Gilbert in 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country (sports) | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residence | Malibu, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1961-08-09)August 9, 1961 (age 64) Oakland, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1982 | |||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1995 | |||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||||||
| College | Foothill College Pepperdine University | |||||||||||||||||
| Prize money | US$5,507,973 | |||||||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 519–288 | |||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1 January 1990) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 4R (1984) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | 3R (1993) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | QF (1990) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | QF (1987) | |||||||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | SF (1987) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | F (1990) | |||||||||||||||||
| WCT Finals | F (1989) | |||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | SF (1988) | |||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 101–127 | |||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 18 (29 September 1986) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 2R (1987) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | 2R (1987) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 2R (1986) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | 2R (1988) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | 1R (1980,1994) | |||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Last updated on: 11 September 2022. | ||||||||||||||||||
Brad Gilbert (born August 9, 1961) is an American former professionaltennis player, tennis coach, and tennis commentator and analyst forESPN. 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 abronze medal at the1988 Olympics, and both a gold medal and a silver medal at the1981 Maccabiah Games.
Since retiring from the professional tour, he has coached several top players, most notablyAndre Agassi who won six of his eight Grand Slam titles under Gilbert's tutelage. Other players he has coached includeAndy Roddick,Andy Murray,Kei Nishikori andCoco Gauff.
Brad Gilbert was born on August 9, 1961, to aJewish family inOakland, 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 atPiedmont High School following in the footsteps of his older siblings, Barry Jr. andDana, who each held the top spot on the high school's tennis team.[3]
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Gilbert played tennis forFoothill College, ajunior college inLos 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 JuniorDavis Cup team.
He competed for the US in the1981 Maccabiah Games in Israel, losing in the men's singles finals to IsraeliShlomo Glickstein, but winning agold medal in doubles withJon Levine over fellow AmericansRick Meyer and Paul Bernstein.[4]
In 1982, he transferred toPepperdine University, playing forAllen Fox. He became anAll-American and reached the finals of the 1982NCAA Championship, losing toMike Leach ofMichigan 7–5, 6–3.[5]
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 the1985 Tel Aviv Open, withIlie Năstase; he also won the singles championship.[6]
Gilbert won a total of 20 top-level singles titles during his career including 1986Pacific Coast Invitational against Aaron Krickstein,[7] and the biggest being theCincinnati 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 championStefan Edberg, and theParis 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 andStefan Edberg.
Gilbert's best performances atGrand Slam tournaments were in the Quarterfinals of the 1987US Open, losing toJimmy Connors and in the quarterfinals of the 1990Wimbledon Championships, losing toBoris Becker. He was also runner-up at the inauguralGrand Slam Cup in 1990.[8]
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.[9]
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. 3Jim 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 theMasters Grand Prix in 1985, which sent McEnroe into his first six-month break from tennis.[10]
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 apusher.[11]
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.
