By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, January 8, 2026Photo credit of Brad Gilbert and Rennae Stubbs: Wikimedia Commons
The Happy Slam will sound distinctly different to the American audience this month.
Veteran television analysts Brad Gilbert and Pam Shriver will not be part of ESPN’s Australian Open coverage, which starts at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, January 11th on ESPN+ with live streaming of the AO Qualifying.
When ESPN announced its commentary crew for the 2026 Australian Open earlier this week three notable names and fan favorites—Brad Gilbert, Pam Shriver and Darren Cahill—were not part of the team.
So what exactly is their future with ESPN?
There isn’t a future for Gilbert and Shriver at the network, an ESPN spokesperson told Tennis Now.
“Brad Gilbert and Pam Shiver are no longer with ESPN,” an ESPN spokesperson told Tennis Now. “We are grateful to them for their many years of collaboration and wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Both Gilbert and Hall of Famer Shriver were known for their candor and compelling commentary.
Former world No. 4 and Winning Ugly author Gilbert, who successfully coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Coco Gauff among many others, continued a long-running American commentary tradition of providing nicknames for stars, originated by legendary Hall of Fame writer and broadcaster Bud Collins.
Among the notable nicknames Gilbert created and or popularized: Djoker, Sin City, Fed Fan, Muzzard, Sloane Ranger, Meddy Bear, Dr. Ivo, Special K, Long John, Madison Avenue, A-Train, Big Berd, Petkorazzi and Halepano.
In a past interview with Tennis Now host Blair Henley, Gilbert shared his favorite tennis nickname, how Jolly Ranchers played a key role in his commentary and also boldly predicted the outcome of a hypothetical ESPN doubles match. Who would win if Gilbert and Shriver took on Chrissie Evert and Darren Cahill in doubles?
Certainly, Gilbert and Shriver were standouts not only for their decades of tennis experience and knowledge, but for the true passion they brought to their commentary. Along with Mary Joe Fernandez they were among the analysts who would frequently go out and watch player practices in an effort to glean what stars were working on and how the player-coach dynamics were working at a particular tournament.
Both analysts put in “the hard yards” as Gilbert would say and both will be missed at the Happy Slam this month.
Devoted fans can still hear Gilbert’s insights on Tennis Channel’s The Big T podcast.
The Big T Podcast, which debuted yesterday, will air every Wednesday with a rotating roster of the insiders, analysts and former competitors: Brad Gilbert, Coco Vandeweghe, Andrea Petkovic and Mark Petchey.
ESPN announced today daily coverage of all AO qualifying matches will be available on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, January 11th through Tuesday, January 13th and starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15th through the conclusion of play.
The Australian Open main draw is set for Sunday, January 18th through Sunday, February 1st.
If you don’t already get ESPN+ through your provider, you can buy a monthly package of ESPN Unlimited for $29.99, which includes ESPN+ according to the network.
