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I've Got Your Back: Coaching Top Performers From Center Court to The Corner Office
The former professional tennis player and champion coach presents his inspirational approach to accomplishing success, with motivational tips on how to deal with intense pressure, distractions, frustrations, and competitors. Reprint.
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First published September 2, 2004
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About the author
Brad Gilbert
12 books11 followersBrad Gilbert is an American former professional tennis player, influential coach, author, and commentator whose analytical approach to the sport has shaped the careers of numerous top athletes. Raised in California, he developed a reputation early on for his competitive spirit and strategic clarity rather than relying on raw power, a distinction that defined both his playing style and later his coaching philosophy. Turning professional in the early 1980s, he accumulated 20 ATP singles titles and achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 4, marking him as one of the most consistently formidable players of his era. His success was built on intelligent point construction, mental discipline, and an ability to exploit opponents’ weaknesses, qualities that earned him respect throughout the tennis community. After stepping away from full-time competition, Gilbert became one of the sport’s most sought-after coaches. He worked with Andre Agassi during a career resurgence that resulted in multiple major titles and a return to the No. 1 ranking. He later coached Andy Roddick to a US Open championship and contributed to the development of several other notable players, including Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, and Coco Gauff. His coaching is distinguished by practical problem-solving, psychological resilience, and an emphasis on winning through adaptability rather than style alone. Gilbert also built a prominent media and literary career. As a longtime ESPN analyst, he provides commentary grounded in clear tactical breakdowns, often emphasizing what players need to adjust in real time. His books, including Winning Ugly and I’ve Got Your Back, articulate his belief that understanding the mental and strategic layers of the game is as crucial as physical training. Widely recognized for his contributions, Gilbert has been inducted into multiple halls of fame and continues to lecture, consult, and teach within the sport. His legacy extends beyond match results, influencing generations of players and coaches who embrace the idea that success often depends not on who hits the best shots, but on who thinks the smartest, prepares the hardest, and competes with the greatest resilience.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 28, 2018
I've Got Your Back is a chilled-out mix of coaching lessons, life lessons, and anecdotes from Brad Gilbert's career as the coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, and from the time he spent as a pro tennis player himself. I originally gave it three stars, but when I looked at my notes below, I thought a few of them really were gems. A tennis fan (I'm really not) will probably give it five stars. Often you get to be a fly on the wall on the pro tennis tour, which is pretty cool.
Some of my favorite lessons, paraphrased from my notes :):
Love what you do; love yourself as a person and a player / worker / whatever you are. (Aside: This is coming from the guy with the black sunglasses who wears a Metallica cap, who coached Agassi and Roddick. And he meant it. I've known only one person other than yoga teachers who could have said that without gagging. Maybe two.)
If you love what you do, you'll work harder at it. You'll enjoy it more. It'll be easier to be honest with yourself when you did something wrong or gave less than 100%--and maybe there was a good reason why. Other people will want to give their honest effort, because they'll see that's what you're doing. You'll also see that the work doesn't end at five o'clock. That doesn't mean working yourself to death, but it does mean giving more than the minimum to what you do.
Loving what you do also means giving an honest answer to the question, "Do I want to be here?" If you're fed up, and the dream or the goal doesn't mean anything to you anymore, no amount of coaching is going to turn things around. And if you do want to be there, you can put your heart into it and keep going.
Rather than focusing on the mountain you want to climb, start by focusing on the steps you have to take right now. Then keep walking.
The best ones are thinking as well as using their talent.
Defeat is the best teacher but its lessons are the hardest to learn.
It's better to be there 100% mentally and 50% physically than the reverse. If you're hitting the ball like a dream but still can't send it where you want to, you're still only getting half a hit out of it.
When you're fixing a problem, take blame out of the equation and focus on the issue.
To deal with anger, have a plan, and a backup plan to that, and a backup for *that*....
Work hard. Pay attention. Be relentlessly positive. Make sure your people know that you've got their back.
Different people coach in different ways. Gilbert's preferred way was discussing strategy with his players rather than dictating what they should do, keeping it casual because the topic was already serious enough.
KIT--keep it together.
Some of my favorite lessons, paraphrased from my notes :):
Love what you do; love yourself as a person and a player / worker / whatever you are. (Aside: This is coming from the guy with the black sunglasses who wears a Metallica cap, who coached Agassi and Roddick. And he meant it. I've known only one person other than yoga teachers who could have said that without gagging. Maybe two.)