Gilbert compiled a 10–5 record inDavis Cup play from 1986 to 1993, with a 7–1 record on hard courts and carpet.[12]
Gilbert won abronze medal in men's singles at the1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Nov 1982 | Taipei, Taiwan | Grand Prix | Carpet | 6–1, 6–4 | |
| Win | 2–0 | Aug 1984 | Columbus, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Sep 1984 | San Francisco, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 3–1 | Nov 1984 | Taipei, Taiwan | Grand Prix | Carpet | 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | 4–1 | Jul 1985 | Livingston, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 4–6, 7–5, 6–0 | |
| Win | 5–1 | Aug 1985 | Cleveland, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Sep 1985 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Grand Prix | Clay | 4–6, 0–6 | |
| Loss | 5–3 | Oct 1985 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Grand Prix | Hard | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 6–3 | Oct 1985 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Win | 7–3 | Feb 1986 | Memphis, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 7–5, 7–6(7–3) | |
| Win | 8–3 | Jul 1986 | Livingston, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| Win | 9–3 | Oct 1986 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Grand Prix | Hard | 7–5, 6–2 | |
| Win | 10–3 | Oct 1986 | Vienna, Austria | Grand Prix | Hard | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–0 | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Aug 1987 | Washington, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 1–6, 0–6 | |
| Win | 11–4 | Oct 1987 | Scottsdale, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 11–5 | Oct 1987 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Grand Prix | Hard | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 11–6 | Nov 1987 | Paris, France | Grand Prix | Carpet | 6–2, 3–6, 5–7, 7–6(7–5), 3–6 | |
| Loss | 11–7 | Nov 1987 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–7(7–9), 6–4, 6–2, 0–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 12–7 | Oct 1988 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Grand Prix | Hard | 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2 | |
| Loss | 12–8 | Oct 1988 | Paris, France | Grand Prix | Carpet | 3–6, 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 13–8 | Feb 1989 | Memphis, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–2, 6–2, ret. | |
| Loss | 13–9 | Mar 1989 | Dallas, United States | Grand Prix | Carpet | 3–6, 3–6, 6–7(3–7) | |
| Loss | 13–10 | Jul 1989 | Washington, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–3, 4–6, 5–7 | |
| Win | 14–10 | Aug 1989 | Stratton Mountain, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 7–5, 6–0 | |
| Win | 15–10 | Aug 1989 | Livingston, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Win | 16–10 | Aug 1989 | Cincinnati, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 17–10 | Oct 1989 | San Francisco, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 7–5, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 17–11 | Oct 1989 | Orlando, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 2–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 18–11 | Mar 1990 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | World Series | Carpet | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Win | 19–11 | Apr 1990 | Orlando, United States | World Series | Hard | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 19–12 | Aug 1990 | Cincinnati, United States | Masters Series | Hard | 1–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 20–12 | Sep 1990 | Brisbane, Australia | World Series | Hard | 6–3, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 20–13 | Dec 1990 | Munich, Germany | World Series | Carpet | 3–6, 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 20–14 | Feb 1991 | San Francisco, United States | World Series | Carpet | 2–6, 6–3, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 20–15 | Aug 1991 | Los Angeles, United States | World Series | Hard | 2–6, 7–6(7–5), 3–6 | |
| Loss | 20–16 | Oct 1991 | Sydney, Australia | Championship Series | Hard | 2–6, 2–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 20–17 | Mar 1992 | Scottsdale, United States | World Series | Hard | 0–6, 6–1, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 20–18 | Feb 1993 | San Francisco, United States | World Series | Hard | 2–6, 7–6(7–4), 2–6 | |
| Loss | 20–19 | Apr 1993 | Tokyo, Japan | Championship Series | Hard | 2–6, 2–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 20–20 | Feb 1994 | Memphis, United States | Championship Series | Hard | 4–6, 5–7 |
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| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1985 | San Francisco, United States | Grand Prix | Carpet | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 1–1 | Oct 1985 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Grand Prix | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 2–1 | Feb 1986 | Miami, United States | Masters Series | Hard | walkover | ||
| Loss | 2–2 | Oct 1986 | Vienna, Austria | Grand Prix | Carpet | walkover | ||
| Loss | 2–3 | Sep 1987 | Los Angeles, United States | Grand Prix | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 3–3 | Apr 1992 | Hong Kong, Hong Kong | World Series | Hard | 6–2, 6–1 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | SR | W–L | Win % | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | 1R | 4R | 3R | NH | 3R | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 7 | 6–7 | 46% | |||||
| French Open | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | A | 0 / 8 | 5–8 | 38% | |||||
| Wimbledon | A | 3R | 3R | 1R | 4R | 3R | A | 1R | QF | 3R | A | 2R | 2R | A | 0 / 10 | 17–10 | 63% | |||||
