Brad Gilbert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for the  United States |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Men's tennis | |||
| Bronze | 1988 Seoul | Singles | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maccabiah Games | ||
| Gold | 1981 Israel | Men's Doubles |
Brad Gilbert (born August 9, 1961, in Oakland, California) is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, and former professional tennis player.
His career-high singles ranking was World # 4, which he reached in January 1990. Gilbert was ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. for 9 of his first 10 years on the tour.
He had a career won-lost record of 519-288.
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[edit] Playing career
Gilbert played for Foothill College, a junior college in Los Altos, California, from 1980-82. While there he won the California Junior College singles championship and the U.S. Amateur Hardcourt Championship.
In 1981 he was a member of the American Junior Davis Cup team.
In 1982 he transferred to Pepperdine University, playing for Allen Fox. He became an All American, while reaching the finals of the 1982 NCAA championship.
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 in 1985 in Tel Aviv. He won a total of 20 top-level singles titles during his career, the biggest being the historic Cincinnati event in 1989. He was also runner-up in a further 20 singles events, including Cincinnati in 1990 (where he lost to future Hall of Fame inductee Stefan Edberg) and the Paris Indoors in 1987 and 1988.
His most successful year on the tour was 1989, during which he won five singles titles, including Cincinnati. His best performance at a Grand Slam tournament was at the 1987 US Open, where he reached the quarterfinals. He was also runner-up at the inaugural Grand Slam Cup in 1990.
[edit] Style of play
Unlike many other professional players of his era, Gilbert did not have a powerful serve, a dangerous forehand or backhand, a flashy volley, or a lightning smash. His best asset was his ability to keep the ball in play. He hit the ball most often at a deliberately slow pace but with accuracy. He kept an open stance and did not make many turns when 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 would force the other player 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, then Gilbert would attack decisively, often at the net. Although he was easy to get along with outside the court, Gilbert could be (deliberately or not) annoying during a match, often challenging calls or complaining about trivial things. Both his style of play and his mental approach were deliberately contentious.
[edit] Davis Cup
He compiled a 10-5 record in Davis Cup play from 1986-93, with a 7-1 record on hard courts and carpet.[1]
[edit] Olympics
He won a bronze medal in the men's singles at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
[edit] Maccabiah Games
In 1981 he played for the US Maccabiah Games team, and he won the doubles title in Israel with partner Jon Levine.
[edit] Halls of Fame
Gilbert is a member of the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame.[2]
He is also a 1999 inductee into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame.[3]
Gilbert was inducted in 2001 into the ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.[4]
Gilbert was a 2001 inductee into the Marblehead Boosters Hall of Fame.[5]
[edit] Coaching career
Gilbert retired as a player in 1994. Since then, he has been highly successful as a tennis coach. This success has often been associated with the extraordinary tactical abilities exhibited during his own matches.
[edit] Andre Agassi
Gilbert was coach to Andre Agassi for eight years, from 1994 to 2002. During that period, Agassi won six Grand Slam singles titles, making it the joint-most successful coach-player partnership in the Open era (along side Tony Roche's period as coach of Ivan Lendl). Agassi described Gilbert as "the greatest coach of all time."
[edit] Andy Roddick
Gilbert went on to coach Andy Roddick, who won the 2003 US Open under Gilbert's guidance, but they parted ways at the end of 2004. Roddick's form took a noticeable downturn after the break-up, and many believe this is testament to Gilbert's competence as a tennis coach.
[edit] Andy Murray
On July 26, 2006, Gilbert was announced as taking over the coaching duties of British talent Andy Murray. As well as coaching Murray, Gilbert will take part in other Lawn Tennis Association programmes, including tennis camps at under-12 and under-14 levels. He will also work with the LTA's network of coaches and its high-performance clubs and academies. He also recently led Murray to a close defeat to # 2 ranked player Rafael Nadal.
[edit] Tennis commentator and writer
Gilbert now serves occasionally as an analyst for ESPN.
He is also the author of the very popular book Winning Ugly, which gives tips on how an average player can defeat a more skilled opponent. His second book, co-authored by James Kaplan and entitled "I've Got Your Back," was published in 2005.
[edit] Personal information
Gilbert resides with his wife and three children in San Rafael, California.
[edit] External links
Categories: 1961 births | Living people | Pepperdine University alumni | Foothill College alumni | American tennis coaches | American tennis players | Jewish tennis players | Olympic tennis players of the United States | Tennis players at the 1988 Summer Olympics | Olympic bronze medalists for the United States | Jewish American sportspeople | People from Oakland, California
