Daily Bagel: Bob and Mike Bryan concerned about the future of doubles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1eszvtiriI
The Daily Bagel is your dose of the interesting reporting, writing and quipping from around the Internet.
• Video: Wilson put together a funny mashup of outtakes from its promotional efforts. Observations: Roger Federer's robot needs work, Serena Williams' improv is solid and Milos Raonic is quite the ham.
• Bob and Mike Bryan have expressed concern about the future of doubles, as USA Today's Doug Robson reports.
Young, up-and-coming prospects are few. Teams primed to carry the torch once the Bryans retire are thin. Behind-the-scene voices to make sure doubles is marketed and given its proper due are growing fainter.
"It's in the back of our heads," righty Mike told USA TODAY Sports. "Where does it go from here once we're done?"
"We don't want to retire and just wipe our legacy clean," said lefty Bob.
...
"We're so focused on our career and playing we haven't had the chance to get into the political side of the game and do a lot for doubles behind the scenes," acknowledged Bob. "That might be something we can do when we retire."
But he said the game needs more "TLC," especially after the TV-friendly move a few years ago to substitute a third set with a super tiebreak.
"Over time it's been pushed to the backburner," said Bob. "The whole thing about the shortened format was to get more doubles matches on center courts, but they're slowly starting to put less doubles matches out there."
• Speaking of which, the LTA is cutting funding for doubles. That's quite a blow considering Great Britain's depth and quality in the doubles game.
• Pretty surprising to hear that Richard Gasquet was dumped by coach Riccardo Piatti over the weekend. Piatti flew back home before Gasquet even played his final match at the ATP World Tour Finals, against Novak Djokovic on Sunday. All this after Gasquet's phenomenal year.
• Andy Murray says Marin Cilic's and Viktor Troicki's actions that led to their doping suspensions were "unprofessional."
• Coach Robert Lansdorp, who has worked with Pete Sampras, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport, writes an open letter to Patrick McEnroe.
• Nice collection of hot shots compiled by Tennis Warehouse.
• Murray got caught in a gun scare. Kind of.
• Victoria Azarenka attended the MTV European Music Awards with Redfoo.
