TNT Sports
Bob Brett: Former Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, Marin Cilic coach has died aged 67
By
Published 05/01/2021 at 12:22 GMT
The Australian coach played a pivotal role in the careers of Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic and Marin Cilic. Arguably his most notable achievement in professional men's tennis was helping Becker win Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open between 1989 and 1991. He passed away at 2:15am on Tuesday, with his two daughters, Katarina and Caroline, by his bedside.
Bob Brett (r.) and Boris Becker 1987
Image credit: Imago
Bob Brett, who was a coach to Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic and Marin Cilic, has died at the age of 67 from cancer.
Becker wrote in his 2004 autobiography that Brett was "exactly what I needed" as a coach, demanding "willingness, discipline, willpower and punctuality".
Asked about his coaching style by ATPTour.com in 2008, Brett said: "I benefited from my exposure to [legendary Australian coach] Harry Hopman. I didn’t copy him, but a lot rubbed off on me. Work and repetition is the key in a player-coach partnership.
"A player must be mentally tough, with the ability to execute under pressure. It’s always a battle of their character against the other player’s character.
"You can guide then, provide them with examples and talk about history, but in the end you need to bring out the qualities a player has. Also, you must have an all-seeing eye for detail.”
Brett opened a tennis academy in Italy in 2002 and in November 2020 he received the Tim Gullikson Career Coach Award.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement