John Whitlinger
John Whitlinger (born February 4, 1954) is a former American professional tennis player and longtime Stanford tennis coach. He played right-handed and attended Stanford University. In his pro career, he appeared in 10 major championships, won one doubles title, and achieved his best singles ranking of No. 75 in June 1975. His best singles result was reaching the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open in 1974. In doubles, his best ranking was No. 854 in January 1983, with a career doubles record of 75-97. He retired from playing in 1982.
Whitlinger then focused on coaching. He served as associate head coach of Stanford’s men’s team from 1987 to 2004 and as head coach from 2005 until his retirement in 2014. Under his leadership, KC Corkery and Sam Worburg won the 2004 NCAA Doubles Championship, and Bradley Klahn won the 2010 NCAA Singles Championship.
His son, J.J. Whitlinger (John Jr.), is a men’s tennis coach at Furman University. He has two nieces, Teri and Tami Whitlinger, who were professional tennis players. He is the son of Warren Whitlinger, a former professional basketball player. Whitlinger was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, and stood 5 feet 11 inches tall.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:37 (CET).