Vladimir Korotkov started playing tennis at the age of five. His first coach was Tamara Dubrovina at the sports clubCSKA Moscow. Later Korotkov graduated from the Central State Institute for Physical Culture. In 1963 Korotkov won the Soviet youth championships in mixed doubles with Marina Chuvyrina, and the next year he won the senior Soviet championships in men's doubles with Vyacheslav Egorov. The same year he reached the finals of Wimbledon Championships but lost there to Ismail El Shafei. In 1965, though, he returned to the Wimbledon finals and this time won. In 1966 he became two-times Wimbledon youth champion and added to it the title of French youth champion. In 1966 he also won his second Soviet championships in men's doubles. In 1968 Korotkov was included in the Soviet team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. There were only demonstration and exhibition tennis events played at the Olympics, so Korotkov who won a gold at the mixed doubles exhibition event and two bronze medals at men's singles and doubles is not considered an Olympic champion. During the rest of his playing career Korotkov repeatedly reached the finals of the Soviet championships in men's doubles and in mixed doubles. His highest achievement at this level was winning the 1977 Soviet championships in singles where he defeated Vadim Borisov in the final game. He also won several All-Union tennis tournaments of lesser rank. In 1966–1977 he continuously was a part of the Soviet Top 10 list of players, reaching 3rd position in 1973. Korotkov successfully played in international amateur tournaments, winning a number of international tournaments played in the Soviet Union, including doubles event at the 1973 Summer Universiade. He was a part of the Soviet Union Davis Cup team between 1969 and 1974, winning 10 out of 21 rubbers. In 1974 he won the European Zone with the Soviet team but lost afterwards to the India Davis Cup team in the inter-zonal semifinal. After the start of the Open Era Korotkov played in some open tournaments with limited success; his best results were 4th round of the Italian Open in 1969 and in 1973. He also reached 3rd round at the first Open Wimbledon Championships in 1968. Korotkov's playing style was characterized by consistent return and masterful unpredictable volleying which made him a valuable partner in doubles games. He was a resilient player who could keep high levels of activity throughout whole games.
Coaching career
After finishing active playing career Vladimir Korotkov became a coach. He worked at several sports clubs between 1981 and 1996, including Moscow Tennis Academy in 1993–1994. Korotkov was nominated repeatedly for the spot at the Russian Tennis Hall of Fame but every time lost, first to Sergei Likhachev, then to Teimuraz Kakulia and finally to Andrej Potanin.
