Paul Goldstein (tennis)
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Paul Herbert Goldstein (born August 4, 1976) is a retired
tennis player Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
from the United States, who turned professional in 1998. He announced his retirement from professional tennis in February 2008, as he was starting working with a
clean energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and s ...
company. As a junior, he won the
USTA The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national Sport governing body, governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and devel ...
Boys' 16s National Championship in 1992, and the USTA Boys' 18s National Championships in both 1993 and 1994. He then played college tennis at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, from which he graduated after a career in which he was named an
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
each of the four years he played, and the team won the national championship each year. He won the
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
in singles at the
1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games () or the 13th Pan American Games and commonly known as Winnipeg 1999, were a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Ma ...
. The right-hander reached career-high
ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...
rankings of World No. 58 in singles in April 2006, and World No. 40 in doubles in February 2007. He is now head coach of the Stanford Men's tennis team.


Early life

Goldstein was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in
Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...
, and is Jewish. He is the son of Clark Goldstein, a former national
table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
champion. He started playing when he was nine. He won the USTA Boys' 16s National Championship in 1992, and the USTA Boys' 18s National Championships in both 1993 and 1994 (in 1994, defeating
Jan-Michael Gambill Jan-Michael Charles Gambill (born June 3, 1977) is an American former professional tennis player who made his professional debut in 1996. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 14, which he achieved on June 18, 2001. Best known for his unu ...
). He also won the 1994 doubles championship with Scott Humphries. He is a 1994 graduate of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., where he was a four-time ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' First Team All Met selection (1991–1994).


College career

Goldstein played college tennis at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and graduated in 1998 with a degree in
human biology Human biology is an interdisciplinary area of academic study that examines humans through the influences and interplay of many diverse fields such as genetics, evolution, physiology, anatomy, epidemiology, anthropology, ecology, nutrition, populat ...
. He was an
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
each year, and the team won the national championship each year. In his senior year he was
Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...
Player of the Year in 1998, after a 33–2 season in which he was team captain. In 2023, Goldstein was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.


Pan American Games

Goldstein won the
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
in singles at the
1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games () or the 13th Pan American Games and commonly known as Winnipeg 1999, were a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Ma ...
defeating Cecil Mamiit.


