Baseline sat down with the American before he ended his lengthy career to talk about his thoughts on taking the college route to the pro tour.
Q: How did you end up choosing to go to college?
I definitely never really thought about going pro. My parents always wanted me to go to college and I always wanted to go to college. I knew they would help me out a little bit after for like a year or so. I luckily was a good junior so I had a choice of a lot of top schools. I went to visit Stanford and Duke, and Georgia and Harvard, and just found the right fit at Stanford.
Q: Did you ever think about leaving early instead of playing all four years and graduating?
I loved college tennis and being part of a team, and we were competing for a national championship every year. I knew that after I could give myself a chance but I wasn't really ready at that point to be a professional. I was enjoying college so much I didn't want to leave early.
Q: What's your best memory from Stanford?
My best memory is probably winning NCAAs. I wasn't even playing at that point. I had gotten injured a couple months before and I was playing No. 5 for most of the year. The coach didn't let me back in after I came back because the guys were playing well, but it was great.
Q: Did you ever want to give it up and just be a regular student-athlete or a regular pro?
It was a lot of fun. I love playing tennis. We were No. 1 every year basically so we always had a lot of people coming to the matches. Stanford tennis history is so strong, and it's fun to be an athlete at Stanford, a tennis player, too, at that time.
Q: What kept you from sliding into the routine of just getting by as an average student-athlete?
Having the guys on the team and knowing that a bunch of athletes are going through the same process at the same time. It was very tough academically, but the professors helped us out a lot and they wanted us to succeed at academics as well as athletics.
Q: How did you decide to go pro after college?
That wasn't much of a decision. I always knew after I graduated that I would give it a try. Right after school there was some ITF Futures in California. I was traveling with David Martin at the time—we were living together, playing doubles together and sharing expenses. It's easier to travel with someone and have the same schedule. We had pretty good success right off the bat. I played singles for 2.5 years. I won one singles title [an ITF Futures title in 2004], got up to like No. 315 in singles. After the first year, year and half, I started to break even. I always said as long as I was making money and not having too much debt I'd just keep going, and it just started getting better and better.
Q: If you had to do it all over again, would you have made the same choices for your career?
Absolutely. It kind of goes in waves for American tennis with people going pro or going to college. Especially now it's changed so much, it's so physically tough. Guys at 18 really aren't ready with the odd exception of Alexander Zverev. Everyone can benefit from at least a year or two of college, even some of the top guys. You learn how to manage your time and be part of a team, and how to play for something bigger than playing yourself.
Q: Do you think having the college option so readily available is hurting American tennis and its chances for building Grand Slam champions?
I think it helps. All these guys—even the young ones that are between No. 100 and No. 200—could have benefitted a lot from going to college and just maturing as people. You see them out on the tour and they're great players, but maybe a little immature. I think being part of a focused program in college tennis where you have to manage your time and you have coaching and are around other guys doing the same thing—it makes you a better person. And obviously you get an education as well.
Lipsky is currently the coach of the girls' and boys' tennis programs at St. Margarets Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. where his son is in kindergarten.
