Tom Gullikson on coaching the American greats

"Pete [Sampras] and Andre [Agassi] were obviously as different as a mongoose and a cobra."

This week features esteemed coach Tom Gullikson as he dives into stories from his 40-plus years playing and coaching professional tennis.

Known affectionately as Gully, the 68-year-old American became a pro after a college career at Northern Illinois and stint as a teaching pro alongside his twin brother Tim (who passed away in 1996). Within a year of turning pro, Gully cracked the Top 50, and would peak at No. 34 in singles and No. 4 in doubles.

After he got into coaching full-time, Gully worked with the likes of Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Todd Martin, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras. He was one of the first-ever USTA Player Development coaches, and was the Davis Cup captain from 1994-1999, leading the U.S. team to victory in 1995. As Team USA's coach, Gully also helped Agassi win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

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