By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 30, 2015

 

Brad Gilbert: "I'm still very annoyed the tournament didn't put Nadal to the No. 2 seed where he should have been."

ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert has a long history in Paris as a competitor and commentator, but perhaps his most impactful commentary came behind closed doors.

Blown out by Andrei Medvedev at the the start of the 1999 French Open final, a visibly tight Andre Agassi got a reprieve in a rain delay. Agassi got an emotional and loud lecture from then coach Gilbert he later credited with helping him turn around the match, win Roland Garros and complete the career Grand Slam.

"If you're going down, OK, go down, but go down with guns blazing. Always, always, always go down with both guns blazing!" Agassi wrote in his memoir Open, detailing the one time he recalls Gilbert screaming at him during that 1999 rain delay.

More: Murray, Djokovic Outclass Young Aussies in Paris

The Winning Ugly author's voice is familiar to tennis fans. We caught up with Gilbert for this Q & A on French Open first week story lines.

Tennis Now: Brad, what do you think of Rafa's level of play thus far? Looking ahead what do see you see in a Djokovic-Nadal quarterfinal blockbuster?

Brad Gilbert: Rafa looked a lot better in the Almagro match. I'm still very annoyed the tournament didn't put him to the No. 2 seed where he should have been. This tournament does have that right, but they've never done that. I'm not sure playing Djoker earlier or later at the moment is a great thing. I think Rafa is playing a lot better. Obviously, he's been amazing at this place. I think the way Rafa is, he won't be focused on [Novak] yet.

TN: Sock beat Coric today. What is the potential upside for those two players?

BG: Sock has gotten a lot better. Very soon he will be the top American. I fully believe he's become a different player since winning the doubles title at Wimbledon and now the success has translated to his singles game. He was just unlucky at the beginning of the year when he had to have the hip surgery. Otherwise, he would have been at the Australian Open and probably would have been different if he had been playing from the start of the year. Sock's got an explosive forehand, a very explosive forehand. I think he's got a chance to be a Top 10 player. I don't know exactly how far he can go.

Coric, for 18 years of age, his upside is [high]. I mean, he's a mini-Djoker. He's got an explosive serve, his movement is off the charts. I think three or four years down the line Coric's upside is Top 3 in the world. [Nick] Kyrgios, [Thanasi] Kokkinakis, Coric, [Alexander] Zverev and this kid [Andrey] Rublev, to me are the top five young talents in the game.

TN: First-week controversy came with Rafa confirming he asked Carlos Bernardes not work as chair umpire at his matches. In your experience, how common is that? What's your view on the chair umpire issue?

BG: I don't think it's that common. I think even Federer had a problem with Jake Garner, did he not?

TN: Right. In the US Open final.

BG: I think the requests happen. Maybe it's not granted that much. I think in that one one particular match in Rio when [Bernardes] gave him the time violation, he had his shorts on backwards and wanted to turn his shorts around that he had on backwards and they were playing at like freaking 3 in the morning.

I just feel like so much of it will go away with a shot clock on the court. I just feel like the umpires are in a tough position. You don't call a time violation the entire match and then some are doing it at like 4-5 break-point down. If you have a shot clock on court, wait for the fans to stop clapping and turn it on just like in basketball. I think it is a joke that it's 20 seconds in a major and 25 seconds in the ATP. They should be the same times.

TN: Uncle Toni has pointed out after excruciatingly long rallies, and sometimes the crowd going crazy, umpires should use discretion calling time violations. Do you agree?

BG: Well, when there's an ace, you shouldn't be given any leeway. If it's a 30-shot rally and there's a long clap then you take 10 seconds until the crowd quiets. Once the crowd is quiet, then I start the clock. Once the umpire calls the score, then the shot clock goes. Now, it could take a little longer to call the score after a 30-ball rally and I would be a little more lenient there.

TN: Looking ahead to Federer vs. Monfils, which could be electrifying, how do you see that match going?

BG: I gotta be honest, two sets to one, down 1-4 double break, I went to go eat dinner. I came back at 11 and never checked my phone. I checked the scoreboard and was shocked Monfils came back and won. He's beaten Fed two times in a row on clay, should have beaten him at the Open, he had him dead there. I remember in Monte Carlo, Monfils played like a brutal three-hour match against Dolgopolov and then the next day he comes right back and plays a great match against Fed. So I think Fed fans are worried a little bit. Monfils is one of these guys on a big stage, who loves it, the crowd could be rocking I think it's gonna be a real good match.

TN: Stan Wawrinka started the year on a bit of a roll, had some puzzling losses, but beating Rafa in Rome was such a big win for his game and confidence. What do you think about Stan's chances here?

BG: Stan's playing well. He's gotten a lot of confidence from beating Rafa. He's had some strange results losing to Dimitrov a couple of times. At this point in his career, he's 30, it's all about the majors. I think he can potentially go a long way, except for I just don't think if he wins and Fed wins that Stan can [beat Federer]. That head-to-head against Fed is a tough match for Stan. First, he's got a tough assignment playing Gilles Simon.