Viewers have heard Brad Gilbert’s voice as part of ESPN’s extensive tennis programming since the start of the century. Coco Gauff had heard enough of his voice during the fourth round of this year’s US Open on Sunday.
As she tried to reel herself in during a match against Caroline Wozniacki, the 33-year-old mother of two who recently came out of retirement, all Gauff could hear inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was Gilbert’s voice. With the match slipping away, Wozniacki was in the midst of winning a fourth consecutive game and going up a break early in the third set.
According to ESPN, Gauff had turned to Gilbert, one of her coaches in the front row, and said, “Please stop.” Then, during the next game, Gauff told him, “Stop talking.”
Gauff was able to compose herself, despite what she deemed distractions from her coach, Gilbert, and grabbed the last six games for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Wozniacki.
“I was getting frustrated. It wasn’t really directed at him. It was just that I needed to reset,” the sixth-seeded Gauff said, via ESPN. “In that moment, I just didn’t want to hear anything. I just wanted to think about what I was doing.”
Gilbert has been part of ESPN’s start-to-finish coverage of three majors, including the US Open (since 2009, exclusive since 2015). In 2004, he officially joined the Worldwide Leader, where he currently serves as a studio analyst, match analyst and sideline reporter.
After his own professional career ended, Gilbert coached Andre Agassi from 1994-to-2002. Agassi won six Grand Slam titles and an Olympic Gold Medal and reached No. 1 in the world for the first time in his career during those eight years under Gilbert’s tutelage. Gilbert also coached Andy Roddick to a US Open title and even left ESPN for a brief period to coach Andy Murray.
When he’s not railing against the NCAA’s conference realignment, alongside his partner, Pam Shriver, Gilbert is serving as a temporary consultant for Gauff. Gilbert, likely used to his role as an analyst by now, has repeatedly offered his thoughts to Gauff throughout her time at the annual tournament in Queens, New York.
While Gauff has previously lauded Gilbert’s scouting reports, she tuned him out and went with her feel for the game. Looks like it worked out for the best.
[ESPN]
