THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 17, 1995

Brad Gilbert

Q. Why the black socks?

BRAD GILBERT: You liked the Wimbledon outfit I was wearing in Australia. I had to do something different. My wife said, if you don't play good, you have got to look good so they remember you.

Q. Looking good and being --

BRAD GILBERT: I thought I looked sharp today. Now, you will know what Andre will look like.

Q. How long did you deliberate picking out that outfit? Was it like "should I wear it" or "shouldn't I" and go back and forth?

BRAD GILBERT: I was going to wear my Wimbledon outfit and Nike said, why don't you wear this; I said, sure, why not. They paid me extra to wear it.

Q. How would you describe that shirt that you were wearing --

Q. Was that a frustrating match.

Q. -- (cont'g) it looked like a bowling shirt.

BRAD GILBERT: You are really -- see, you remember that shirt.

Q. It was distinctive.

BRAD GILBERT: The match was frustrating. I should have won. I had good chances in the first; good chances in the second and the linesmen had a bad day - as usual. I mean, they made some pitiful calls out there. I mean, that is the one thing in thirteen years that I played my whole career, tennis players have got better and officiating got worse. It is really sad. If you guys saw it today -- how many calls did you see out there? See, you were bored.

Q. Just blinded by your black socks.

Q. Brad, what are you going to do? Is this it? Are you going on to play some more; sort of hinting around that maybe this could be your last tournament?

BRAD GILBERT: Well, I am a definitely going to take a little time off, but I am playing an exhibition in Houston, River Oaks, then I am playing in an over 30s event, right before Atlanta; I am going to still play some, but actively, you know, pursuing higher levels, I am not anymore.

Q. Be like a Mats Wilander type situation?

BRAD GILBERT: Yeah, that sounds good. That sounds really good. Tennis players never die. We just get recycled somewhere else. I will just play a few events where I feel good and if all of a sudden I am hitting the ball with Andre; maybe I will say, okay, I will take a wildcard there or I will play the qualies or we will just see how it goes, but maybe tomorrow I will get up and change my mind; maybe I want to coach little league now.

Q. What has prompted that change of mind, Brad, anything specific?

BRAD GILBERT: Shark says after a couple of weeks after my Asia results I will be ranked 500, so I won't be getting too much anymore - I will be forced out. But at least it is not like football, they are not going to draw the blinds on me and tell me they don't have enough playbooks--

Q. With your distinguished career, you are not worried about a slow gradual decline, are you, and stepping out of the top or ...

BRAD GILBERT: For me, if I don't feel like I can play in the top 30 anymore, I don't feel I have anything to accomplish. If I feel I am trying to play 60 or 80 tennis, I feel like I am purely playing for the money and I don't want to be like that. I feel like if I wasn't with Andre and I tried to work my ass off and get in shape, all of a sudden I get to 50 or 60, I probably wouldn't be happy. That is the kind of guy I am. I feel like if I am not capable of going out and playing top guys and beating top guys and playing good, I don't want to go out and get frustrated or being bitter to all of a sudden-- a lot of guys I know play too long. When you play too long, you get bitter. I am not going to be around, you know, five years from now saying that, shit, this guy, I can't believe he is making more than I made. Hey, tennis has gone forward; that is just the way things go. I am at peace with myself, You know, I wish I could have done better. I am sure everybody I know wishes I could have done better, but I felt like I tried my best and that is as much as you can expect from yourself. I didn't think I'd be here for thirteen years.

Q. Will there be a sequel to your book?

BRAD GILBERT: You think there should be?

Q. There must be things that have been left unsaid by you.

BRAD GILBERT: Yeah, I mean, I don't know of anybody that probably when they wrote their first book said, shit, this is a brilliant thing. Man, there is obviously some things that I wish I could have changed; some things that, you know, came out better, but I didn't get any negative response from any players; got a lot of good response from players'; got a lot of good reviews. I felt good that, you know, that it was a pretty good effort.

Q. What did John McEnroe have to say about your back?

BRAD GILBERT: He just laughed. I mean, I didn't say anything bitter towards anybody, so there wasn't like, you know, anything that I was ashamed of that I said. Everything I said was true. I mean, I certainly didn't go dragging dirt on people, you know, that wasn't my intention. My intention was to try to help club players get 15 to 20% better without improving their strokes because most of the time club players take a lesson; the pro says, "good shot, great shot come back next week," you know, this is just trying to tap into it a little bit and have fun. It wasn't exactly intricate reading. It wasn't like Bud Collins' Encyclopedia of tennis. It was real-- or Jim Loehr try to dissect your head in half. It was just easy reading that you can pick up on the toilet and read any chapter anywhere.

Q. Next one going to be "Coaching Ugly"?

BRAD GILBERT: No, it is coaching pretty because Andre plays beautiful.

Q. How did your house come through the storms?

BRAD GILBERT: My house. Knock on wood, we are okay; few minor leaks; no major damage.

Q. The "Z" on your racket, Zac?

BRAD GILBERT: For my son.

Q. How old is he?

BRAD GILBERT: Six.

