| |
By Sandra Harwitt
With a hat bearing the name of one of his favorite bands,
Metallica, nearly covering his eyes, Brad Gilbert sits in
the players lounge at the Western & Southern Financial
Group Masters in Cincinnati and contemplates the dangers of
coaching Andy Roddick.
In eight years of coaching superstar Andre Agassi between
1994 and 2001, Gilbert would employ the use of friendly bets
as a motivational tool for his famous charge. Clearly, the
methodology worked, because Agassi won six Grand Slam trophies
under Gilbert’s tutelage.
“I had to pierce my ear one time, had to shave my chest,”
Gilbert says of lost wagers with Agassi. “I had to shave
my head. You know what, it took three months for my hair to
grow back. I used to make crazy [crap] with Andre— something
that just motivated him to another level. Every once in a
while, you’ve got to do something to be part of the
team.”
Thinking it would be advantageous to continue the gambling-motivational
strategy when he hooked up with Roddick the first week of
June, Gilbert, unfortunately, had no idea that Roddick would
play a much higher stakes game.
Looking for an added incentive for Roddick to win his first
Tennis Masters Series level tournament in Montreal this summer,
Gilbert agreed to Roddick’s dare to go skydiving if
he landed the title. Roddick, an enthusiast of extreme sports,
scored the big win in Montreal, leaving Gilbert contemplating
his fate.
To
read the rest of this article, purchase this issue
here. |
|
