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Brad Gilbert on his sudden, "weird" spilt with Agassi

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Fred Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

Just a day after it was announced that Andre Agassi and Brad Gilbert had ended their coach-player relationship after nearly eight years, tennisreporters.net caught
up with a somewhat shaken Gilbert from his home in Northern California.

tennisreporters.net: Why did you two decide to split?
Brad Gilbert: It was just one of those things. It wasn't like we had talked about it any time before, but a couple days ago we were just rapping about things. … It's hard to think about without getting choked up but we've had an amazing run. But now we don't run into the possibility of some point down the line of getting stale. Or things not going like they should be. I feel like we went out with things going well. Hopefully now with someone else, he's still got it in him to keep going.

tr.net: But you two had a good year last year. Overall at the Slams, Andre was the best performer.
Gilbert: We were just unlucky three Slams in a row. It was tough.

tr.net: Was it your call or Andre's?
Gilbert: It was totally mutual thing.

tr.net: Had you been talking about it? Was it planned?
Gilbert: No. That would have lousy if we had been talking for a couple months or someone said, "We're at the end." We could have gone to the end. It wasn't talked about until a couple days ago and that was it. That's why it's so weird to talk about.

tr.net: You really just sat down and began to rap and then all of sudden you're not his coach anymore?
Gilbert: Kind of like that. Yeah.

tr.net: Were you thinking over the past year that you wanted to get involved with a younger player?
Gilbert: No. I had a great job over the past eight years. Some times things happen. The way we stopped was kind of the way I started. [Gilbert began coaching Agassi in March 1994 at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne when
he was still playing in the tournament.] That came from nowhere, too.

tr.net: Pete Sampras said that his relationship with Paul Annacone was getting stale, which is why he let him go. Was it the same for you two ?
Gilbert: They had been going over it for six months. When they announced it, Paul already had another job. It's a little different here. We never talked about. It happened in a few minutes. It didn't get stale.

tr.net: Did you feel like Andre wasn't listening like he used to or did he feel like you weren't telling him the right things anymore?
Gilbert: No. It has nothing to do with that. We hung out a ton. But sometimes, there's a right time to do things. We never talked about for one second. And then we talked about it. Hopefully he can still keep playing well. He's great for the game.

tr.net: Was it because you became too close with Andre personally? Its not easy to yell at your friend on the practice courts.
Gilbert: No. It's a good thing in coaching. Screaming and doing all that – if you're not friendly with the person, it's hard to work with him. That would give me trouble with the next person who I coach if it's strictly business. I think personal is real important in coaching.

tr.net: Looking back over your eight years with Andre, he won six out of his seven Slams with you, a gold medal, he reached No. 1 …
Gilbert: And he won like 10 Super Series. We had a great run and we're going out as great friends. Sometimes you can go too long and I'm not saying that we couldn't have gone much longer. It was the best part of my 22 years in tennis.

tr.net: With Andre's wrist problem and being 31-years-old, do you see him playing for another year?
Gilbert: I don't know. I don't want to speak for him. I'm going to keep going. God willing, he'll he ready for this upcoming run. He's been off for about three weeks and hopefully he'll begin to train again and be ready.

tr.net: You're probably the best known coach in tennis. There's a lot of players who are going to be interested in you.
Gilbert: I'm going to wait and see what happens. I have my eye on that general manager position at the Golden State Warriors.

tr.net: They really need you.
Gilbert: They might need me and they pay better than a tennis coach gets. The Warriors would be my first pick.

tr.net: You are not just going to coach any tennis player, are you? It will have to be someone with big-time potential.
Gilbert: It has to be somebody who I feel has the ability to have a great career. I don't want to take a filler job.

tr.net: I would think because you have wife and three kids that it isn't going to be somebody who forces you to travel outside of the U.S. for seven months a year.
Gilbert: I hope not. I don't know what the schedule will be. If you're on the road, it doesn't matter where you are. But if it was in my backyard in the Bay Area, that would be great.

tr.net: There aren't that many desirable U.S. players who are available right now, either.
Gilbert: That's why I'm focusing on the Warriors job. I think it pays big.

tr.net: But the Warriors a huge mess. You'd have to shuttle the whole team. You'd immediately have to find a new point guard.
Gilbert: I'd clean it up. And I get to be home.

tr.net: Would you coach a woman player?
Gilbert: Yes but it would have to be the right one. I'm interested. It tests you coaching ability.

tr.net: Do you need a new challenge?
Gilbert: Everybody needs a new challenge. But I'm going to take what comes.

tr.net: What about Andy Roddick?
Gilbert: He's got a coach. I don't want to speak about anyone who has a coach. I'm going to sit back, spend some time here and see what happens.

tr.net: Marat Safin doesn't have a coach. You could speak to that.
Gilbert: I don't want to speculate on anyone because I haven't put it to thought. But people know I'm out here now and so we'll see what happens. Nothing has happened yet.

tr.net: Do you expect Andre to get another coach?
Gilbert: You have to ask Andre about that. I'm not going to say anything about him.

tr.net: : Do you think that Andre's wrist will heal in time for his next tournament in San Jose [which begins Feb. 26]?
Gilbert: That looks great because he will have given his wrist six to seven weeks to heal.