American tennis player and coach (born 1961)
Brad Gilbert
(born August 9, 1961) is an American former professional
tennis
player, tennis coach, and tennis commentator and analyst for
ESPN
. During his career, he won 20 singles titles and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in 1990, and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 18 four years prior. He won a
bronze medal
at the
1988 Olympics
, and both a gold medal and a silver medal at the
1981 Maccabiah Games
.
Since retiring from the professional tour, he has coached several top players, most notably
Andre Agassi
who won six of his eight Grand Slam titles under Gilbert's tutelage. Other players he has coached include
Andy Roddick
,
Andy Murray
, and
Kei Nishikori
. He is currently coaching
Coco Gauff
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Brad Gilbert was born on August 9, 1961, to a
Jewish
family in
Oakland, California
.
[1]
Brad began playing tennis at age 4 after his father, Barry Gilbert (a history teacher and owner of a real estate firm), took up the sport.
[2]
Despite being undersized, Brad became the top player at
Piedmont High School
following in the footsteps of his older siblings, Barry Jr. and
Dana
, who each held the top spot on the high school's tennis team.
[3]
Playing career
[
edit
]
College
[
edit
]
Gilbert played tennis for
Foothill College
, a
junior college
in
Los Altos Hills, California
, from 1980 to 1982, where he was coached by Tom Chivington. During this time, he won the California Junior College Singles Championship and the U.S. Amateur Hardcourt Championship. In 1981, Gilbert became a member of the American Junior
Davis Cup
team.
He competed for the US in the
1981 Maccabiah Games
in Israel, losing in the men's singles finals to Israeli
Shlomo Glickstein
, but winning a
gold medal
in doubles with
Jon Levine
over fellow Americans
Rick Meyer
and Paul Bernstein.
[4]
In 1982, he transferred to
Pepperdine University
, playing for
Allen Fox
. He became an
All-American
and reached the finals of the 1982
NCAA
Championship, losing to
Mike Leach
of
Michigan
7?5, 6?3.
[5]
Professional
[
edit
]
Gilbert joined the professional tour in 1982 and won his first top-level singles title later that year in Taipei. His first doubles title came at the
1985 Tel Aviv Open
, with
Ilie N?stase
; he also won the singles championship.
[6]
Gilbert won a total of 20 top-level singles titles during his career, the biggest being the
Cincinnati Masters
tournament in 1989. He was also runner-up in a further 20 singles events, including Cincinnati in 1990, where he lost to six-time Grand Slam champion
Stefan Edberg
, and the
Paris Masters
in 1987 and 1988.
Gilbert's most successful year on the tour was 1989, during which he won five singles titles, including Cincinnati, where he beat four future Hall of Famers to claim the title:
Pete Sampras
,
Michael Chang
,
Boris Becker
and
Stefan Edberg
.
Gilbert's best performances at
Grand Slam
tournaments were in the Quarterfinals of the 1987
US Open
, losing to
Jimmy Connors
and in the quarterfinals of the 1990
Wimbledon Championships
, losing to
Boris Becker
. He was also runner-up at the inaugural
Grand Slam Cup
in 1990.
[7]
Gilbert was ranked among the top-ten players in the U.S. for nine of his first ten years on the professional tour. His career win?loss record in singles play was 519?288.
[8]
Among his upsets of players ranked in the world's top 3 were his defeat of No. 2 Boris Becker, 3?6, 6?3, 6?4, in Cincinnati in 1989, No. 2 Edberg, 7?6, 6?7, 6?4, in Los Angeles in 1991, No. 3 Sampras, 6?3, 6?4, in London in 1992, and No. 3
Jim Courier
, 6?4, 6?4, at Memphis in 1994, Edberg, 6?4, 2?6, 7?6, in Cincinnati in 1989, and perhaps most significantly, No. 2 John McEnroe, 5?7, 6?4, 6?1, at the
Masters Grand Prix
in 1985, which sent McEnroe into his first six-month break from tennis.
[9]
Style of play
[
edit
]
Unlike many other professional players of his era, Gilbert did not have a major offensive weapon such as an overpowering serve or forehand. His best asset was his ability to keep the ball in play. He hit the ball most often at a slow but accurate pace and was sometimes called a
pusher
.
