Brad Gilbert

Born: August 9, 1961 in Oakland (California)
Height: 1.85 m
Plays: Right-handed

He will be remembered as an excellent coach who considerably helped many great players, especially three who share the same name “Andrew”: Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray. Gilbert played a huge role in each of them reaching the No. 1 spot. His cooperation with his compatriots, Agassi and Roddick, is particularly significant as both reached their peak under Gilbert’s guidance. Additionally, Gilbert is known as the author of the book “Winning Ugly”, a TV personality, and a tennis pundit on Twitter/X.
During his 20s, Gilbert belonged to the tennis elite, despite never reaching a major semifinal. Even though he had no problem with changing tactics depending on the opponent or conditions (he was generally playing delicately, precisely, attacking the net with inside-out forehand approach-shots), clay remained the most challenging surface for him throughout his career. He won more than 500 matches and 20 titles (a unique feat for someone without a Slam semifinal), with his biggest title coming from Cincinnati ’89. The summer of 1989 was a time when he could have almost perceived himself as the best player in the world. First, he helped the United States to defeat West Germany in a Davis Cup semifinal with a five-set win over Carl-Uwe Steeb. He then reached the final in Washington, losing to Tim Mayotte in a rain-suspended match (Gilbert defeated Mayotte just once in nine meetings, losing to him two very important clashes: Paris-Bercy ’87 final and the Olympic ’88 semifinal). Following that defeat, he captured three titles within three weeks (Stratton Mountain, Livingston, Cincinnati), winning 17 matches in a row!
The end phase of the winning streak was remarkable. In back-to-back matches, Gilbert defeated Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, the best players in the world at the time, just behind Ivan Lendl. By the way, Gilbert never managed to beat Lendl, with a 0-16 record against him! It’s a pity they didn’t play against each other during Gilbert’s amazing summer at the end of the 80s. As the hottest player on the tour, Gilbert was stunned in the first round of the US Open ’89 by a fellow US player Todd Witsken […lived 1963-98, the would-be uncle of Ben Shelton…] in what seemed to be a routine three-set victory. Gilbert reflected on the shocking loss: “I was trying to eat, but I wasn’t keeping much down. I tried to eat some bananas. I tried some chocolate and brownies, which were good for a buzz for a few games. Then I got too much of a sugar rush. But I still had my chances. I was up a set and 4:2 and I had a chance to go up a double break. If I had been able to tough that out, I would have been up two sets and I could have played around a little more in the third set. Todd played well and made some good shots.” In that great form Gilbert was expected to play the semifinal at least; given the number of matches and titles won, his results at Slams are very modest, just two quarterfinals (1987 and 1990).
The 28-year-old Gilbert was never quite the same in the aftermath of the Cincy ’89 final. However, in the early 90s, he took an opportunity to become one of the richest players thanks to a controversial event in München, the Grand Slam Cup. In the first edition, Gilbert, as an alternate, advanced to the final after a five-set victory over David Wheaton, a match that almost led to a fight between the players after the third set. He had no chance in the final against Pete Sampras whom had defeated twice before. His three wins in the tournament were worth 1 million dollars, an incredible sum at the time. To compare, the event in Key Biscayne, considered the fifth Slam then, offered $1,200,000 for 96 players in the main draw!
In 1994, as a Top 50 player, shortly after his 40th (Memphis) and last main-level final, Gilbert became the coach of Agassi, helping him triumph at the US Open in the initial period of their cooperation, which lasted eight years. Gilbert wasn’t successful as a player once he became a coach, regularly losing in the first or second rounds. Within exactly twelve months of taking on the role of Agassi’s coach, Gilbert won only 11 of 30 matches and decided to quit when the prospect of playing qualifiers in the French Open ’95 appeared on the horizon (he didn’t need to bother about automatic entrance to Slams since the French Open ’83).
Gilbert’s legacy is marked by his exceptional coaching skills and significant impact on some of the greatest players in modern tennis. His strategic insights and ability to analyze and exploit opponents’ weaknesses made him a highly sought-after coach. Beyond coaching, his contributions to tennis as a commentator and author have enriched the sport, making him a respected figure both on and off the court.

Career record: 519–288 [ 294 events ]
Career titles: 20
Highest ranking: No. 4
Best GS results:
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1990)
US Open (quarterfinal 1987)
Bronze medallist at the Olympics ’88 in Seoul