After his first-round win at the US Open, Andy Murray talked about his former coach, Brad Gilbert, joining hands with Coco Gauff. He discussed the teenager’s previous match and how Gilbert’s presence will impact her.
According to Murray, Gilbert is focused on strategy and finding ways to win ‘awkward’ match-ups. Gauff bounced back to win from a set down even when she was not at her best. Murray believes this quality is Gilbert’s forte.
Andy Murray talks about Brad Gilbert and his coaching approach
Coco Gauff registered a comeback victory over Laura Siegemund in her first-round US Open clash. The American won 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a match marred by controversy regarding her post-match comments about Siegemund’s alleged time-stalling. She, however, admitted that she did not play her best tennis but was happy with how she got through.
Murray, in the press conference after winning his first match, said winning even when not playing at one’s best was something that Gilbert is an expert on. The Scot talked about how his former coach loved to discuss strategy, match-ups and tactics to win. He said Gilbert wasn’t necessarily always focused on refining technique or physicality, but more on ‘finding ways to win’.
The three-time Grand Slam winner said the coach would have been happy with how Gauff won her fixture, fighting through a tricky opponent.
“She won probably not playing her best. That was always something that Brad, I know he’s obviously written a book about it. But, yeah, his biggest thing was just always about just strategy. Like, he loved discussing matchups, how to get to people’s weaknesses. Yeah, just understanding how to win really.
“Everyone can win when they’re playing well. That’s not the difficult part of the game. It’s when you’re playing average tennis, you find ways to get through. So I’m sure he would have been happy with yesterday’s match because it was a tricky one against, like, an awkward opponent. She found a way to get through it.”
Murray was Gilbert’s protégé was just over a year from July 2006 to November 2007. Under the American coach, Murray achieved a then-career-high ranking of World No.8.
Gilbert’s coaching history is good news for Coco Gauff
Gilbert has been a successful tennis coach since 1994. The first player he worked with was Andre Agassi. The eight-year partnership between the two Americans resulted in six Grand Slam titles for Agassi. He dubbed Gilbert the ‘greatest coach of all time’.
The former World No.4 then took Andy Roddick under his tutelage. Roddick was the 2003 year-end World No.1 and reached the 2004 Wimbledon final under Gilbert. He also worked with the British Lawn Tennis Association, Kei Nishikori, and Sam Querrey before taking up coaching duties for Gauff.
The change has already shown a positive impact on Gauff. The 19-year-old has performed exceedingly well since Gilbert joined her in August 2023, winning her maiden WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati. Gilbert’s idea of winning even when not playing at your best is chronicled in his book Winning Ugly. Gauff is a talented player and developing this mental fortitude to win ugly can catapult her to great heights. The duo is off to a flying start and a Grand Slam title may be on the cards.
