U.S. OPEN

September 11, 1994

Brad Gilbert

BRAD GILBERT: We started Key Biscayne, so, in March. He called me up on the phone. He said he wanted to talk to me. We had dinner in Scotsdale a couple of times. Then he called me at Key Biscayne, and said, go out to this place and then get on a boat and put your car out there, and I was like," geez, this is weird." We went out to Fisher Island; went to dinner; started talking, and he asked what I thought. I said I think I can really help you. We started the next day.

BRAD GILBERT: I told him -- I mean, for me, I felt like that especially here and the last few weeks, don't play the score, don't worry, I said. When we got here, you can't win seven matches at once. You got to start by winning the first game, the first set; the first match. Don't worry about anybody else, continue to hit the ball and play as well as you are playing and good things are going to happen. He has been really practicing well. I think, what happened in New Haven maybe happened for a reason. We went back to Vegas for 7 days; I had a really good seven days of practice. When I got here, I told a lot of people I thought Andre was going to win this event; he is really fresh and his mind is eager and the draw was really favorable to him playing well.

BRAD GILBERT: You know, I told him I thought he was -- a lot of guys were playing -- were getting away with murder chipping balls back in play; he'd have guys dead pinned in the corner; he wasn't coming to net. I said, you can come in 20 to 25 times a match, and if you can't put away high volleys, you don't deserve to win the match. He looked at me, said, yeah, that is a pretty good point. I feel like if you got a guy pinned, and you can't put away a high volley, you are not going to win a lot of matches.

BRAD GILBERT: Well, I mean, in Vegas, we worked on his serve, working on that a lot. Too often he would go up to the plate and roll at his serve. I told him to make a high percentage of first serves because Stich is going to try and chip and charge on your second serve. That is what he wants to happen and he doesn't like the ball up. When you are under pressure, take a little bit of time; make sure to get that ball above his waist.

BRAD GILBERT: No, he had that.

BRAD GILBERT: I think he used to just hit the kick too often; didn't hit the slice; didn't hit the flat one. I think that he is turning into like a good spot pitcher on his serve. The thing -- you got to work the four corners. I think he was too predictable on his serves. A lot of times he would just roll his serve in. He didn't play the score well on his serve. A lot of times when he was up 30-Love he would roll his serve in and one thing I thought was kind of annoying, he is down Love-30 and he is trying to hit an ace. You have to let -- 40-Love and 30-Love is when you have to be going for the 117 up the middle.

BRAD GILBERT: I mean, everything he has got, man, probably had since he has been a little kid; father taught him how to play. I am helping him work with what he has got; haven't change any strokes. I feel like if you go out and play 100% of your capabilities with bad strategy, you know, you will win some matches. If you go out and play with 60 percent of your capabilities with great strategy you win a lot of matches.

BRAD GILBERT: . I don't know. Maybe I am a good coach. (gilbert winks) I don't know. I think a lot of times, I talk really simply to him. And I am not that far removed from the Tour. I am still playing. We have played nine times. I think he respects the way I play; that I tried hard for every match I played, and I feel like that maybe he thought since I played all these guys that he is playing so I know what I am talking about.

BRAD GILBERT: I certainly hope so. I haven't gotten any notice in the mail that I am not coming back.

BRAD GILBERT: I don't know for life.

BRAD GILBERT: Yeah, I am still a player too. But hopefully, my hip will be better in the fall; I will be playing. I will be playing/coach (gilbert winks).

BRAD GILBERT: Do I have contract? Is that important to you?

BRAD GILBERT: You know what? You know what my wife said: If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be and if it was meant to be it was meant to be. So a contract isn't going to separate that.

BRAD GILBERT: I saw him play like in Stratton Mountain in 86 when he beat Kriek and Mayotte, and he already had crowd presence then and I knew that he was doing some special things back then; by taking the ball on the rise and putting guys under pressure. I always thought he was one of the greatest hitters of the ball I have ever seen. Maybe didn't have the greater strategy.

BRAD GILBERT: I think it motivates him a little bit. I think he is trying to change me. Next thing I will know I will be wearing a pony tail (gilbert winks).

BRAD GILBERT: I always feel like for me that I am a pretty confident person off the court, on the court. I feel like that you play your presence. I mean, the way he hits the ball, he should be confident. And he should be confident himself and I have told him after this-- I mean you should be able to look in the mirror; be happy for yourself. I helped him, but he was the one that made it happen. And he got to believe that he is the one that made it happen.

BRAD GILBERT: Obviously,, you know, he was a little edgy about what happened in New Haven. It was great. We got away for seven days in Vegas; practiced really hard and I am telling you today was like a mild day compare to seven days of wind that we had in Vegas; 105 everyday and super windy. We practiced two o'clock and super windy conditions for seven days. We got here; he is hitting the -- people were saying it was windy; geez, it felt good.

BRAD GILBERT: When he walked over, I told him when he was -- I said, Australia is next. He looked at me and he said, typical; I felt like this one is great, but Australia is, you know, right on the horizon. I told him he could win 3 of the 8 Slams.