200408 Racquet Sports Industry

GUIDE TO STRINGSOur exclusive selectorwill help you find theright strings for yourcustomers

Spice Up Apparel WithCustom Embroidery

Get to Know the NewRacquet Technologies

Nets and Posts Are DetailsThat Players Will Notice

French Open PlayerEquipment Log

� Sun Taking Its Toll? UseFabric Structures

� Control Profits ByControlling Your Costs

August 2004Volume 1 Number 7 $5.00

See page 48 for the Wilson NXT OS Playtest results

DEPARTMENTS

R S I A U G U S T 2 0 0 4Contentspage 24

page 32

page 30

August 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

FEATURES24 Guide to StringsOur exclusive selector map will help you choose theperfect strings for your customers.

30 Made to OrderWith custom embroidery, you can offer tennis apparelthat is unique to your shop.

32 Higher EducationThe continuing technological revolution in racquets means awhole new learning curve for retailers.

36 Roland Garros Equipment Log

See what your favorite pro players brought to the French Openthis year.

Contents

4 Our Serve

16 Your Finances

18 Court Construction

20 Construction Trends

22 Industry People

39 Ask the Experts

40 Tips and Techniques

42 String Playtest: Tecnifibre X-One Biphase

45 New USRSA Members and MRTs

46 Events Calendar

48 Your Serve

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Retailers added to TIAboard of directors

8 French to build stadiumwith retractable roof

8 ATP moves Masters Cupto Shanghai

9 Continental replaces Unitedas Open sponsor

10 Hall of Fame acquiresnew collection

11 New books on Connors, Gilbert

11 USTA partners withactive aging council

12 ATP launches new ad campaign

13 2 earn USRSA CertificationTester status

13 PTR inks 3-year deal withSportwall

13 Agassi served up onWheaties box

14 Sporting goods biz weatherstough market

14 Prince launches “SharkBites Tour”

hances are, you've been bombarded lately withmessages about how the sport of tennis needs the

involvement of everyone—teaching pros, courtbuilders, manufacturers, facility owners, pro shops,etc. Those of us who have been in this business for along time—who have weathered the tough times andare still dedicated to seeing this sport, and this busi-ness, grow for all—realize that it is a critical time fortennis. People and programs are in place right nowthat may well help this sport turn a corner.

To that end, there's something out there that we think you, as a tennis

retailer, can't afford to ignore. It's the Tennis Industry Association.

The TIA has been in the trenches for years, fighting not only to increase

tennis participation in the U.S., but, even more succinctly, to put more money

into all of our pockets. The research and programs that the TIA sponsors have

been invaluable tools for manufacturers, tennis facilities and others in this

business.

This magazine is a member of the TIA, and we support the organization

because we believe in its mission of growing the game and growing profits.

And we've seen progress toward those goals over the years, in large part

because of what the TIA—in conjunction with other groups, especially the

USTA—has been doing.

But now, as a tennis retailer, it's your turn.

Earlier this year, the TIA introduced a new “Tennis Retailer” membership

category, designed to help retailers with their businesses, especially since it's

the tennis retailer who is the direct connection to tennis players. The new

membership category also means retailers will have a bigger voice in what's

going on in the sport (the TIA recently named three tennis retailers to its

board of directors).

TIA Tennis Retailers pay annual dues of $250, and in return they receive

a raft of research designed to help them stay on top of the latest trends in the

marketplace and to improve their business position. In addition, the TIA has

other tools available to help you with your business. Contact the TIA or visit

www.tennisindustry.org to see what the new retailer membership category

can mean for you, and how it can help you increase your profits while help-

ing to grow the game.

This is an investment in the sport. But maybe more importantly, it's an

investment in your business.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

Our ServeNow, It's Your Turn

(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editor-in-ChiefCrawford Lindsey

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Assistant to the PublisherCari Feliciano

Contributing EditorsCynthia Cantrell

Rod CrossJoe DinofferLiza Horan

Andrew LavalleeJames MartinMark Mason

Chris NicholsonMitch RustadDrew Sunderlin

Jonathan Whitbourne

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]: www.racquetTECH.com

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time

Advertising DirectorJohn Hanna

770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per year:monthly January through August and combined issuesin September/October and November/December byUSRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084. August 2004,Volume 1, Number 7 © 2004 by USRSA and TennisIndustry. All rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry,RSI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in theU.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x.125. Phonecirculation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly sub-scriptions $55 in the U.S., $65 elsewhere. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to Racquet Sports Industry,330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY August 2004

C


n a move designed to bring more representation within the indus-try to tennis retailers, the Tennis Industry Association has addedthree new members from the retail world to its board of directors.Named to the TIA board in June are Steve Dunlap, the vice presi-

dent of golf and racquet sports for The Sports Authority; ChrisGaudreau, owner of the Racquet Koop in New Haven, Conn.; and DaleQueen, owner of Your Serve Tennis, which has six locations in theAtlanta area.

