All About Coco Gauff’s Tennis Coach, Brad Gilbert

Get to know Coco Gauff‘s tennis coach!

The reining US Open champ is teaming up with Brad Gilbert as she prepares for the 2024 French Open, her subsequent huge event which kicks off on Could 26 in France.

Becoming a member of Gauff’s workforce with many years of expertise, Gilbert — a former tennis professional who doubles as a tennis commentator and analyst for ESPN — has labored with the history-making athlete since July 2023. Just a few months later, he turned her head coach.

Gilbert spoke with PEOPLE in April about Gauff’s mindset forward of the French Open, noting that she was “centered on the second” regardless of the celebrated European occasion being solely six weeks away on the time. That meant her sights have been strictly set on her matches in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.

Whereas coaching to clinch victories is critical enterprise, Gilbert’s positive to convey the enjoyable. Gauff admitted to being “frightened” at first about their age hole previous to assembly, however stated at a press convention she’s come to be taught that Gilbert “nonetheless has the thoughts of a 20-year-old.” She joked, “Possibly even youthful, a 10-year-old child generally.”

Gauff went on to rattle off a number of the “quirky” teaching strategies Gilbert brings to the sport. “He performed just about each match with a Jolly Rancher in his mouth,” she revealed. “He is been giving me Jolly Ranchers on a regular basis. I take them however I do not eat them… I am unable to have Jolly Ranchers each 5 minutes.”

The “quirks” have clearly labored as Gilbert has solidified himself as an esteemed tennis coach throughout his 40-plus profession, working with a number of the greatest names within the recreation like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.

Learn on to be taught extra about Coco Gauff’s coach, Brad Gilbert.

He’s a former tennis professional

Brad Gilbert performed tennis professionally between 1982 and 1995, profitable 20 singles titles and reaching a career-high singles rating of world No. 4 in 1990. He reached a career-high doubles rating of world No. 18 in 1996.

Gilbert can be an Olympian, incomes a bronze medal on the 1988 Summer time Olympic Video games in Seoul, South Korea. “The entire expertise was superb – it was a surreal expertise,” he mirrored in a 2021 Worldwide Tennis Federation essay.

“It was one thing I’ll always remember. It could be my most pleasurable 17 days of my profession. It was solely topped by Andre [Agassi]’s expertise of profitable the gold in ’96 as a result of it was my greatest remorse as a tennis participant,” he wrote.

He turned Coco’s head tennis coach in November 2023

Gilbert started working with Gauff in July 2023, becoming a member of her workforce as a guide. That November, he took over as her principal coach two months after she gained the US Open for her first Grand Slam title.

“Coco is a particular expertise,” he informed CNBC simply days after Gauff’s huge win. “She has unimaginable skill, she has nice resilience.

Working with tennis greats is nothing new for Gilbert, who’s educated prime gamers like Andrea Agassi and Andy Roddick. Beneath his tutelage, Agassi gained six of his eight Grand Slam titles and Roddick secured his 2003 US Open victory.

He educated Zendaya for her function in Challengers

Not solely has Gilbert labored with huge athletes, however he is additionally educated a number of the greatest names in Hollywood. Most not too long ago, Gilbert educated Zendaya for her tennis-playing function in Challengers.

“They gave me the script, I learn the script and informed them, ‘Fascinating’. The way in which it was written, there have been no level constructions on any of the factors,” Gilbert informed ATPTour.com of how he was tapped for the job. “I informed them that I might create shot sheets and do all of the issues to assist them create these factors, which led to me and Kim [Gilbert] being employed because the consultants.”

Along with Zendaya, Gilbert educated her costars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. He in contrast the prep time to “preparing for the Aussie Open” as a result of the interval they needed to get into form was so quick.

“You’ve got obtained weeks to prepare, and actually put within the yards,” Gilbert defined. “They’ve this [time] to develop into the function that they’re. You’ve got obtained a brief time period, you then’ve obtained to maximise your time.”

Gilbert was coaching Gauff similtaneously the Challengers forged, a job he stated helped him prepared the tennis professional. “Not directly, I informed Z this final evening, one way or the other she ready me for Coco. That is my seven levels of separation,” he informed PEOPLE in April 2024. “Artwork imitates life,” Gilbert stated.

He is a tennis commentator and analyst for ESPN

Along with his tennis expertise, Gilbert does not solely put his in depth information of the sport in direction of teaching. He additionally works as a commentator and analyst for ESPN, overlaying the community’s huge schedule of tennis programming together with the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Gilbert joined ESPN in 2004. He left briefly to educate then-rising star Andy Murray of Scotland in 2006 earlier than returning to ESPN in 2008.

He’s married to Kim Gilbert

Gilbert is married to Kim Gilbert, who teamed up together with her husband to work on Challengers.

“Brad and I labored collectively as Husband and Spouse duo – Technical Consultants in tennis. What an evolution of a tennis profession and workforce work,” she wrote in her Instagram caption alongside an image of themselves on the film’s Los Angeles premiere.