Pro career

He had 26 USTA titles through November 200
Paul Goldstein: Circuit Player of the Week
In January 1999 at the Australian Open he shocked world # 8
Greg Rusedski Gregory Rusedski (born 6 September 1973) is a Canadian-British former professional tennis player. He was the British No. 1 in 1997, 1999 and 2006, and reached the ATP Tour, ATP ranking of world No. 4 for periods from 6 October 1997 to 12 October ...
, 6–4, 6–7(11,) 7–6(5), 6–2. In June at Wimbledon he upset both world # 33
Jan Siemerink Johannes Martinus ("Jan") Siemerink (; born 14 April 1970) is a retired tennis player from the Netherlands. The former Dutch Davis Cup captain reached a career-high ATP ranking of 14. Career Tennis As a junior player, Siemerink was the Dutch ...
, 6–4, 5–7, 4–6, 6–2, 6–1, and No. 17 Félix Mantilla, 6–2, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–2. In August he upset world No. 8
Àlex Corretja Alejandro Corretja Verdegay (; born 11 April 1974) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1999. Corretja won 17 ATP Tour singles titles, incl ...
of Spain 7–6(11), 7–6(5), in Washington, D.C.. In February 2000 he defeated world No. 17
Pat Rafter Patrick Michael Rafter (born 28 December 1972) is an Australian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and world No. 6 in doubles. Rafter won eleven ...
of Australia 4–6, 6–1, 6–2, in
Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020, was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census. Located in the Miami metropolitan area, De ...
. In the 2005 US Open, Goldstein and Jim Thomas upset defending champions and #1 seeds
Mark Knowles Mark Knowles (born 4 September 1971) is a Bahamians, Bahamian former professional tennis player and coach. He is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1 in doubles tennis, doubles. He won three of the four Gran ...
and
Daniel Nestor Daniel Mark Nestor ( ; ; born Danijel Nestorović, September 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 108 weeks ( fifth-most ...
in the first round, as well as
Simon Aspelin Simon Aspelin (; born 11 May 1974) is a former professional tennis doubles player from Sweden who turned professional in 1998. His success mainly came in doubles, winning 12 titles and reaching World No. 7 in March 2008. In men's doubles, Aspeli ...
and Todd Perry in the QFs, before losing to eventual champions
Bob Bryan Robert "Bob" Charles Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all time, Bryan was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis pl ...
and
Mike Bryan Michael Carl Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all time, Bryan was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's doubles for a record 506 weeks ...
in the SFs. In the 2006 US Open, Goldstein and Thomas again defeated Knowles and Nestor (this time in the 3rd round). Goldstein and Jim Thomas lost in the doubles finals of the 2006 SAP Open to 47-year-old
John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ...
and
Jonas Björkman Jonas Lars Björkman (; born 23 March 1972) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He is a former world No. 1 in doubles, and also a former world No. 4 in singles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 ...
. They also were doubles finalists in two other ATP tournaments in 2006 (
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, won by
Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 13 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in ...
and
Bobby Reynolds Robert Thomas "Bobby" Reynolds (born July 17, 1982) is an American retired professional tennis player who resides in Auburn, Alabama. He was named head men's tennis coach at Auburn University in June 2016. Professional career Reynolds, a nati ...
, and Tokyo, won by Ashley Fisher and Tripp Phillips). In February 2006 he beat world No. 18 Robby Ginepri 6–7(4), 6–3, 6–1, in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, and in July he defeated world No. 13
Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) fo ...
6–4, 6–4 in Los Angeles. In the January
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
, he beat future champion
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
in the first round 6–2, 1–6, 6–3, 6–2. Paul was easily defeated in the next round by Tommy Haas 0–6, 1–6, 2–6. In January 2007 he defeated world No. 21
Dominik Hrbatý Dominik Hrbatý (; born 4 January 1978) is a Slovak former professional tennis player. Hrbatý reached the semifinals of the 1999 French Open, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 12 in October 2005. Hrbatý is one of only th ...
of
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
6–2, 7–6(4), in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, Australia. The next month he defeated world No. 45
Julien Benneteau Julien Henry Guy Benneteau-Desgrois (; born 20 December 1981) is a French retired professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 25 and doubles ranking of No. 5 in November 2014. Benneteau did not win a singles ti ...
in Las Vegas, 6–1, 6–0. Despite losing in the first round of singles at the Tunica Resorts Challenger in May, he and Donald Young won the doubles final, defeating
Pablo Cuevas Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz (; born January 1, 1986) is a Uruguayan tennis coach and a former professional player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open – Men's doubles, 2008 French Open men's doubles title with Luis Horna, and was especially noted t ...
and
Horacio Zeballos Horacio Zeballos Jr. (, ; born 27 April 1985) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1 on 6 May 2024, becoming the first Argentinian man to achieve the feat. He is a Grand Slam champion ...
4–6, 6–1, 10–4.


Tennis exhibitions

Goldstein has participated in exhibition events for other tennis players and their charities, including Andy Roddick, Jim Thomas, and the Bryan brothers. On September 27, 2008, he participated in The Bryan Brothers' All-Star Tennis Smash in
Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...
, initially playing doubles with Justin Gimblestob, and ending up playing singles with Andre Agassi (losing 7–5).


Post-retirement

Goldstein officially retired in February 2008 and began working with a
clean energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and s ...
company in the
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
area. In 2004 he married his college sweetheart and partner of nine years, Abbie; it was she who persuaded him to play on during the 2007 season. They live in
Menlo Park, California Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...
, with their three children, Sadie, Margaret, and Charles. In 2014, Goldstein became head coach of the Stanford Men's Tennis Team.


Halls of Fame

Goldstein was inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013. Goldstein was inducted into the North California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.


ATP career finals


Doubles: 5 (5 runner-ups)


ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals


Singles: 20 (13–7)


Doubles: 20 (12–8)


Junior Grand Slam finals


Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)


Performance timelines


Singles


Doubles


See also

* List of select Jewish tennis players


References


External links

* *
Goldstein World Ranking HistoryJews in Sports bio"Paul Goldstein: Circuit Player of the Week", 11/9/05
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldstein, Paul 1976 births Living people American male tennis players Stanford Cardinal men's tennis players Tennis players from San Francisco Tennis players from Washington, D.C. Jewish American tennis players Summer World University Games medalists in tennis FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Tennis players at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in tennis 21st-century American Jews Jews from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American sportsmen