Coco Gauff’s Coach Brad Gilbert Exposes a ‘Ridiculous Flaw’ in Tennis That Will Evade Him From Legend’s Status

Coco Gauff’s coach, Brad Gilbert highlighted the scarcity of coaches in Tennis Hall of Fame (HOF). Gilbert, who has been coaching the world no. 3 player since 2023, is not happy about a certain rule regarding coaches in the Hall of Fame. Emphasizing this in his latest social media post, the former American tennis pro addressed the “ridiculous flaw” of the Tennis Hall of Fame.

On one hand, Coco Gauff is preparing for her semi-final match in the French Open. But on the other hand, her coach, Brad Gilbert, took to X and wrote about his frustration on a different subject. The Tennis Hall of Fame, located in Newport, Rhode Island, is known for celebrating tennis excellence by inducting players, contributors, and other influential figures. But surprisingly, they do not allow coaches a place in this regard. 

Referring to this, the 62-year-old former player said, “So sad that HOF doesn’t recognize coaches, has  only one  ☝️ coach in, legendary Ausie Harry Holman and Nick Bol went in as only a contributor, this a ridiculous flaw.” He continued, “in every other  sport lots of coaches in HOF and they are considered that, certainly not contributor, what is basically the only way you can  get in as a coach now.”

Gilbert, who helped Gauff reach great heights in tennis by being by her side during her maiden grand slam victory in the U.S. Open, has also helped other former players in the tennis world. When he coached Andre Agassi for eight years, he helped him claim six grand slams in his tennis career. As a result, Agassi later admitted that Gilbert was “the greatest coach of all time.”

Not only him, but when it comes to Andy Roddick (the then No. 1), Gilbert made sure to push him to win the 2003 U.S. Open title too. Therefore, his coaching has indeed brought out the best in players. 

But speaking about the HOF affair, he hinted at how, unlike contributors who play a major role in financial and organizational contributions to the sport, the role of coach has a direct impact on a player’s performance. Not only that, he also mentioned how the former coach of Serena Williams, Nick Bollettieri, (an American tennis coach who introduced the idea of a tennis boarding school), was among the only two coaches who have earned this prestigious honor. 

The other one is Harry Hopman, who once coached John McEnroe. Gilbert might not have his name as a coach in the Tennis Hall of Fame yet. But his place in Coco Gauff’s team has produced exceptional results. But, initially, the scene was quite different, as mentioned by the 20-year-old player.

Coco Gauff explains why working with Brad Gilbert as a coach initially “worried” her

Coco Gauff, who shares a special connection with her coach, Brad Gilbert, was initially skeptical about their professional relationship. “I was worried about being with an older person, to be honest, before I met Brad. He’s older but he still has the mind of, like, a 20-year-old, maybe even younger, a 10-year-old kid sometimes,” she once said in an interview.

However, on the other hand, Gilbert who previously admitted that he was looking “for the right player” to coach. At the time, the world No. 3 was taking coaching under the former Spanish player, Pere Riba. But, then Gilbert, who once said, “I definitely was thinking about coaching. But I was mostly thinking about the possibility of [coaching] a young American.” He eventually entered her team in July. 

Although, Gilbert remained absent in Coco Gauff’s previous few tournaments, the duo is back again in Paris. As both of them create magic on-court at the Roland Garros, the tennis world hopes to see him earn a valuable place in the Tennis Hall of Fame as a coach.