After 10 consecutive appearances, Goldstein has played his last Legg Mason
Next week at the Legg Mason Classic, Washingtonians will not have a chance to root for their professional
tennis touchstone. Rockville native Paul Goldstein has retired, stepping out of the sport in his typical unassuming fashion.
There was no announcement, no press release, just confi rmation over the phone from his home in San Francisco last week.
“I stopped playing in September and started working in January,” said Goldstein. “So yeah, I guess I’m retired.”
Goldstein, who turns 32 on Tuesday, leaves with a flood of memories from his hometown tournament — his first appearance after winning a wild-card challenge (1995), two center-court matches against Andre Agassi (2000, 2004), a three-set loss to Tim Henman that went late into the night (2003), and an upset of then No. 8 Alex Corretja to
advance to the quarter finals (1999).
“The Corretja match probably stands out most,” said Goldstein. “The stadium is packed. Everybody is rooting for you. People are stomping their feet. That was as much fun as it gets.”
There was a bit of symmetry last summer when Goldstein recorded his final Legg Mason win. It came over NCAA champion Somdev Devvarman. It was Goldstein whoresisted the temptation to turn pro, becoming the fi rst player to make All-America four years while leading his school (Stanford) for four straight NCAA championships.
When he spoke at last year’s Legg Mason about his newborn daughter, Sadie, there were hints that Goldstein was ready to quit. He’s always had more options than many other pros. When he reached No. 64 in 2005, he was the highest-ranked player in the world with a college degree. Goldstein has entered the business world working for a clean energy company.
“It’s unusual not seeing a [ranking] number next to your name every week,” said Goldstein. “Tennis gave me so much. I have friends in every corner of the globe. But when you have a family, your priorities change. I want to be home now.”
Legg Mason Classic
When » Aug. 9-17
Where » 16th and Kennedy Streets, Northwest, D.C.
What » Because of the Olympics, the tournament will begin with a round of 32 instead of the usual 64.
