Gilbert, Brad

A legendary "overachiever" as a player whose accomplishments were much greater than his natural talents, Gilbert has become "arguably the most successful coach of the last decade." (The New York Times Magazine, June 27, 2004) The talkative, self-described "neurotic Jew" has coached both Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick to #1 World rankings and Grand Slam championships.

One of the top-ranked tennis players in the 1980s and 1990s, Brad co-authored a book about tennis called Winning Ugly. The phrase, which the New York Times used to describe his style of play, was cheerfully accepted by Gilbert. He remarked, "People see me, and I don't hit the ball that hard. They say, 'How's he winning?' I do a lot of things well, but I don't do anything overpowering." His college coach, Tom Chivington, put it bluntly: "Brad did more with less than anyone out there. He just found ways to win."

When he was hampered by injuries in 1994, Gilbert -- who used tactics and scouting to defeat his opponents -- began to coach Andre Agassi at the Lipton Championships. With Brad as his coach from 1994-2002, Agassi won six Grand Slam titles, a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, and the No. 1 ranking in the world. When they finally ended their professional partnership in January 2002, they sang each other's praises.

"Brad is clearly the greatest coach of all time,'' Agassi said in a statement quoted in The New York Times (January 30, 2002). "I have been lucky to have him as my guiding force during the past eight years of my career. More importantly, I am lucky that I have been able to call him friend for eight years and that our friendship remains intact.'' Gilbert called his years with Agassi one of the highlights of his 22 years in professional tennis. "After eight amazing years, we have decided on equal terms to end our professional coaching status and remain the best of friends,'' he said. "It was a beautiful opportunity, which blossomed into one of the most successful player/coach relationships both on and off the tour. I look forward to staying in tennis for many years to come and wish Andre continued success.''

After Agassi, Gilbert coached Andy Roddick to the world's top ranking and the 2003 U.S. Open Championship; Roddick also achieved the Wimbledon finals in 2004, ultimately ceding the crown to defending champion Roger Federer. Gilbert, a self-described "Jewish redneck", is known for keeping coaching sessions "light and upbeat" and for reinforcing the player's confidence rather than berating him. His new book on tennis, due out in September 2004, is titled I've Got Your Back -- Coaching Top Performers From Center Court to the Corner Office.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Aug. 9, 1961

Career Highlights:
Brad was the 1982 NCAA singles runner-up while attending Pepperdine University (he had previously attended Foothill Junior College). He became a professional in 1982 and won his first ATP title in Tapei when he was 21. Gilbert moved up the world rankings from No. 262 in 1981 to No. 54 at the end of 1982. The following year, he competed in all four Grand Slam events, reaching the third round at Wimbledon. He was ranked No. 62 in 1983. For the next eight years, Brad was among the world's top 25 players at the year-end ranking. In 1992, he was ranked No. 26.

Brad was the bronze medalist in men's singles at the 1988 Olympics, and was also an outstanding Davis Cup player for the U.S., finishing his career with a 10-5 record. As the 1980s progressed, Gilbert continued to be one of the world's best players. After winning two singles titles in 1984, he won three in 1985, along with his first doubles title (in Tel Aviv). In 1986, Brad won another four singles titles, and broke into the world's top ten for the first time on February 24; he was ranked No. 11 at the end of the year. The following year, he defeated the great Boris Becker three times, including a five-set match at the U.S. Open, where Gilbert achieved his best Grand Slam finish, reaching the quarterfinals. Two years later, Gilbert had an incredible run as he won 17 consecutive matches, including wins over top ten players Michael Chang, Boris Becker, and Stefan Edberg. Brad won five titles that year, and finished as the No. 6 ranked player in the world (his best year-end ranking).

The 1990s saw Gilbert ranked as high as No.4 in the world (January 1990), but injuries began to hamper him after a couple of years. His ranking dropped from No. 10 in 1990 to No. 26 in 1992 to No. 77 in 1994, but he remained in the game. In 1994, Brad agreed to coach Andre Agassi. He helped Agassi get his career back on track with wins at the U.S. Open in 1994 and the Australian Open in 1995. Subsequently, he had similar success in helping Andy Roddick become one of the world's best players. Brad concluded his professional competitive career having won 20 career titles (ranked 30th among the top 50 all-time open era singles titles leaders), and is considered one of the most gifted minds in coaching today.

Origin:
Oakland, California

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