No. 24 Stanford Men's Tennis Head Coach Paul Goldstein Sees Room for Growth

Goldstein believes his team's best tennis is still ahead despite losses to Virginia Tech and Virginia.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 8:39pm

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Following No. 24 Stanford men's tennis' 4-0 loss to No. 2 Virginia, head coach Paul Goldstein shared his thoughts on his team's performance and outlook for the rest of the season. Goldstein was pleased with the team's tennis level, noting they were competitive against the top-ranked Cavaliers, but felt they lost the mental battle on key points. He believes the team is not yet at its best and has room for growth and improvement, especially in clutch moments. Goldstein is confident the team can get to that next level as the season continues.

Why it matters

Stanford men's tennis is ranked No. 24 nationally and faced off against the No. 2 team in the country in Virginia. While they came up short, Goldstein's assessment of the team's potential and areas for improvement provide insight into the program's outlook and development as they aim to reach their peak performance later in the season.

The details

In the 4-0 loss to Virginia, Stanford's top singles player Samir Banerjee had a tough match against the nation's No. 1 player, Dylan Dietrich, falling 2-6, 6-7. Goldstein was encouraged by Banerjee's effort in his return from injury. Other Stanford players like Alex Chang and Alex Razeghi also had chances to win their matches, but were unable to capitalize on key points. Goldstein took responsibility for not having his team better prepared mentally in those clutch moments.

  • Stanford faced Virginia Tech on March 6, winning 4-1.
  • Stanford lost to Virginia 0-4 on March 8.

The players

Paul Goldstein

The head coach of the No. 24 ranked Stanford men's tennis team.

Samir Banerjee

Stanford's top singles player who is returning from injury and faced the nation's No. 1 player.

Alex Chang

A Stanford player who had a chance to win his match against Virginia.

Alex Razeghi

A Stanford player who was serving for the match against Virginia.

Dylan Dietrich

The nation's No. 1 ranked singles player who defeated Stanford's Samir Banerjee.

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What they’re saying

“I think on Monday, next ranking, they'll be the number one team in the country. I am really pleased with our tennis level. Like, we were there with the number one team in the country and we're still not at our finest.”

— Paul Goldstein, Head Coach, Stanford Men's Tennis (on3.com)

“We lost the mental battle today. We lost the mental performance battle today. Big points, break points, game point opportunities, that was the difference.”

— Paul Goldstein, Head Coach, Stanford Men's Tennis (on3.com)

“It's the big points, the clutch points, right? Think about basketball, you know, if the game is within five within five minutes, what's that called? Clutch points. And we lost the clutch point battle today. It's as simple as that.”

— Paul Goldstein, Head Coach, Stanford Men's Tennis (on3.com)

“We're still not at our best selves. We're gonna get, to be our best selves, today, we lost the clutch points and that's a growth opportunity. That's a maturity. And that starts with me.”

— Paul Goldstein, Head Coach, Stanford Men's Tennis (on3.com)

What’s next

Stanford's next match will be on Friday, March 13th at home against SMU, starting at 6:30 PM PT.

The takeaway

While Stanford men's tennis came up short against the nation's top-ranked team, their head coach sees significant room for growth and improvement as the team works to reach its full potential later in the season. Goldstein believes addressing the team's mental approach in clutch moments will be a key focus moving forward.