If you love what you do, you'll work harder at it. You'll enjoy it more. It'll be easier to be honest with yourself when you did something wrong or gave less than 100%--and maybe there was a good reason why. Other people will want to give their honest effort, because they'll see that's what you're doing. You'll also see that the work doesn't end at five o'clock. That doesn't mean working yourself to death, but it does mean giving more than the minimum to what you do.
Loving what you do also means giving an honest answer to the question, "Do I want to be here?" If you're fed up, and the dream or the goal doesn't mean anything to you anymore, no amount of coaching is going to turn things around. And if you do want to be there, you can put your heart into it and keep going.
Rather than focusing on the mountain you want to climb, start by focusing on the steps you have to take right now. Then keep walking.
The best ones are thinking as well as using their talent.
Defeat is the best teacher but its lessons are the hardest to learn.
It's better to be there 100% mentally and 50% physically than the reverse. If you're hitting the ball like a dream but still can't send it where you want to, you're still only getting half a hit out of it.
When you're fixing a problem, take blame out of the equation and focus on the issue.
To deal with anger, have a plan, and a backup plan to that, and a backup for *that*....
Work hard. Pay attention. Be relentlessly positive. Make sure your people know that you've got their back.
Different people coach in different ways. Gilbert's preferred way was discussing strategy with his players rather than dictating what they should do, keeping it casual because the topic was already serious enough.
KIT--keep it together.
July 16, 2023
Read this super quick. I came into this wanting a look into the life of a coach and player on the tour and was a little disappointed at how much more geared it was towards coaching, and playing, advice but in those regards, I think it did great. Even though it was filled with anecdotes, I somehow felt as if it was missing concrete hard evidence to back up its philosophy. He'd talk a lot about interactions with players and how he dealt with them, but I'd love to see how it actually translated into the tennis part a bit more (to his credit, he does this more than a handful of times and I thought it was super fascinating). It's a pretty fun read though and I enjoyed my time with it.
May 13, 2021
Easy quick read, and though it’s dated at this point, lots of insights that apply to both tennis and life in general- though BG does a nice job of not forcing the “corner office” part as many sport leadership books do- the applicability is there. Good quick read
July 18, 2012
One of the first coaching books I read. Gilbert is a master of setting the stage for the players he is coaching to do their absolute best work. His focus and concentration of them is remarkable, and the way he prepositions everything necessary for them to succeed is a model for everyone who works with people and wants to help them be remarkable, too.
Read this if you are a coach of any kind. Read it it you love athletics, competition, and especially the game of tennis. Gilbert tells the stories well, and this quote from the inside jacket cover tells you what you need to know to get you into it:
"I've got your back.
If it was four in the morning, and my guy called and said, "I need you to come over," I wouldn't ask what it was about. I wouldn't think twice. If its important enough for him to call me at that hour, its important enough for me to go. And whatever the situation was, we would figure it out."
Remarkable.
Read how he coached Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick - two very different players - to the #1 ranking in tennis.
There are so many crossover practices and principles that you will be able to put into play in whatever you do, and whoever you do it with - individually, or organizationally.
Read this if you are a coach of any kind. Read it it you love athletics, competition, and especially the game of tennis. Gilbert tells the stories well, and this quote from the inside jacket cover tells you what you need to know to get you into it:
"I've got your back.
If it was four in the morning, and my guy called and said, "I need you to come over," I wouldn't ask what it was about. I wouldn't think twice. If its important enough for him to call me at that hour, its important enough for me to go. And whatever the situation was, we would figure it out."
Remarkable.
Read how he coached Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick - two very different players - to the #1 ranking in tennis.
There are so many crossover practices and principles that you will be able to put into play in whatever you do, and whoever you do it with - individually, or organizationally.
August 2, 2009
Darned good, short, book for anyone who wants insight into the world of professional tennis, particularly Andre Agassi, but covering lots of other players as well. It combines personal experience with personal growth in facing the adversities of life, triumphing over them. It's a good book for anybody who wants to encourage themselves, or someone else to be all they can be. (Sounds like an Army commercial--doesn't it)
September 19, 2014
As a former college tennis player, I felt identified with all the advise Gilbert gives.
My main reason to give 4-stars to this book is the way he relates the tennis-court experience to other areas of professional life.
My main reason to give 4-stars to this book is the way he relates the tennis-court experience to other areas of professional life.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews