BRYAN TWINS COULD BE JUST WHAT TENNIS NEEDS : THEY BRING REFRESHING ENTHUSIASM TO GAME.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

American men's tennis has been desperate for an infusion of spice ever since Jimmy Connors put down his racket - and John McEnroe threw down his.

That could change soon, but fans will have to wander away from the high-profile arena of singles play to find it. Over there, on the doubles court, a couple of young men from Camarillo are really having some fun.

They are Bob and Mike Bryan, 20-year-old twin brothers who turned pro soon after combining last month to produce a rare triple crown in college tennis - NCAA team, singles (Bob) and doubles championships while at Stanford.

Since then, they've smoked through three lower-level pro events (two satellites and one challenger), have made a respectable showing in a major pro event this past week in Washington, and generated a bit of a stir all along the way.

Next up: The Mercedes-Benz Cup this week at UCLA.

``We wear black shoes, long pants (knee-length),'' Bob Bryan said recently in a phone interview. ``We always have fun out there. We're pretty enthusiastic. In exchange for that, we get a lot of crowd support. . . . We bring the crowd into the match. We make it fun. We want to definitely give back instead of just being stoners out there.''

Sometimes their opponents are considerably less taken with their exuberance. Michael Tebbutt of Australia, a top singles seed upset by Bob Bryan in a recent tournament in Aptos, grumbled afterward about the antics.

Stanford coach Dick Gould realizes a fine line exists.

``They're so much fun because they do bring that enthusiasm to the game,'' he said of the twins. ``I think you have to be a little careful because things can rub people the wrong way. Let's not put it in the context of the Bryans, but in general context: What comes across as unbridled enthusiasm for one person. . . . you have to be careful you don't rub something in someone's face at the same time.

``They're very aware of that. But they're always bouncing around and hopping. A chest bump here and there. On the other side, every once in a while I catch someone rolling their eyes.''

Still, Gould added, ``I think people realize it's not malicious, it's just the way they are.''

The Bryans certainly have just cause to be excited. After producing dominant juniors careers in Southern California, they continued the act at Stanford, where they were a combined 139-19 in singles and 67-15 in doubles over the two years they were there.

The decision to turn pro last month was made easier by the lopsided nature of these numbers. ``They sort of maxed out college tennis,'' said Wayne Bryan, the young men's father and coach. ``That's not a record you could grow with. You need to have more losses to grow.''

That said, the twins are already storming through lower-level pro competition without many setbacks. Bob won the singles and the two combined for doubles championships in $15,000 future events in Waco, Texas, and Tulsa, Okla. Another doubles title followed at a $50,000 challenger tournament two weeks ago in Aptos, where Bob also survived to the round of 16 in singles.

In Washington, at the $700,000 Legg Mason Classic, they have advanced to the semifinals in doubles, although Bob was eliminated in the first round of singles by Michael Sell.

Of the Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA, Mike Bryan said, ``It's going to be awesome going back home. We always get a big turnout. We live an hour away, and so many people come out.''

Playing in such events is nothing new for these two - they competed in 25 pro events as amateurs, including the U.S. Open three times and the Los Angeles tournament (then sponsored by Infiniti) twice.

As a direct result, the pro circuit ``hasn't been a big shock so far,'' said Bob. ``We've been through these tournaments before. Now it's just a matter of taking the money. We try not to let that affect our play. `I could make another $1,000 if I make this serve.' You get a little tight.''

The Davis Cup seems undeniably in their future, since many of the top singles players eschew doubles, while many American doubles players have foreign partners.

But the implicit challenge for the Bryans will be to keep this act together as they advance their professional careers individually.

Bob Bryan, as the reigning NCAA champion, is getting wild cards in singles draws, but Mike Bryan often must go through qualifying. If the two play events back-to-back and continue to maintain their run of success in doubles, they'll be competing in doubles well into weekends - when qualifying at the ensuing tournament is being conducted. Mike, for example, missed a chance to qualify for the Washington event because of their doubles success at Aptos.

It would behoove them to keep this alliance going as long as possible, though. The novelty of the pairing, combined with their on-court animation, is sure to heighten their popularity. The sport could probably use it.

``I think they can contribute a great deal in that way,'' said Stanford's Gould. ``The top players don't play doubles. I guess they feel it's too much tennis. That hurts (tennis).

``On the other hand, when you have a team that obviously loves it and is communicating well, and they're involved in the game and projecting their joy for what they're doing, it makes games more exciting to watch.''

For the Bryan twins, in this new career path called professional tennis, the excitement, clearly, is mutual.

MERCEDES-BENZ CUP

Monday - Sunday

At Los Angeles Tennis Center, UCLA