[10]
Gilbert kept an open stance and did not turn much during the swing at the baseline. This enabled him to control the game through oversight and tempo, despite his defensive style. He built his game around destroying his opponent's rhythm. He forced his opponent into long rallies by hitting the ball high over the net and deep into his opponent's court. If an opponent employed a slow pace, Gilbert attacked decisively, often at the net. He was one of the sport's top strategists as a player. Although he was easy to get along with outside the court, Gilbert was a fierce competitor with a sometimes annoying style of play, focusing on his opponent's weaknesses. Both his style of play and his mental approach brought him wins over the world's top players and kept him near the top 10 for six years. The title of Gilbert's 1994 nonfiction book,
Winning Ugly
, was a self-deprecating nod to his unorthodox but successful tennis career.
Davis Cup
[
edit
]
Gilbert compiled a 10?5 record in
Davis Cup
play from 1986 to 1993, with a 7?1 record on hard courts and carpet.
[11]
Olympics
[
edit
]
Gilbert won a
bronze medal
in men's singles at the
1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul.
ATP career finals
[
edit
]
Singles: 40 (20 titles, 20 runner-ups)
[
edit
]
Legend
|
Grand Slam Tournaments (0?0)
|
ATP World Tour Finals (0?2)
|
ATP Masters 1000 Series (1?3)
|
ATP 500 Series (0?3)
|
ATP 250 Series (19?12)
|
|
Finals by surface
|
Hard (17?14)
|
Clay (0?1)
|
Grass (0?0)
|
Carpet (3?5)
|
|
Finals by setting
|
Outdoors (13?10)
|
Indoors (7?10)
|
|
Result
|
W?L
|
Date
|
Tournament
|
Tier
|
Surface
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Win
|
1?0
|
Nov 1982
|
Taipei
, Taiwan
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
Craig Wittus
|
6?1, 6?4
|
Win
|
2?0
|
Aug 1984
|
Columbus
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Hank Pfister
|
6?3, 3?6, 6?3
|
Loss
|
2?1
|
Sep 1984
|
San Francisco
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
John McEnroe
|
4?6, 4?6
|
Win
|
3?1
|
Nov 1984
|
Taipei
, Taiwan
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
Wally Masur
|
6?3, 6?3
|
Win
|
4?1
|
Jul 1985
|
Livingston
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Brian Teacher
|
4?6, 7?5, 6?0
|
Win
|
5?1
|
Aug 1985
|
Cleveland
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Brad Drewett
|
6?3, 6?2
|
Loss
|
5?2
|
Sep 1985
|
Stuttgart
, West Germany
|
Grand Prix
|
Clay
|
Ivan Lendl
|
4?6, 0?6
|
Loss
|
5?3
|
Oct 1985
|
Johannesburg
, South Africa
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Matt Anger
|
4?6, 6?3, 3?6, 2?6
|
Win
|
6?3
|
Oct 1985
|
Tel Aviv
, Israel
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Amos Mansdorf
|
6?3, 6?2
|
Win
|
7?3
|
Feb 1986
|
Memphis
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Stefan Edberg
|
7?5, 7?6
(7?3)
|
Win
|
8?3
|
Jul 1986
|
Livingston
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Mike Leach
|
6?2, 6?2
|
Win
|
9?3
|
Oct 1986
|
Tel Aviv
, Israel
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Aaron Krickstein
|
7?5, 6?2
|
Win
|
10?3
|
Oct 1986
|
Vienna
, Austria
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Karel Nova?ek
|
3?6, 6?3, 7?5, 6?0
|
Loss
|
10?4
|
Aug 1987
|
Washington
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Ivan Lendl
|
1?6, 0?6
|
Win
|
11?4
|
Oct 1987
|
Scottsdale
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Eliot Teltscher
|
6?3, 3?6, 4?6
|
Loss
|
11?5
|
Oct 1987
|
Tel Aviv
, Israel
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Amos Mansdorf
|
4?6, 6?3, 3?6, 2?6
|
Loss
|
11?6
|
Nov 1987
|
Paris
, France
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
Tim Mayotte
|
6?2, 3?6, 5?7, 7?6
(7?5)
, 3?6
|
Loss
|
11?7
|
Nov 1987
|
Johannesburg
, South Africa
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Pat Cash
|
6?7
(7?9)
, 6?4, 6?2, 0?6, 1?6
|
Win
|
12?7
|
Oct 1988
|
Tel Aviv
, Israel
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Aaron Krickstein
|
4?6, 7?6
(7?5)
, 6?2
|
Loss
|
12?8
|
Oct 1988
|
Paris
, France
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
Amos Mansdorf
|
3?6, 2?6, 3?6
|
Win
|
13?8
|
Feb 1989
|
Memphis
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Johan Kriek
|
6?2, 6?2, ret.
