Brad Gilbert has suggested that he would be open to coaching another ATP player again.
Gilbert worked with Coco Gauff in his last coaching role, which came to an end in September 2024.
It has been even longer since he last coached an ATP player, which came when Gilbert had a trial period with Sam Querrey in 2012.
When reflecting on Jack Draper and Joao Fonseca’s Indian Wells campaigns, Gilbert has revealed who he would most like to coach on the ATP Tour other than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Brad Gilbert says he would most like to coach Joao Fonseca
Draper’s Indian Wells title defence came to an end against Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals after recently returning from a bone injury in his left arm.
When discussing Draper’s Indian Wells campaign, Gilbert called the British player the third best player in the world behind Alcaraz and Sinner.
“I felt bad for Draper, who has barely played in the last nine months,” Gilbert said on The Big T Podcast. “He played unbelievably well against [Novak] Djokovic and honestly I had no idea that he could fly around the court the way he can, his defending ability, his open stance and how well he did on long rallies, I mean this guy is legit.
“If he could just have this one word, availability, for a sustained period of time, I do think potentially he’s the third best player in the world.”
Is Jack Draper the best player outside of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
If not, who is? Let us know in the comments!
Mark Petchey, who worked with Emma Raducanu at Indian Wells, then asked Gilbert if he thinks Draper is more likely to contend with Alcaraz and Sinner than Fonseca.
Gilbert suggested that he expects both players to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner in the future, before revealing that he would most like to coach Fonseca.
“The hype is real on Fonseca, the match he played against Sinner, that’s one match,” said Gilbert. “Obviously he’s ranked lower, but if you gave me one player to coach outside of Sinner and Alcaraz, because what a joy it would be to coach one of those guys, I would coach Fonseca.
“I do think he has the artillery to get in the mix with those guys, because he can take the racket out of your hand. I think that Jack has a lot more variety and he moves better, but if you asked me those are the next two and we need more guys to jump in the mix, to make it more interesting, it can’t just always be Alcaraz and Sinner!”
Gilbert spoke about the improvements Fonseca needs to make to his game after his loss to Sinner at Indian Wells, which he could try to implement if he were to become his coach.
Fonseca is currently coached by Guilherme Teixeira, who has worked with the Brazilian since he was 12 years old.
Where do you think Joao Fonseca will be ranked at the end of the 2026 season?
How many Grand Slams has Brad Gilbert won as a coach?
Gilbert has worked with some of the best players in tennis history as a coach, including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and the aforementioned Gauff.
In his time as a coach, Gilbert has helped three players win a combined eight Grand Slam titles.
This includes helping Gauff win her first Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open, as well as Roddick winning his sole major title in New York in 2003.
| Players Brad Gilbert has coached | Grand Slams they won with Brad Gilbert as coach |
| Andre Agassi | 6 (US Open – 1994 & 1998, Australian Open – 1995, 2000 & 2001, French Open – 1999) |
| Andy Roddick | 1 (US Open 2003) |
| Coco Gauff | 1 (US Open 2023) |
Gilbert also helped Agassi win six of his eight major titles in his career, having worked with the former world number one for eight years.
Agassi once described Gilbert as ‘the greatest coach of all time’ and he would no doubt be able to provide Fonseca some important advice at this pivotal stage of his career.
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