Brad Gilbert was born in Oakland, California, United States, on August 9, 1961. He started playing tennis at age four after his father developed an interest in the sport. After showing promise in tennis, Gilbert developed quickly and became the best player at his school, Piedmont High School.
At the collegiate level, he won the California Junior College Singles Championship and made the NCAA Championship finals in 1982. Later, in 1982, Gilbert made his professional debut, and he won his first event in Tapei that year. He went on to win 20 career titles, made another 20 finals, and won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics.
The biggest title of his career came in 1989 when he secured the Cincinnati Masters. In 1990, Gilbert reached his career-high ranking of fourth. In addition, Gilbert had success in doubles events.
The American former player won three titles in the men’s doubles events. He also peaked at number 18 in the official doubles rankings. Gilbert retired from professional tennis in 1994.
Months later, he transitioned into coaching and started working with Andre Agassi - a partnership that lasted for eight years. Gilbert also coached Agassi to six Grand Slam titles The American coach moved on to coach another US player, Andy Roddick, in 2003. Under Gilbert’s guidance, Roddick won the US Open and made the 2004 Wimbledon final.
Gilbert then had a brief spell working as Andy Murray’s coach between 2006 and 2007. During this time, Gilbert oversaw Murray’s development into an established Top 10 player as he led the Brit to eighth in the ATP Rankings.
In the 2010s, Gilbert also worked with Kei Nishikori, Alex Bogdanovic, and Sam Querrey. In July 2023, he joined Coco Gauff’s team as a consultant before becoming the US players' main coach in November 2023.