|
Loss
|
13?9
|
Mar 1989
|
Dallas
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
John McEnroe
|
3?6, 3?6, 6?7
(3?7)
|
Loss
|
13?10
|
Jul 1989
|
Washington
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Tim Mayotte
|
6?3, 4?6, 5?7
|
Win
|
14?10
|
Aug 1989
|
Stratton Mountain
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Jim Pugh
|
7?5, 6?0
|
Win
|
15?10
|
Aug 1989
|
Livingston
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Jason Stoltenberg
|
6?4, 6?4
|
Win
|
16?10
|
Aug 1989
|
Cincinnati
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Stefan Edberg
|
6?4, 2?6, 7?6
(7?5)
|
Win
|
17?10
|
Oct 1989
|
San Francisco
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Anders Jarryd
|
7?5, 6?2
|
Loss
|
17?11
|
Oct 1989
|
Orlando
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Andre Agassi
|
2?6, 1?6
|
Win
|
18?11
|
Mar 1990
|
Rotterdam
, Netherlands
|
World Series
|
Carpet
|
Jonas Svensson
|
6?1, 6?3
|
Win
|
19?11
|
Apr 1990
|
Orlando
, United States
|
World Series
|
Hard
|
Christo van Rensburg
|
6?2, 6?1
|
Loss
|
19?12
|
Aug 1990
|
Cincinnati
, United States
|
Masters Series
|
Hard
|
Stefan Edberg
|
1?6, 1?6
|
Win
|
20?12
|
Sep 1990
|
Brisbane
, Australia
|
World Series
|
Hard
|
Aaron Krickstein
|
6?3, 6?1
|
Loss
|
20?13
|
Dec 1990
|
Munich
, Germany
|
World Series
|
Carpet
|
Pete Sampras
|
3?6, 4?6, 2?6
|
Loss
|
20?14
|
Feb 1991
|
San Francisco
, United States
|
World Series
|
Carpet
|
Darren Cahill
|
2?6, 6?3, 4?6
|
Loss
|
20?15
|
Aug 1991
|
Los Angeles
, United States
|
World Series
|
Hard
|
Pete Sampras
|
2?6, 7?6
(7?5)
, 3?6
|
Loss
|
20?16
|
Oct 1991
|
Sydney
, Australia
|
Championship Series
|
Hard
|
Stefan Edberg
|
2?6, 2?6, 2?6
|
Loss
|
20?17
|
Mar 1992
|
Scottsdale
, United States
|
World Series
|
Hard
|
Stefano Pescosolido
|
0?6, 6?1, 4?6
|
Loss
|
20?18
|
Feb 1993
|
San Francisco
, United States
|
World Series
|
Hard
|
Andre Agassi
|
2?6, 7?6
(7?4)
, 2?6
|
Loss
|
20?19
|
Apr 1993
|
Tokyo
, Japan
|
Championship Series
|
Hard
|
Pete Sampras
|
2?6, 2?6, 2?6
|
Loss
|
20?20
|
Feb 1994
|
Memphis
, United States
|
Championship Series
|
Hard
|
Todd Martin
|
4?6, 5?7
|
Doubles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runner-ups)
[
edit
]
Legend
|
Grand Slam Tournaments (0?0)
|
ATP World Tour Finals (0?0)
|
ATP Masters 1000 Series (1?0)
|
ATP 500 Series (0?0)
|
ATP 250 Series (2?3)
|
|
Finals by surface
|
Hard (3?1)
|
Clay (0?0)
|
Grass (0?0)
|
Carpet (0?2)
|
|
Finals by setting
|
Outdoors (3?1)
|
Indoors (0?2)
|
|
Result
|
W?L
|
Date
|
Tournament
|
Tier
|
Surface
|
Partner
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Loss
|
0?1
|
Sep 1985
|
San Francisco
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
Sandy Mayer
|
Paul Annacone
Christo van Rensburg
|
6?3, 3?6, 4?6
|
Win
|
1?1
|
Oct 1985
|
Tel Aviv
, Israel
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Ilie N?stase
|
Michael Robertson
Florin Seg?rceanu
|
6?3, 6?2
|
Win
|
2?1
|
Feb 1986
|
Miami
, United States
|
Masters Series
|
Hard
|
Vincent Van Patten
|
Stefan Edberg
Anders Jarryd
|
walkover
|
Loss
|
2?2
|
Oct 1986
|
Vienna
, Austria
|
Grand Prix
|
Carpet
|
Slobodan ?ivojinovi?
