Golden Child
Victoria Azarenka is rapidly rising to the top of the women’s tennis world.

Tennis is known for cultivating a certain brand of hot, up-and-coming athletes—elite players who reach very high levels of fame at a very young age. Victoria Azarenka, 20, is one of them. Born in Minsk, Belarus, she began playing tennis as a seven-year-old while visiting her mother as she worked at a local tennis center. Killing time
by hitting balls, she was eventually invited to join the official group. “I just kind of fell in love with the game right away, and that’s pretty much it,” she says.

That love affair has paid off. Azarenka turned pro in 2003 with the help of her trademark sweeping ground strokes, grunts and squeals and crowd-pleasing heart. She is currently ranked eighth in the world after a fruitful 2009 to date: She won the singles title at the Brisbane International, the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (beating Serena Williams) and the Cellular South Cup in Memphis. She also advanced to the quarterfinals of both Wimbledon (overpowered by eventual champion Williams in a gutsily played match) and the French Open.

Off the court she’s increasingly visible, having posed for a page in the French FHM and other publications. Splitting time between Scottsdale, Arizona, and Belarus, Azarenka trains six to seven hours a day in the pre-season and also plays doubles. Highly determined and known for her sometimes-fiery disposition on the court, Azarenka is focused on winning Grand Slam tournaments and looks forward to her time at the US Open. “First of all, it’s Grand Slam, and the American people really appreciate athletes and really appreciate sports, which makes me feel special,” she says. “The whole atmosphere is really great.”

Another reason she loves to visit New York? Shopping, punctuated by a love of Dior shoes. It’s one thing she hasn’t had to sacrifice to get to where she is—and the things she has have been well worth the trade. “Of course there are some things I’ve missed that my friends didn’t,” she says. “But on the other side, my friends have missed things that I haven’t."

Two-Court Harmony
Twins Bob and Mike Bryan keep it rocking

There is litt le doubt that Mike and Bob Bryan know their way around a tennis court. The 31-year-old identical twins (Mike is two minutes older than Bob) have established themselves as one of the most dominating doubles teams in the game, winning numerous titles along the way. But they also feel at home in a recording studio, where Mike (drums), Bob (bass, keyboards) and David Baron (piano, guitar)—The Bryan Brothers Band Featuring David Baron—play their original music. Let It Rip, the trio’s first EP, will be released on September 1, and the band will perform three of its songs on Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the US Open.

“Music has always been a great outlet for us,” says Bob. “I could kill a week in a room as long as I have wireless Internet and my keyboard and a computer.”

The Bryans came upon tennis honestly: Both of their parents were pros and their father was also a coach, so they spent full days at the tennis club. “Our parents did a great job of motivating us,” says Bob. “Our dad would take us to the pro tournaments and college tournaments and just showed us the highest level from a very early age. Step by step we got better and better.”

The brothers began working on doubles drills as kids, something most fledgling players weren’t focusing on, and developed a sibling rivalry that continues to benefit them. Though they both played singles well, the marketability of champion twin tennis players—and their obvious love for competing alongside each other—couldn’t be ignored. “There was always more satisfaction playing doubles matches for us,” says Bob. “You’re so connected to your brother that any individual achievement doesn’t last and doesn’t feel as good as sharing it with your bro.”

The result is an impressive—if not, dominating—record. They won the LA Tennis Open for the fifth time earlier this month and have won seven Grand Slam doubles titles together (Wimbledon 2006, Australian Open 2006/2007/2009, US Open 2005/2008, French Open 2003). They took the 2007 Davis Cup championship along with teammate James Blake, and they won a bronze medal at the Olympics in Beijing last year. Nearly all the wins are stamped with their signature chest bump.

With a balance of strengths—Bob is left-handed and a self-described “great server”; Mike is a right-hander and a “great returner”—the brothers complement each other on the court. Off it, they push each other. “We’re very disciplined and that’s where being twins helps,” says Bob. “If Mike goes to the gym, I’m in there with him. You wake up in the morning, you do your gym for an hour and a half and you go practice, and that’s the deal. And we like doing it.”

The top priority for the siblings is to finish the year in first, and do well at the majors—especially the US Open. “The crowds are there and the courts are always packed,” says Bob. “People know who we are and they’re cheering our names; we just feel like we’re the home team and we feel like we have a huge advantage.”

Living in both Tampa, Florida, and California, the brothers throw their energies into numerous clinics and support several charities (the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation among them) when not training or competing. And despite the accolades and attention—People featured them in its 2006 Sexiest Man Alive issue—at the end of the day the siblings simply play their best and never forget where they came from. “It’s just the morals we grew up with, “ says Bob. “We just try to keep that image and not let our characters dip in any way. Even in the tough times.”

The Bryans will play an exhibition match against Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor at the Huggy Bear tennis tournament on August 29, with proceeds going to Keep a Child Alive and the Southampton Fresh Air Home. For ticket info call Julie Harris at 212-627-0678.

BY INGRID SKJONG
PHOTOGRAPHS OF AZARENKA BY TROY BORRUSO (PORTRAIT); RON C. ANGLE (ACTION). OF THE BRYANS BY BRENDAN THORNE/gettyimages (PORTRAIT); ELSA/gettyimages.com (ACTION)