Q. Is this it, really? I mean, what are we saying here that we are winding down?

BRAD GILBERT: I am not holding some press conference and crying over tears like Vilas did nine different times, you know, I am just saying I am not actively pursuing a higher ranking. I am just going to play some. I mean, you know, all of a sudden, I am not -- in Cincinnati I feel like playing, okay, but definitely goalwise, I am done pursuing and practicing hard and busting my gut to try to get better. Right now, my main focus is being a better husband; trying to be a better father to my kids and seeing Andre become No. 1 in the world.

Q. Would you say today was losing ugly?

BRAD GILBERT: You know, actually felt like I hit the ball fairly decently. I was a little inopportunistic. If I can could have converted in the first -- I had numerous chances in the second; double break I had breakpoint 4-All; I had 15-40, at 5-All; there was a lot of chances, and just didn't convert. You know, I think -- let us say if that would have been two years ago I would have won that match because I played a lot of matches. I mean, hell, I haven't practiced for a week and I was down here doing a CD ROM for ESPN. I actually felt pretty good the way I played because I haven't been practicing, you know, it's a sign from God when you get a big blister. After thirteen years, I am finally getting blisters, you know, something up when you getting blisters.

Q. If this were it, what would you want to put on your tennis tombstone?

BRAD GILBERT: On my tennis tombstone? I am not dead. Tennis players go to 60, 35s 45s, 65s.

Q. What would you want on your regular tour tombstone?

BRAD GILBERT: My regular tour tombstone? God, you want me dead and buried.

Q. How do you want to be remembered?

BRAD GILBERT: How do I want to be remembered? That tennis will go on, You know, I just-- I was a part of it. I just was real glad that I had a chance to compete no matter what -- money aside, no one will ever take the chance that I had to compete. I liked trying to take something that somebody was trying to take from me and the gave me 13 great years of a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people and I had a great time and the game will go on.

Q. Your most frustrating opponent?

BRAD GILBERT: My most frustrating opponent, he is dead and buried. I will never get a look at him again; not in any age group - Lendl. I will give a million dollars just to have one victory over him, You know, but I will never get it. He is not going to even play in the 35s, 45s, nothing. You know, maybe I will call him just out of retirement; beat him on his own court or something; especially the last time I played him I had him 4-0 in the third in Philly; I was envisioning that this misery was over. He gave me a lot of shit in the lockerroom about that losing streak. I never got a chance to play him again because especially the last two years I felt like I was actually playing better than him, but never got a shot.

Q. How did you beat McEnroe all these times?

BRAD GILBERT: I only beat him twice so it wasn't all these times.

Q. Seems like it was more than that?

BRAD GILBERT: I wish it was.

Q. Was it two more times than he thought you had a right to beat him?

BRAD GILBERT: Well, it was two times not enough - that is for sure. I mean, because I am the kind of guy that I always felt like I wish I could have done better; could have won more because I feel like that my competitive nature, you know, one of the most frustrating things about my career when you lose a close match you go, "great match; nice try." I rather play like shit and win four in the third than play unbelievably great and lose six in the third. Allen Fox, my old coach, would go "mano" (sic) over "nice try; did great." When you lose, losing sucks. Even in the 55s, 65s, any level. My son gets upset when he wins a little karate match. He is into karate now. That is just how I am, and I feel like, you know, the bottom line is winning, and that was the greatest thing for me in tennis, just going out there to compete because I like taking something that somebody is trying to take from me; that is the greatest feeling ever.

Q. Do you have the feeling that you actually did better than anybody would have expected from the ability that you showed?

BRAD GILBERT: Well, you know, judging by when I was about 19, 20, you know, and probably expectations of a lot of people would have never even thought I would have made it on the Tour but I never listened to critics and cynics because those are the guys that were never any good to begin with. I felt like I was only going out to be the best I could. For me, I never was out playing for my Federation, my parents, anybody else, I was always out there playing for myself. And I felt like that if I played one year; never made it or just as long as I had a chance, but I mean, I am sure when I was 19 and I was never ranked high in the country; I never even played the Orange Bowl. I was there at Flamingo Park the other day; never played international junior tournaments; my main goal was go out and give it a shot and, you know, it was a long run. You know, and whether or not anybody ever would have thought -- I mean, it happened over a long period of time. After ten years, people would say "I can't believe you are still out there. I can't believe you are still doing this and that." I never really got into like thinking about why or -- I just was competing. And that is just how I am.

Q. You only played for yourself? You played a little Davis Cup too.

BRAD GILBERT: Well, I mean, in the essence of the way I was -- I feel like there are some kids out there with some crazy parents and stuff like that, that are out there and that is why I am actually glad that I am winding down a little bit because the guy's Tour is becoming like the women's Tour a little bit. It's a little bit scary. But I was always out there for the right reason, you know, I was never out there, you know-- obviously when I got married, it was a little different, but throughout my whole career I was always out there because I wanted to be there. I never was out there one day that I didn't want to be there. I knew that, you know, when I didn't want to be there it was time for me to go. I mean, I never had that happen once where all of a sudden I said, shit, I wish I was somewhere else- never had that happen. Amazing, nothing about Andre.

End of FastScripts....