|
Ricardo Acioly
Wojtek Fibak
|
walkover
|
Loss
|
2?3
|
Sep 1987
|
Los Angeles
, United States
|
Grand Prix
|
Hard
|
Tim Wilkison
|
Kevin Curren
David Pate
|
3?6, 4?6
|
Win
|
3?3
|
Apr 1992
|
Hong Kong
, Hong Kong
|
World Series
|
Hard
|
Jim Grabb
|
Byron Black
Byron Talbot
|
6?2, 6?1
|
Performance timelines
[
edit
]
Key
W
|
F
|
SF
|
QF
|
#R
|
RR
|
Q#
|
DNQ
|
A
|
NH
|
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W?L) win?loss record.
Singles
[
edit
]
Doubles
[
edit
]
Halls of Fame
[
edit
]
Gilbert is a member of the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame, and the
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
.
[12]
[13]
Gilbert is also a 1999 inductee into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame.
[14]
Gilbert was inducted in 2001 into the ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, and in 1996 into the
Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
.
[15]
[16]
Gilbert was a 2001 inductee into the Marblehead Boosters Hall of Fame.
[17]
Coaching career
[
edit
]
Gilbert retired as a player in 1995. Since 1994, he has been successful as a tennis coach. This success has often been associated with the extraordinary tactical abilities exhibited during his own matches.
Andre Agassi
[
edit
]
Gilbert was the coach of Andre Agassi for eight years, from March 1994 until January 2002. Agassi won six of his eight majors when Gilbert was his coach. Agassi described Gilbert as "the greatest coach of all time".
[18]
Andy Roddick
[
edit
]
On June 3, 2003, Gilbert became the coach of Andy Roddick, who won the 2003 US Open under Gilbert's guidance, as well as clinching the year-end world no. 1 for 2003 and reaching the 2004 Wimbledon final. They parted ways on December 12, 2004.
Andy Murray
[
edit
]
On July 26, 2006, Gilbert was announced as taking over the coaching duties of Scottish player Andy Murray. As well as coaching Murray, Gilbert took part, pursuant to a 3-year deal, in other British
Lawn Tennis Association
programmes, including tennis camps at under-12 and under-14 levels.
[19]
He also worked with the LTA's network of coaches and its high-performance clubs and academies. On November 14, 2007, after 16 months working together, Gilbert and Murray parted company. By then, Murray had reached a then career-high ranking of no. 8.
[20]
Alex Bogdanovi?
[
edit
]
In November 2007 it was announced that Gilbert would work for 20 weeks in 2008 for Britain's
Lawn Tennis Association
, concentrating mostly on coaching Britain's no. 2,
Alex Bogdanovi?
, and others in his age group. Bogdanovi? said he was "unbelievably excited" at the chance of spending time with Gilbert.
[21]
Roger Draper, the LTA's chief executive, said: "We have set Brad a new challenge of getting Alex into the top 100 and also 'upskilling' our coaches and inspiring the next generation to follow in Andy's footsteps."
[22]
Kei Nishikori
[
edit
]
While still being committed to his TV items,
[23]
in December 2010 it was announced that Gilbert would return to coaching, and partner with
Kei Nishikori
of Japan for 15 tournaments in the 2011 season. Gilbert's partnership with Nishikori concluded at the end of the 2011 season.
[24]
Sam Querrey
[
edit
]
In February 2012, it was announced that Gilbert would work with American
Sam Querrey
on a trial basis in 2012.
[25]
Coco Gauff
[
edit
]
In August 2023, Gilbert joined the team of rising American star
Coco Gauff
.
[26]
Coco has had a strong showing in her first tournaments since this change, winning the women's singles title at the
Washington Open
, the
Cincinnati Masters
shortly thereafter, and her first major win at the
2023 US Open
.
Commentator and author
[
edit
]
Gilbert now serves as a tennis analyst for
ESPN
. He is also the author of the book
Winning Ugly
,
[27]
which gives tips on how an average player can defeat a more skilled opponent and better the average player's mental game. His second book, co-authored by
James Kaplan
and entitled
I've Got Your Back,
[28]
was published in 2005.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Gilbert is
Jewish
[29]
and resides with his wife Kim in
Malibu, California
. They have three children?Zach, Julian, and Zoe.