“The TIA must represent our sport, and the retailers from all partsof our industry must be heard,” says TIA President Jim Baugh (right).“We are excited to add retailers to our board.” Previous to the latestadditions, the TIA board was made up of court builders, equipmentmanufacturers, media and representatives from various organizationsin tennis, such as the PTR, USPTA, USTA and World TeamTennis.

“I feel it will be good for the industry to get a retailer perspective,” says Queen. “We'llwork with everyone to put our heads together to grow [the game] further. The more playerswe have out there playing, the better for us, too.”

“I'm looking forward to offering input from a perspective that [the TIA] didn't havebefore,” says Gaudreau. “I'm happy to be apart of the organization.”

The next TIA board meeting will be duringthe US Open in New York City, Sept. 3 from 9a.m. to noon. Also new to the 26-member TIAboard is Kai Nitsche of Dunlop, who replacesGordon Boggis, who left the company.

Getting retailer representation on the TIAboard has been a key for the organization forthe last few months. “The main thing is tohave a bigger voice for all those involved in thetennis industry,” says TIA Executive DirectorJolyn de Boer.

De Boer says that as the TIA gears up topush the TIA TennisExpo 2005, it was important to make sure tennis retailers were repre-sented. The TennisExpo will be Jan. 17 to 19 in Orlando, Fla., running in conjunction withthe 2005 Super Show. The event, designed to serve as a “rallying point” for the industry, willinclude meetings, forums, seminars, a buying show, entertainment opportunities, tennisindustry awards, and more.

The retailer additions to the board also are in line with the TIA recently adding the new“Tennis Retailer” category of membership. For annual dues of $250, Tennis Retailer mem-bers of the TIA receive the latest research to help them with their businesses, in addition totaking advantage of other tools to help them best service their customers and members.

“We must help retailers be more successful,” says Baugh. “That is one of the reasonswe're running seminars at the TIA Expo in January to help the retailer. Every part of oursport must grow, and must help us to grow our sport, too.”

TIA Adds 3 Retailers to Board of Directors

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I A U G U S T 2 0 0 4

I N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

I

“The TIA mustrepresent our sport,and the retailers fromall parts of our indus-try must be heard,”says Baugh.

The TIA Boardof Directors

Steve Bellamy, The Tennis Channel

Dave Bone, USRSA

Max Brownlee, Babolat

Sam Cook, Völkl

Rick Devereux, IHRSA

Brian Dillman,Wilson Sporting Goods

Steve Dunlap, The Sports Authority

Bill Foy, Prince Sports Group

Don Galliers, SealMaster Industries

Chris Gaudreau, Racquet Koop

Dave Haggerty,Head/Penn Racquet Sports

Tim Heckler, USPTA

Bob Kain, IMG

Kurt Kamperman, USTA

Ilana Kloss,World TeamTennis

Debbie Mitchell, K-Swiss

Kai Nitsche,Dunlop Sports Group Americas

Dale Queen, Your Serve Tennis

Scott Rea, Yonex

J.Wayne Richmond, Sportwall

Dan Santorum, PTR

Bruce Schilling, Nike

Gene Scott, Tennis Week

Victor Taylor, ATP

John Welborn, Lee Tennis Products

Jeff Williams, Tennis Magazine


A U G U S T 2 0 0 4I N D U S T R Y N E W S

French to Build New StadiumWith Retractable Roof

The French Tennis Federation announced in early June that the French Open isset to build a new stadium with a retractable roof. It will be built on one oftwo sites in the nearby Bois de Boulogne and will seat 16,000 spectators.Tournament officials said that, despite this year's tournament being virtually

rain-free, they wanted to ensure play at all times on the main court. In 2003, theUS Open was plagued by days when no tennis took place due to rain."I think it would be a mistake not to cover ourselves, in every meaning of the

word," said French Tennis Federation President Christian Bimes. "I consider it thefirst priority, the top priority."Bimes said it was vital to ensure that the tournament runs smoothly every year,

regardless of the weather. "It's been 25 years that we haven't had a catastrophicday with rain the whole day," he said. "If it happens once, we will understand howimportant a stadium with a retractable roof will be."The new stadium will be built whether or not Paris wins its bid to host the 2012

Olympic Games, a decision to be announced in July 2005, said Bimes. "Even with-out Paris 2012, we will work on an extension program because President Chiracsays he wants the stadium to extend. I believe it's reasonable. We will do it."The Australian Open was the first of the four Grand Slam events to build a

retractable roof, first used in January 1988. Earlier this year, Wimbledonannounced its intention to build a retractable roof over Centre Court, which isschedule to be completed by 2009.

