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Centre Court was always intended to be quiet today, on what would normally be the middle Sunday of the Wimbledon Championships. But over the next seven days, these empty lawns will haunt the dreams of tennis professionals across the world. For some, the pain will be assuaged by the knowledge that there will be more summers to come. For others – such as the 42-year-old Bryan twins – the loss is more acute. The most prolific doubles partnership in history, Bob and Mike Bryan were planning a farewell tour of the world’s great stadia in 2020. Their plan was to finish in front of a 24,000-strong sell-out in September – a fitting New York finale for the pair who have done more than any other man to carry American tennis in the 21st Century. Now, they are bewildered and unsure. Should they move the whole campaign back by 12 months? The Bryans built their success on playing the percentages better than anyone else. But no-one knows the rules of this latest game, and with August’s fan-free US Open only eight weeks away, they can’t decide whether to stick or twist. “We had a lot of stuff planned,” said Bob Bryan, the more garrulous of the twins, over a video link from his home in Florida. “We took our kids out of school to travel on the road and feel the emotions one last time. I wanted to retire this year because we still felt we could compete for big tournaments. We didn’t want to push into our mid-40s and retire on fumes. We wanted to be relevant.” “Yeah, we had it all mapped out,” chimed Mike from his own base in Camarillo, California, which is where the twins were born. “But you can’t always write the perfect script, and this summer has thrown us a curveball. So now we’re weighing the options. If we decide not to go on next year, I don’t think you’ll see us playing for no fans in New York.”
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