Chris Klingemann is in his fifth season on the Northwestern men's tennis coaching staff in 2015-16. In August 2014 he was promoted to the role of associate head coach.
Klingemann's time in Evanston has coincided with the resurgence of the program. The Wildcats have made NCAA tournament appearances in all four of his seasons on staff and posted a 79-42 record.
The Wildcats posted a third straight 20-win season in 2015 with a 21-10 mark. Klingemann guided Sam Shropshire to a second straight First Team All-Big Ten selection after a 9-1 Big Ten season. Strong Kirchheimer was the team leader in wins with 25 and received a Second Team All-Big Ten nod for his efforts. Northwestern reached as high as 14th in the ITA national rankings during the season.
In 2014, Klingemann helped Raleigh Smith earn first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season while Sam Shropshire also earned first-team All-Big Ten distinction. Additionally, Shropshire was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the ITA Midwest Region Rookie Player of the Year. Both individuals earned national rankings while Smith was selected to participate in the NCAA Singles Championship. As a team, Northwestern posted a 21-11 dual match record, including a 7-4 mark in conference play. The 'Cats notched 10 of their victories over ranked opponents, advanced to the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament and traveled to South Bend, Ind., to compete in the NCAA tournament.
The successful season came one year after NU posted 22 dual-match wins, the second most in program history and one shy of the top mark. Among the team's 12 wins over ranked foes were victories over No. 30 Notre Dame, No. 33 Nebraska, No. 34 Louisville and No. 35 NC State. However, the team's most impressive win of the season came in the opening round of the NCAA tournament where the 'Cats won a thrilling 4-3 match over 19th-ranked Wake Forest. It was the program's first NCAA tourney win since 1998. The squad peaked at No. 18 in the ITA team rankings.
Smith and Spencer Wolf became the first Northwestern teammates to earn first-team All-Big Ten accolades in the same season since 2005. Smith also compete the rare double in the fall at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, winning the singles title while pairing with Sidarth Balaji to win the doubles crown. Klingemann's efforts resulted in him being named the ITA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
In Klingemann's first year on staff in 2012, Northwestern won 14 dual matches during the regular season and another in the Big Ten tournament against Penn State. The 'Cats collected seven wins in conference play during the regular season, their highest output since the 2001 campaign.
As a team, Northwestern rose steadily up the rankings list throughout the season. After winning four straight matches to open the season, Swan's squad debuted at No. 65 on January 24. When the season's final listing was released on May 29, the Wildcats checked in at No. 42, the best mark of the season.
Prior to joining the collegiate coaching ranks Klingemann starred for four years at Ohio State and played for over two years on the ATP Tour upon graduation.
Klingemann, a native of Winnetka, Ill., spent two-and-a-half years playing on the ATP circuit where he ranked amongst the top-six ATP professionals in Canada and amongst the top 520 players in the world. Playing doubles, Klingemann won two Futures Tournament titles and advanced to the finals of a Challenger Tournament. He has a career high doubles ranking of No. 480. Klingemann was also a singles finalist in one Futures Tournament and posted wins over four players who were each ranked in the top-200.
Prior to joining the professional tour, Klingemann spent four successful years playing at Ohio State University. There, he helped lead the Buckeyes to three straight Big Ten regular season championships from 2005-07 and a pair of Big Ten tournament crowns in 2006 and 2007. Ohio State reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament three straight times (2005-07) during Klingemann's tenure in Columbus, Ohio.
Klingemann was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2005 and on the court he earned All-Big Ten accolades in 2006 and 2007. As a senior in 2007, Klingemann was a team captain and voted the squad's most valuable player.
Since leaving the ATP tour in 2010, Klingemann has worked at the College Park Athletic Club in Deerfield, Ill. as a high level junior pro. He graduated from OSU in December 2007 with a degree in communication.