Paul Goldstein has established himself among Stanford’s elite men’s tennis coaches in the program’s rich history. In 10 seasons as the Cardinal mentor, Goldstein’s teams have posted a 166-73 record with a national ranking and a berth in the NCAA Championships in each of his seasons at the helm.
The Cardinal went 19-7 in 2023-24, including the program's first Pac-12 Championship since winning the outright title in 2021. The program advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the third straight season, and sixth in the last eight. Nishesh Basavareddy earned All-America and Academic All-America honors and was the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Stanford reached the NCAA Super Regional for the third consecutive season in 2022-23, led by Pac-12 Player of the Year Arthur Fery and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Samir Banerjee. Fery earned his second consecutive All-America nod, and was also an Academic All-American, while freshman Nishesh Basavareddy won the ITA Fall National Championship and earned All-America status. Goldstein was honored as the ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year.
The 2021-22 campaign was another successful year in the annals of Stanford men's tennis. The program posted a 19-6 overall record, including a perfect 10-0 mark at the Taube Family Tennis Center, and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals. Arthur Fery was an All-American, and became Stanford's first No. 1 ranked player in the country since Bob Bryan, while Axel Geller was an Academic All-American for a second time.
Stanford won the Pac-12 championship in outright fashion in 2020-21, the program's first title since 2015 and first outright since 2003. Goldstein was honored as the Wilson ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year for the third time, while Stanford advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Axel Geller and Arthur Fery earned all-conference honors, while William Genesen was the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The 2019-20 squad was ranked No. 8 nationally before the rest of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 global outbreak. Prior to its cancellation, the Cardinal tallied four wins over ranked opponents and reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Indoor Championships. Alexandre Rotsaert earned All-America honors, and led a plethora of teammates in succeeding in fall tournament action.
In 2018-19, Stanford advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round for the third time in four seasons, going 19-7 overall. The NCAA berth was Stanford's 12th in a row, with the Cardinal hosting first and second round contests at Taube Family Tennis Center. Axel Geller earned All-America accolades as a sophomore, while Sameer Kumar was crowned an Academic All-American and the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Goldstein, honored as the ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year, engineered Stanford’s best season in 15 years in 2018. The Cardinal finished 22-4, earning a top-five ranking in the ITA poll for 13 consecutive weeks, and a No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Championships. Stanford reached the second round of the NCAA Championships, posting its best win total (22) and winning percentage (.846) since the 2003 season. The Cardinal, ranked as high as No. 2 in the ITA poll during the season, finished second in the Pac-12 Conference with a 7-1 record. Goldstein coached a lineup that was highlighted by three ranked singles players and two ranked doubles teams throughout the season. Stanford posted its best regular-season record (20-2) since 2001 and registered a perfect 11-0 regular-season record at home. The Cardinal, which defeated 12 nationally-ranked opponents and recorded 11 shutouts on the year, reached the semifinals of the ITA National Indoor Championship.
Stanford finished 18-9 and advanced to the NCAA Championships Round of 16 in 2017, hosting NCAA matches for the first time in five years. The Cardinal finished the year ranked No. 16 in the ITA poll. Tom Fawcett, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, earned All-America honors with a semifinal finish in the NCAA Singles Championships.
In Goldstein’s second season on The Farm in 2016, Stanford won 16 matches and reached the Round of 16. The Cardinal upended red-hot Notre Dame with a solid 4-1 win to in the first round, setting up a meeting with 14th-seeded Northwestern in the Wildcats’ home court. Fawcett's thrilling 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 win at the top spot to clinch the 4-3 upset put the Cardinal in the Round of 16.
In just his first year as a head coach, Goldstein led Stanford to an 18-7 record and a top-25 ranking in the ITA on its way to an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Championships. He was recognized as the ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year and Stanford’s first Pac-12 Coach of the Year since 2006. The Cardinal notched its first victory in the NCAA Championships since 2012, defeating Tennessee 4-2 in Durham, N.C. to reach the tournament’s second round.
Despite showcasing a lineup that routinely featured three freshmen, the Cardinal flourished under Goldstein, clinching a share of the Pac-12 regular-season championship for the first time since 2010 while also reaching the Pac-12 final for the first time in school history. The Cardinal swept UCLA and USC for the first time since 2009 and collected two victories against California. Stanford’s seven losses all came against teams ranked among the top-30.
Goldstein was introduced on June 24, 2014, as Stanford’s first Taube Family Director of Men’s Tennis, the latest generous gift from longtime tennis benefactors, Tad Taube, ’53, MS ’57, and Dianne Taube.
The 10th head coach in school history, Goldstein followed a successful 10-year stint by John Whitlinger, who announced his retirement in May 2014 after guiding Stanford to a 160-85 overall record and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
A native of Rockville, Maryland, and a 1994 graduate of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., Goldstein was ranked among the top-10 juniors in the world and made USTA history by becoming the first player to capture three consecutive national championships (Boys’ 16 in 1992, Boys’ 18 in 1993, Boys’ 18 in 1994) in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Goldstein then enjoyed a stellar collegiate career from 1995-98, leading the Cardinal to a 104-6 overall record while becoming the first player in NCAA history to compete as a starting member of four consecutive national championship teams. Goldstein was honored as an All-American in each of his four years.
Goldstein capped his career with a Pac-10 Player of the Year honor in 1998 after winning 33 of his 35 overall matches. A team captain during his senior campaign, Goldstein and his teammates surrendered just three individual points the entire season while going undefeated and winning the NCAA title. Goldstein finished his career with 84 dual match victories, ranking fifth overall in program history.
The first-ever two-time recipient of the ITA’s Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award (1997, 1998), Goldstein was also recognized as the ITA’s Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award recipient in 1997. Goldstein was inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in May 2013 and currently serves on the ITA Hall of Fame Committee.
Goldstein received his B.A. in human biology from Stanford in 1998 before embarking on an impressive 10-year professional career. After moving into the world’s top-100 in one year on the professional circuit, Goldstein’s ATP world rankings eventually reached as high as No. 58 in singles and No. 40 in doubles. A US Open doubles semifinalist in 2005, Goldstein also boasts career singles wins over Novak Djokovic, James Blake, Mardy Fish, Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter. Goldstein was the highest ranked player in the world with a college degree for the majority of his professional career.
During his tenure as a professional athlete, Goldstein was elected by his peers to serve on the 10-member ATP Player Council for a two-year term, representing the interests of 1000+ professional tennis players while acting as a liaison between the ATP Board of Directors and senior management.
Since 2008, Goldstein had served in sales and business development roles at Bloom Energy, a Silicon Valley-based clean energy fuel cell company.
Following his retirement from professional tennis, Goldstein remained active on both a local and national level within the tennis community, serving as a USTA Nominating Committee member and member of the ITA Steering Committee on Dual Match formats while also coaching aspiring juniors in the Bay Area.
Goldstein also served as a Pac-12 Networks color analyst in 2006-07.
Goldstein resides in Menlo Park with his wife and fellow Stanford alum, Abbie, and their three children: Sadie, Maggie and Charlie.