3. Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares (Brazil)
Third seeds
Performing at home with the burgeoning expectations of the whole nation on your shoulders can be a daunting task. But Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares are veterans on the tennis circuit. While Melo has had 18 years of professional career, Soares can boast of playing 15 years of pro tennis.
Without a doubt, they will be eager to channelize this emotional experience of playing for the host nation in a positive way. Performance-wise, they are in a bright spot right now that was evident at the Toronto Masters last week.
They reached the final there but were on opposite sides of the net. Melo went on to win that summit clash and both are arriving at home with the right amount of confidence. Furthermore, they can certainly bank on the vociferous chants of support to lift their spirits whenever they need it in the next few days.
Rio will also give the two, who now have four doubles Major titles between them, a big chance for redemption. Four years ago, they succumbed in the quarter-finals at London. Making amends should definitely be high on their agenda.
