Series Part 2: Legendary Trainers - Bob Brett
In German-speaking countries, the name Bob Brett is primarily associated with Boris Becker. But the legendary Australian has also coached other tennis greats. Part two of our series on legendary coaches in tennis.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Mar 04, 2023, 11:33 am
In December 2013, Hakan Dahlbo invited to a tennis congress in Seefeld, Tyrol, it was supposed to be a meeting that everyone involved will remember for a long time. Mats Wilander, who adds spice to every event with his tough analyzes and who stood on the court in Seefeld, was at the start. Juan Carlos Ferrero too, who only recently joined the ranks of coaches and was still a long way from making Carlos Alcaraz a player the number one in the world.
But the grand seigneur was Bob Brett. And anyone who followed the Australian, who had just turned 60, suddenly understood why this man not only followed hotspurs like Goran Ivanisevic and Boris Becker, but in the case of the German even to the top of the to bring ATP world rankings.
Bob Brett leads Boris Becker to number one
Brett had practically taken over Becker from Günter Bosch in 1987, and by the beginning of 1991 the two had reached the Olympus of tennis. By winning the Australian Open, Becker gained the status of number one in the world, and soon after, the two parted ways.
Ivanisevic was to follow, outstanding successes from this period include reaching the finals in 1992 (loss to Andre Agassi) and 1994 (loss to Pete Sampras). This was followed by engagements with Andrey Medwedev, with whom he reached the final in Roland Garros 199. And had to deal with a defeat that hurt. Because his protégé lost to Andre Agassi after a 2-0 set lead.
Pioneer for Günter Bresnik
After that, coaching phases with Nicolas Kiefer, Mario Ancic and Marin Cilic can be found in Bob Brett's vita. The pupil of the legendary Harry Hopman was also involved in the rise of Kei Nishikori. Which also earned him a lot of respect and appreciation from his fellow coaches.
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Günter Bresnik, for example, himself a legendary coach, explained in an interview with derstandard.at in early 2021: “Together with Ion Tiriac, he was the most important person in my life for my career as a coach. His kindness saved me a myriad of mistakes. We didn't just talk about tennis, but also about architecture or literature - and private things. To me, he was somewhere between a father figure and a big brother.”
However, Bob Brett had just succumbed to cancer at the age of 67.