UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft announced the hiring of Bruce Lipka as men's tennis head coach today. Lipka brings 36 years of coaching experience to Penn State, including mentoring multiple Grand Slam champions, eight NCAA champions and more than 20 Top 100 ATP and WTA Tour players.
Lipka arrives at Penn State after serving as the Director of Racquets at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland since January 2000. Lipka has helped the Woodmont Country Club to rank among the Top 20 U.S. Country Clubs.
"I'm honored and humbled to have been given the opportunity to coach the men's tennis team at Penn State," said Lipka. "From the first conversation I had with Dr. Kraft, I could feel the energy and the tradition that lives in Happy Valley. I'm full of gratitude to be offered this opportunity to mentor these young men and build a program that fits this great university. Thank you to all the players and coaches who came before me to get the program to where it is now and move it forward."
"We are excited to welcome Bruce to our Penn State family," said Kraft. "Bruce has a resume that speaks for itself, and his ability to teach and train the highest caliber athlete will benefit our men's tennis program for years to come. We know our men's tennis program will thrive under Bruce's guidance."
A three-time USPTA Tour Coach of the Year and four-time USPTA Professional of the Year, Lipka achieved USPTA Master Professional status in 2020. He was the 2022 Tim Gullickson Tour Coach of the Year and 2023 PTR Tour Coach of the Year. He coached the current US Open Women's Doubles champion duo, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe.
While managing the 31-court facility at the Woodmont Country Club, Lipka has coached nine active tour players at Grand Slams and elite tour-level events, while competing in top international events at the senior level and serves as captain for the International Tennis Club of the United States (USIC).
As a collegiate coach, Lipka led his teams to three conference championships and has worked as a consultant for multiple Division I programs in the Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12, SEC and Ivy League.
As a player, Lipka was a national champion and claimed international titles and several wins over Top 100 players on the ATP Tour. He has served as a captain on U.S. National Teams across multiple international events, helping the teams to numerous gold medal and podium finishes.
He served as volunteer assistant for the men's and women's tennis teams at Maryland, focusing on mental and physical development.
He also served as a consultant for the USC men's tennis program. The Trojans won five National Championships during Lipka's relationship with the program. Lipka was a consultant to Vanderbilt women's tennis, who won a team National Championship in 2015, and Columbia men's tennis, who won seven Ivy League Championships with Lipka's advice.
From 1996-2000, Lipka was the Director of Tennis at Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, coaching multiple WTA and ATP Tour players, including Wimbledon Champion Jana Novotna and was a hitting partner for Venus and Serena Williams.
Lipka served as men's tennis head coach at Miami University in Ohio from 1989-96. He led the RedHawks to MAC Championships in 1994, 1995 and 1996. He was named MAC Coach of the Year in 1992, 1994 and 1995.
At Miami, Lipka mentored 20 All-MAC selections, two MAC Players of the Year, two MAC Newcomers of the Year and 23 Academic All-MAC selections.
Lipka was men's tennis associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida from 1988-89. He recruited two NCAA Champions and three All-Americans in two recruiting classes. He also led fundraising efforts for the program.
Lipka earned his bachelor's degree in education from Tennessee in 1985. He earned his master's degree in sport psychology from Florida in 1990.
For updates on the Penn State men's tennis team, please follow @PennStateMTEN on X and @pennstatemtennis on Instagram.
