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 next big tournament which kicks off on May 26 in France.
Joining Gauff’s team with decades of experience, Gilbert — a former tennis pro who doubles as a tennis commentator and analyst for ESPN — has worked with the history-making athlete since July 2023. A few months later, he became her head coach.
Gilbert spoke with PEOPLE in April about Gauff’s mindset ahead of the French Open, noting that she was “focused on the moment” despite the prestigious European event being only six weeks away at the time. That meant her sights were strictly set on her matches in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome.
While training to clinch victories is serious business, Gilbert’s sure to bring the fun. Gauff admitted to being “worried” at first about their age gap prior to meeting, but said at a press conference she’s come to learn that Gilbert “still has the mind of a 20-year-old.” She joked, “Maybe even younger, a 10-year-old kid sometimes.”
Gauff went on to rattle off some of the “quirky” coaching techniques Gilbert brings to the game. “He played pretty much every match with a Jolly Rancher in his mouth,” she revealed.
“He’s been giving me Jolly Ranchers all the time. I take them but I don’t eat them… I can’t have Jolly Ranchers every five minutes.”
The “quirks” have clearly worked as Gilbert has solidified himself as an esteemed tennis coach during his 40-plus career, working with some of the biggest names in the game like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.
Brad Gilbert played tennis professionally between 1982 and 1995, winning 20 singles titles and achieving a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in 1990. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 18 in 1996.
Gilbert is also an Olympian, earning a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. “The whole experience was amazing – it was a surreal experience,” he reflected in a 2021 International Tennis Federation essay.
“It was something I’ll never forget. It may be my most enjoyable 17 days of my career. It was only topped by Andre [Agassi]’s experience of winning the gold in ’96 because it was my biggest regret as a tennis
player,” he wrote.
