April 22nd, 2026
When you don’t have anything special about you, how do you win? When you don’t have the overwhelming power of Boris Becker, the fast tempo of Andre Agassi, the methodical pressure of Ivan Lendl, or the serve mastery of Jimmy Connors, how did Brad Gilbert beat these guys, AND embarrass John McEnroe to a point where he retires? You win ugly.
This is how Brad Gilber prepared himself mentally to win ugly against the tennis champions of his time:
Are you familiar with tennis? Are you familiar with grand slams? Grand slams are the pinnacle of tennis achievements, it means you’ve won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open all in the same season.
Boris Becker won 6 grand slams, and during the 1987 U.S. Open he would go against Brad Gilbert. Brad Gilbert is probably as graceful as a cafeteria tray sliding off a wet table. Not only was he a messy cafeteria tray, he was a cafeteria tray hated by Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, and John McEnroe. McEnroe hated him so much he retired out of embarrassment after losing to Brad Gilbert. And on this fateful day during the 1987 U.S. Open, Boris Becker would learn to hate him too.
The first two sets start and Boris Becker is off to a great start, winning both and getting ready to send Brad Gilbert home without much of a fight In what could be the final set, Becker is up 3-0 and Gilbert is on the ropes. Boris Becker the Boom Boom Boris was known for his athleticism and powerful serve, but on the other hand, we’ve got Gilbert, the guy known for his book on “winning ugly”... who’s going to win?
Everyone in the stadium expected Becker to win but unlucky for 6 grand slam Becker, Gilbert actually prepared before the match. Gilbert had studied Becker, all his moves, his tendencies, the mentality of his opponent. So when the temperatures rose to what felt like 190 degrees, all hot and humid, Gilbert realized Becker didn’t have a strong mentality, hated humid weather, and was weak on his backhand.
Gilbert realized all he had to do was win this set to completely shatter Becker’s momentum, and it started with taking advantage of his back hand. Because a tennis athlete superstar with all the muscles in the world can do nothing if they are not in control of their mind.
So point by point, match by match, Gilbert has seen the bigger picture and broken it down to first principles, and it was all because he prepared before the game even started.
Gilbert realized all he had to do was win this set to completely shatter Becker’s momentum, and it started with taking advantage of his back hand. Because a tennis athlete superstar with all the muscles in the world can do nothing if they are not in control of their mind.
Point by point, Gilbert started to win, and Becker started to lose… his shit. Gilbert had the stands filled with fans chanting USA! USA! And Becker was out here screaming and complaining about how his feet were on fire.
Gilbert realized all he had to do was win this set to completely shatter Becker’s momentum, and it started with taking advantage of his back hand. Because a tennis athlete superstar with all the muscles in the world can do nothing if they are not in control of their mind.
In the end, against the odds, AGAINST 6 GRANDSLAM Boris Becker, Brad Gilbert the sloppy cafeteria tray managed to do the impossible, and it was all because Brad Gilbert prepared ahead of the time, studying his opponent, writing in his little black book, understanding what he was up against.
Gilbert realized all he had to do was win this set to completely shatter Becker’s momentum, and it started with taking advantage of his back hand. Because a tennis athlete superstar with all the muscles in the world can do nothing if they are not in control of their mind.
Brad Gilbert prepared himself mentally beforehand. Brad Gilbert won ugly. And you should too.
~ ethangwang