Healthy Hollywood: Tennis Superstars Rally for a Good Cause

The U.S. Open has already reached the quarterfinals and Healthy Hollywood caught up with a few of tennis’ biggest stars.

Bob and Mike Bryan met up with Victoria Azarenka in Times Square as part of Esurance’s Rally for a Cause which raised money for the V Foundation. As paid spokespersons for the company they hit around with fans and each other to raise money throughout the day before the tournament officially began.

The Bryan Brothers are the Number 1 ranked Men’s Doubles team in the world. For them, this tournament is the pinnacle of the sport.

“This is the most exciting tournament of the year. The media. The lights. The shine is here in New York,” Bob Bryan told Healthy Hollywood.

Victoria Azarenka is a rising star in the tennis world. She made it to the finals of the US Open in both 2012 and 2013 only to be defeated twice by Serena Williams. When it comes to preparing for the tournament, Azarenka is surprisingly low key.

“A lot of training. A lot of kind of boring stuff. Hanging in the room watching TV series,” she said.

The pressure surrounding this tournament is intense but all three players use music to calm down.

“You’ve got to block it out in some ways. There’s a lot of pressure going into the U.S. Open. It’s last event of the year. So we play music. That brings our heart rate down … we go off into a different world. A lot of players meditate, listen to music,” said Mike.

When it comes to their favorite artists, their tastes tend to differ. Bob and Mike’s list includes Maroon 5, Counting Crows and Dave Matthews – while Victoria’s is a fan of Motown and Marvin Gaye.

But don’t let the low key music fool you – when they step on the court the Bryan Brothers bring the energy.

“We’re pretty hyper on court. We jump around a lot. We throw in a chest bump. We’re trying to bring the fans in,” Mike told Healthy Hollywood. “I think we’re more mellow off the court.”

Victoria liked to poke fun of their matching on-court attire.

“They always wear the same thing,” she said.

Bob agreed that they aren’t as original as Victoria.

“We take what they give us,” he laughingly said. “Whatever shows up in the room – we’re wearing. But yeah she actually designs it which is kind of cool.”

Victoria likes to be prepared to design her own looks.

“I always design ahead of stuff so I can try to keep up with them and share my thoughts and share my ideas,” she told Healthy Hollywood.

No matter what they’re wearing all three athletes look like champions on the court.

— Courtney Cox & Terri MacLeod