Tipner was one of the most prominent Estonian sportspeople during the interwar period[6] and was known for his reflex saves and imposing presence in goal.

[8][9] Tipner was often hailed by the foreign newspapers after his performances on international level and he has also been regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the Northern European region of his era.

Despite reportedly having offers from foreign professional clubs,[6] Evald Tipner played for Tallinna Sport his whole career, throughout which he was crowned Estonian champion eight times.

/.../" Evald Tipner was first called up to Estonia national football team for the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he was the reserve goalkeeper behind August Lass.

In total, Tipner made 66 appearances for the national team and was Estonia's most capped player during the country's first period of independence.

report him as the first goalscorer in the history of World Cup preliminary competition, having scored what would be an own goal for Sweden against Estonia 7 minutes into the game, on 11 June 1933, in Stockholm.