. Clockwise from bottom: Mardy Fish and Serena Williams, Travis Parrott and Carly Gullickson, and siblings Dinara Safina and Marat Safin. fence about playing. "We pretty much signed up at the buzzer," says Bryan.Good thing. The tandem went on to win the title.
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Ditto Travis Parrott and Carly Gullickson, who partnered at the 2009 US Open only because Parrott's first choice, Abigail Spears, decided to play with Robert Kendrick, who already had a wild card secured. In their first tournament together, the American pairing born more of desperation than preparation went on to capture the title over defending champs Cara Black and Leander Paes.
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Coaches and agents also serve as middlemen for team formations. So can a common cultural or linguistic heritage. Some teams are born of friendship. Israel's Ram suggests partnerships also can run skin deep. "The women just tellme they teamupwith the good-looking guys,"laughs the four-timemixed champion. Breakups can be equally capricious. Bryan told Huber during their winning press conference in Paris that he would not be pairing with her atWimbledon, since Samantha Stosur hadasked him to partner months earlier. Hubertook the news in stride. "There really is no method to this madness," says the South African-born American.
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Serial mixed philander Bryan explains: "I start getting claustrophobic if I play with a girl too long. You have to keep it fresh; you have to keep moving the partners around. It's not like men's doubles where you get more experience and you get better and better with time."
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The pace of the game also makes it different from men's doubles. But whether, and when, men throw all their heat at the women is subject to debate. Some players say they take it easy in earlier rounds, but then go all-out when the trophy is in sight. Ivanovic says the men "don't go too hard." Others won't try to overpower with their serve, but employ spin and slice—a fair and effective strategy since many women travel with male hitting partners and are used to pace. "I've learned that I have to mix it up much more than I perhaps do in amen's game," says Mirnyi.
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That doesn't stop Mirnyi from uncorking a heater if it's a crucial point. But others say they never ease off the pedal. "When I first played I did, and the women made sure to let me know don't do that because no one's doing it to them. So I don't anymore," says James Blake. "They're coming at me tough, and I come back tough, too," growls Serena Williams.
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Inevitably, women end up on the wrong end of a blistering return, well-struck overhead or reflex volley. In most cases, good sportsmanship trumps chivalry, and rarely do men resort to retaliation if their female partners are struck. "We're all pros; so if you get hit it's probably your fault and you weren't fast enough," says Bethanie Mattek-Sands. "It's a part of the game," adds Russia's Nadia Petrova, "and therefore we have the racquet in our hand to defend ourselves."
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A few aren't shy about their intentions, however. "I just generally go after the girl no matter what," says Bryan, explaining that taking off pace is a recipe for losing. That has gotten him into hot water on occasion, such as the time Natalie Dechy's husband thought Bryan went too hard at the Frenchwoman and tried to pick a fight after a match. "Some people get [upset] at me for that, "Bryan admits. That's something present in marriage and mixed: the occasional misunderstanding.
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