He owns a tennis shop in
Greenbrae, California
called Brad Gilbert Tennis Nation. He was a close friend of tennis player and commentator
Barry MacKay
.
While covering
Andy Murray
's third-round match in the
2011 Australian Open
for
ESPN
, Gilbert mentioned that he lives near the Olympian runner
Michael Johnson
and that when he was Murray's coach he introduced Johnson and Murray, who did a series of sprints together on a nearby track.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Slater, Robert (2006).
Great Jews in Sports
. Middle Village, New York: Jonathan David Publishers, Inc. pp. 89?91.
ISBN
9780824604530
. Retrieved
September 1,
2022
.
- ^
Ross, Ian (April 27, 2019).
"Tennis star Gilbert being inducted into Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame"
.
Marin Independent Journal
. Retrieved
September 1,
2022
.
- ^
Del Grande, Dave (January 9, 2008).
"Big sister, look what you've done"
.
Easy Bay Times
. Retrieved
September 1,
2022
.
- ^
"U.S. Five Captures Maccabiah Crown"
.
The New York Times
. Vol. CXXX, no. 45, 011. Associated Press. July 16, 1981. p. B13
. Retrieved
September 1,
2022
.
- ^
"Gilbert Avenges Defeat By Leach"
.
The New York Times
. July 28, 1986
. Retrieved
June 14,
2022
.
- ^
"TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? Top-seeded Brad Gilbert won the $94,000 Isra"
.
AP NEWS
.
- ^
"On this day: Pete Sampras topples Brad Gilbert to win first Grand Slam Cup"
.
Tennis World USA
. December 15, 2019.
- ^
"Brad Gilbert"
.
- ^
Denizet-Lewis, Benoit (June 27, 2004).
"Brad Gilbert Talks a Great Game"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
Benoit Denizet-Lewis (June 27, 2004).
"Brad Gilbert Talks a Great Game"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
November 11,
2010
.
- ^
Brad Gilbert
at the
Davis Cup
- ^
USTA Northern California Hall of Fame
Archived
July 23, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Correspondent, J. (September 18, 2003).
"celebrity Jews in the news"
.
J
.
- ^
"CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports"
. Archived from
the original
on April 25, 2007
. Retrieved
March 26,
2007
.
- ^
ITA Men's Hall of Fame
Archived
July 3, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine
. Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
- ^
"Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home"
.
scjewishsportshof.com
.
- ^
Marblehead Marblehead Boosters Club Hall of Fame
Archived
October 30, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Tennis players ? Brad Gilbert"
.
Tennis ? ATP World Tour official site
.
- ^
Halley, Jim (August 3, 2006).
"Gilbert coaching teen Murray, over firing by Roddick"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
April 26,
2010
.
- ^
"Murray splits with coach Gilbert"
. BBC News. November 14, 2007.
- ^
Harman, Neil (November 20, 2007).
"Brad Gilbert gives Alex Bogdanovic rallying call to reach potential"
.
The Times
. London
. Retrieved
April 26,
2010
.
- ^
Newman, Paul (November 19, 2007).
"After Murray, Gilbert moves on to coach Bogdanovic, the world No 161"
.
The Independent
. London. Archived from
the original
on January 20, 2008
. Retrieved
April 26,
2010
.
- ^
"News ? ATP World Tour ? Tennis"
.
- ^
"Kei Nishikori 17.01.12 - Interviews - News and Photos - Australian Open Tennis Championships 2012 - Official Site by IBM"
. Archived from
the original
on March 8, 2012
. Retrieved
2012-06-30
.
- ^
"Brad Gilbert to work with Sam Querrey on trial basis"
. TennisNow. February 20, 2012.
- ^
"New on Team Coco: Brad Gilbert (updated) ? Open Court"
. August 1, 2023
. Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
Jamison, Steve; Brad Gilbert (1994).
Winning Ugly : Mental Warfare in Tennis?Lessons from a Master
. New York: Fireside.
ISBN
0-671-88400-X
.
- ^
Andre Agassi; Brad Gilbert; Kaplan, James (2005).
I've Got Your Back : Coaching Top Performers from Center Court to the Corner Office
. Portfolio Trade.
ISBN
1-59184-095-3
.
- ^
[1]
,
The JC
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