| US Open | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 4R | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 4R | 4R | A | A | 0 / 12 | 20–12 | 63% | |||||
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 2–4 | 6–4 | 3–4 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 6–2 | 4–4 | 3–3 | 6–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0 / 37 | 48–37 | 56% | |||||
| National Representation | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | NH | A | Not Held | SF | Not Held | A | Not Held | 0 / 1 | 4–1 | 80% | ||||||||||||
| Year-end Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| WCT Finals | Did not qualify | 1R | A | SF | F | Not Held | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% | |||||||||||||
| ATP Finals | Did not qualify | QF | A | SF | A | RR | Did not qualify | 0 / 3 | 5–3 | 63% | ||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | Did not qualify | F | Did not qualify | 0 / 1 | 3–1 | 75% | ||||||||||||||||
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 3R | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 5 | 6–5 | 55% | |||||
| Miami | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 4R | A | A | 3R | 2R | 2R | A | 3R | 1R | 0 / 8 | 8–8 | 50% | |||||
| Monte Carlo | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% | |||||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% | |||||
| Canada | 1R | 1R | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 6 | 2–6 | 25% | |||||
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 3R | W | F | QF | 3R | QF | 1R | A | 1 / 8 | 24–7 | 77% | |||||
| Paris | A | A | A | A | A | F | F | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 7 | 13–7 | 65% | |||||
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 10–3 | 6–2 | 11–2 | 9–6 | 4–5 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1 / 37 | 56–36 | 61% | |||||
| Tournament | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | SR | W–L | Win % | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | 0% | ||||||||||
| French Open | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% | ||||||||||
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | 17% | ||||||||||
| US Open | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | 17% | ||||||||||
| Win–loss | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0 / 16 | 3–16 | 16% | ||||||||||
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | A | 3R | W | QF | A | A | 2R | A | A | 1 / 4 | 12–3 | 80% | ||||||||||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | QF | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% | ||||||||||
| Canada | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% | ||||||||||
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | QF | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% | ||||||||||
| Paris | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% | ||||||||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 2–1 | 7–1 | 6–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1 / 12 | 19–11 | 63% | ||||||||||
Gilbert is a member of the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame, and theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[13][14]
Gilbert is also a 1999 inductee into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame.[15]
Gilbert was inducted in 2001 into the ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, and in 1996 into theSouthern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[16][17]
Gilbert was a 2001 inductee into the Marblehead Boosters Hall of Fame.[18]
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.

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".[19]
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.

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 BritishLawn Tennis Association programmes, including tennis camps at under-12 and under-14 levels.[20] 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.[21]
In November 2007 it was announced that Gilbert would work for 20 weeks in 2008 for Britain'sLawn Tennis Association, concentrating mostly on coaching Britain's no. 2,Alex Bogdanović, and others in his age group. Bogdanović said he was "unbelievably excited" at the chance of spending time with Gilbert.[22] 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."[23]
While still being committed to his TV items,[24] in December 2010 it was announced that Gilbert would return to coaching, and partner withKei Nishikori of Japan for 15 tournaments in the 2011 season. Gilbert's partnership with Nishikori concluded at the end of the 2011 season.[25]
In February 2012, it was announced that Gilbert would work with AmericanSam Querrey on a trial basis in 2012.[26]
In August 2023, Gilbert joined the team ofCoco Gauff.[27] She had a strong showing in her first tournaments since the change, winning the women's singles title at theWashington Open, theCincinnati Masters shortly thereafter, and her first major win at the2023 US Open. On 18 September 2024, just over two weeks after her US Open defense ended with a fourth round defeat, the pair ended their arrangement.[28][29]
Gilbert now serves as a tennis analyst forESPN. He is also the author of the bookWinning Ugly,[30] 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 byJames Kaplan and entitledI've Got Your Back,[31] was published in 2005. He also served as a coach and trainer for actorsZendaya,Josh O'Connor andMike Faist for the 2024 filmChallengers.
Gilbert isJewish[32] and resides with his wife Kim inMalibu, California. They have three children—Zach, Julian, and Zoe.
He owns a tennis shop inGreenbrae, California called Brad Gilbert Tennis Nation. He was a close friend of tennis player and commentatorBarry MacKay.
While coveringAndy Murray's third-round match in the2011 Australian Open forESPN, Gilbert mentioned that he lives near the Olympian runnerMichael 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.
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