How Dean Goldfine became the driving force behind the top stars of U.S. men's tennis

Becoming a great tennis player isn’t as simple as having skill or working hard. It takes guidance, the ultimate devotion, and some undeniable good fortune. Surrounding yourself with the right people can unlock real potential and alter the trajectory of one’s tennis path.

For many of the top American men on the ATP tour in recent decades, Dean Goldfine has been that man. A former college tennis player who was thrust into big-time coaching early has now become the guru that many of the game’s elite seek out. But

Goldfine recently appeared on the Tennis Channel Inside-In Podcast to look back at his journey, and to explain why teaching and transferring knowledge is the ultimate high.

After a terrific career at Texas A&M, Goldfine played on the ATP Challenger Tour for a few years before preparing to move on from the pro tennis world. But the universe had other plans after he became a de facto hitting partner for Mary Joe Fernandez, a friend from his childhood.

She later asked if he would be open to travel with her as an unofficial member of the team, and the rest was history.

“I definitely never thought I was going to have the opportunities that I’ve had. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of great players and great people,” Goldfine stated. “I was thrown right into the limelight, the upper echelon of tennis. So I was very fortunate from that standpoint.”

Goldfine’s longest coaching partnership on the tour was with Todd Martin, an underrated American who secured a Top 5 ranking and a spot in the US Open final during their time together. Goldfine put the positive lessons he learned with Martin to great use with his next pupil, Andy Roddick.

It was a high-profile job coaching a former world No. 1, but Goldfine enjoyed working at the highest level of his profession with somebody who was all in, all the time.

“Anything that he wants to do, he’s competitive, and he wants to be the best at,” the coach emphatically says.

“Anybody that says that Andy underachieved as a tennis player has no idea what they’re talking about. He was an overachiever,” Goldfine continued. Roddick was born squarely in the Big-3 era, but refused to let any limitations stop his drive.

“His work ethic, and because of his competitiveness, that’s why he was as successful as he was.”

A lot of time has passed since Goldfine first became an established and respected tennis coach—so much so that he has now worked with a pair of stars with fathers he recalled seeing on the tour: Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton. Goldfine was a valuable north star in Korda’s transition to the pros, and helped guide him through the first grueling stage of his career. Shelton has taken the entire tennis world by storm with his energy and dynamic abilities and has reminded Goldfine of his age as well.

Read more: 'Decided it was the best option': Sebastian Korda undergoes elbow surgery

“The first ride we took together in the car, I was playing [the Eagles' song] Hotel California, and he had no clue,” the coach recalled, smiling. “He had no idea who The Eagles were. So I went, 'OK, I’m pretty old.' Or this guy’s pretty young.”

Goldfine remains ubiquitously involved at the top levels of tennis through working with both the USTA and American Davis Cup team, which will go aiming for another title at next month’s Davis Cup Finals in Spain. But this podcast reveals one of the United States’ best kept tennis secrets, and somebody who remains humble and passionate about helping others improve.

His M.O. is simple, but yet so pure and genuine: “I just love teaching.”