TENNIS / THOMAS BONK : ‘Winning Ugly’ Can Mean Looking Good

Since 1982, when Brad Gilbert turned professional and launched the phenomenon known as Bradball on the game of tennis, the sport has been lacking only one thing to make it complete--a book by Brad Gilbert.

It’s here. Called “Winning Ugly,” Gilbert’s book describes the style of, well, Bradball. That would be to find a way to win, no matter what.

“Winning Ugly,” co-written with Steve Jamison, is a primer for club players. The problem with club players is that they don’t employ any strategy.

“Brain-dead,” Gilbert said. “Club players want to win just as much as anybody and they know how to hit the ball, they just don’t know how to win the match.

“Most people in the pros have one plan. I think that’s unbelievably surprising. Like, ‘OK, let’s smack the ball.’ And if that doesn’t work, ‘OK, smack it harder.’

“That’s not enough brain. It’s a very unused tool.”

Gilbert, who turns 32 Monday, has earned more than $4 million on the IBM/ATP Tour and was ranked as high as No. 4 three years ago. He is No. 36 and can see his tennis career extending only through 1994, at least right now.

Actually, Gilbert’s career has been a resounding success, especially since there wasn’t much expected of him after playing at Foothill College and Pepperdine.

Elaine Gilbert’s limited expectations for her son are revealed in “Winning Ugly.”

“We thought he’d eventually get a job, maybe $3.35 an hour, and work his way up,” Mrs. Gilbert said.

Looking back, Gilbert has been involved in some pretty interesting tennis moments in the last decade:

1986--At the Masters, he beat John McEnroe, who had screamed at him during the match, “You are the worst!” McEnroe “retired” for six months after the match.

1989--After winning 17 consecutive matches and three consecutive tournaments, beating Michael Chang, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg along the way, Gilbert lost in the first round of the U.S. Open.

1990--Gilbert nearly got into a fistfight with David Wheaton at the net during their Grand Slam Cup match. Gilbert won the match and collected $1 million.

All in all, winning ugly has been an attractive proposition for Gilbert.

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Brad on Mac: “John McEnroe and I have never been what you’d call the best of friends. I guess that can happen when two people don’t like each other.

“He thinks I’ve got bad strokes. I think he’s got a bad attitude.”

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Budget news: In case you were wondering, there is no on-court scoreboard nor a radar gun to measure serves at UCLA because Volvo/Los Angeles tournament officials did not want to buy the service made available by IDS (Information Displays & Systems) through the IBM/ATP Tour.

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Shot doctor: The most interesting news that came out of last week’s Canadian Open in Montreal wasn’t the fact that Mikael Pernfors won.

It was that Boris Becker asked John McEnroe to work with him.

The extent of their relationship isn’t known, but it is abundantly clear that for at least a while, probably through the U.S. Open, tennis is seeing a union of two of the most unusual, misunderstood, Quixotic personalities in the sport in the last 25 years.

According to McEnroe’s father, Becker phoned McEnroe in New York and McEnroe flew to Montreal to begin a business association that apparently goes beyond the practice court.

In fact, it was McEnroe who negotiated with Volvo/Los Angeles tournament director Bob Kramer about a possible wild-card entry.

John P. McEnroe Sr. remembered a conversation with his son after Becker won Wimbledon at 17 in 1985.

“John said (Becker) didn’t have any idea what’s happened to him,” the senior McEnroe said. “He said, ‘Let’s see how he deals with it in the next few years.’ Well, Boris has gone through (being) No. 1, the problems of the world, like John.

“I don’t think John has handled it absolutely the best of anyone, either, but they are both very bright fellows. Certainly, John is a student of the game and is well aware of what it takes to win.”

Meanwhile, what it took to make the change is still unclear. Two weeks ago, Becker issued a statement that he was splitting with Ion Tiriac, his manager of 10 years. Four days later, Tiriac issued his own statement in which he claimed he had a contract with Becker through 1996.

Becker, who fired Guenther Bresnik as his coach in May and caused a furor in Germany by refusing to play in Davis Cup competition, is reportedly working with a new agent. He is German businessman Axel Mayer-Wolden, the driving force behind the Grand Slam Cup.

Somewhere in the mix, McEnroe will find his place.

Tennis Notes

Susan Stevens of Los Angeles won three gold medals in the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, in the 50-54 age group singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The girls’ tennis coach at Beverly Hills High was the only Masters player from the United States to win three gold medals. In the 1981 Maccabiah Games, Stevens won the gold medal in 35 age-group singles, and in 1989 won the gold in singles and doubles in 45 age group. . . . The sixth Billie Jean King Service Award will be presented to either Tracy Austin, Rosie Casals or Arantxa Sanchez Vicario during this week’s Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tournament at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach. . . . Gabriela Sabatini will appear on the Arsenio Hall show Tuesday night. . . . The 67th National Public Parks tennis tournament will be played Monday through Sunday at the Griffith Park tennis complex. Tournament chairman Fred Honda expects 400 entries for the event, sponsored by the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Municipal Tennis Assn.