In today’s interview, we sit down with Dick Gould, Stanford’s legendary tennis coach, named Coach of the Decade twice for leading his teams to 17 national championships across four decades.
“I get the best players,” he once said, but his book reveals a deeper recipe—leadership, innovation, and a culture of heart, sparked by a tennis lesson at 11 years old.
From coaching John McEnroe’s fiery brilliance—“He saved our undefeated season with one unreal shot”—to turning Roscoe Tanner’s 153-mph serve into a dynasty starter, Gould shares tales of triumph and teamwork.
He also reflects on tennis’s evolution, from its serve-and-volley days to Novak Djokovic’s grit, and a life shaped by Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.”
Watch this episode for an inspiring dive into a coach who built champions with humility, hustle, and a knack for making tennis thrilling.