ATP Masters CupTo Move to China

The men's season-ending Masters Cupchampionship will move to Shanghai,China, starting in 2005. Sources say

the move could be worth about $20 mil-lion to the ATP, which runs the men's tour.This November, the Masters Cup plays

its last of two years in Houston, thendecamps to Shanghai for three years.Houston promoter Jim McIngvale won thecurrent two-year run with a $7 millionannual sanction fee, and Shanghai will payat least that much, sources say.McIngvale had some harsh words for

the ATP regarding the move away from hisvenue. Known as “Mattress Mack” for hisGallery Furniture business, McIngvalespent about $15 million on the Cup lastyear, including $4 million to build a newtennis stadium at his Westside TennisClub.The Houston businessman criticized

the senior management at the ATP andsaid the ATP didn't help him market theevent. "The ATP is a terrible partner,absolutely terrible," said McIngvale, whodid not bid to extend the Cup in Houston.McIngvale said he hopes to attract a

new tennis event to Houston.


I N D U S T R Y N E W S

CONTINENTAL REPLACES UNITEDAS US OPEN AIRLINE SPONSOR

Continental Airlines is the new sponsor of the US Open,replacing the financially troubled United Air Lines,which left its contract with two years to go.

Sources say Continental's three-year deal, which does notinclude the new US Open Series of summer pro tourna-ments, is in the low seven figures. The Houston-based airlineis adding to its sponsorship of New York-area teams andevents, which include the Yankees, Rangers, Knicks, Nets,Devils and the New York City Marathon.Continental will integrate the Open into its frequent-flier

program by offering tickets and unique experience inexchange for miles. On site at Flushing Meadows, the spon-sorship will be leveraged with a pro-am prior to the headlineevent, which will feature New York celebrities and Continen-tal customers.During the Open, the airline will sponsor a "serve analy-

sis station," which will allow tennis-playing patrons to havetheir serves graded—although they'll have to go to Conti-nental's website to complete the lesson.United, an Open sponsor since 1998, has been reorgan-

izing under Chapter 11 since late 2002 and has been forcedto drop many of its sponsorships.

A specialdeal on bagsfromWilson's2004 USOpen collec-tion is beingoffered forUSTA mem-bers only.The bagsrange from a water bottle pack for $24.99 up to a pro bag for$69.99, all with the US Open “flaming ball” logo. In addition,

free with everybag purchasedis a 10-pack ofWilson'sH2Overgripsand US Opendouble wrist-bands, normal-ly a combined$28 value. Formore on thisexclusive USTA

member offer, see the insert in the July/August 2004 issue ofUSTA Magazine.

10 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY March 2004


HALL OF FAME ACQUIRESRITZENBERG COLLECTION

The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced inJune that it had acquired the tennis-themed collectionof Albert and Madeleine Ritzenberg, which it calls “one

of the most significant privately held collections of tennis-themed objects.”The collection ranges from the 15th century through the

1930s and represents the passion of well-known Washing-ton, D.C., tennis pro “Allie” Ritzenberg and his wife. In halfa century of travels around the world, the Ritzenbergsacquired more than 2,000 objects related to tennis.“The Ritzenberg Collection is something of a museum of

tennis in itself,” says International Tennis Hall of FameMuseum Committee Chair Jefferson T. Barnes. “It combineselements of art, history, decorative arts, and, of course, tennis.”“Putting this collection together was a creative act,” says

Allie Ritzenberg. “We are delighted that the InternationalTennis Hall of Fame has recognized that the collection wasnot just an assemblage of individual pieces, but a wholethat is greater than the sum of its parts.”The items include two antique stained glass windows; a

decorated case clock; paintings, drawings, prints, photo-graphs, and other works on paper; sculptures, China, porce-lains, and other ceramics; books, magazines, and otherserial publications, many quite rare; linens and other tex-tiles; racquets and other tennis-related equipment; furni-ture; decorative arts pieces; jewelry; trophies and othersilver pieces.Select items of the Ritzenberg Collection will soon be on

view in the International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum inNewport, R.I.

Jamison Named toNew USTA Post

The USTA has named Jason Jamison to thenewly created position of product man-ager for schools. He will report to Kirk

Anderson, USTA director of community play.In the new position, Jamison will create

and administer the USA School Tennis pro-gram with the goal of introducing moreyoung people to the sport through schoolphysical education programs, USA Tennis 1-2-3 and USA TeamTennis. He will also oversee related USTA educational programsand manage on-court training programs including Develop-ment Coach Workshops and Teacher Training in-service.Previously, Jamison was the senior community coordinator

and manager of development coaching for the USTA SouthwestSection and a USA Tennis national trainer of developmentcoaches. He was named USPTA Southwest Professional of theYear in 1998 as well as Arizona PTR State Member of the Yearin 2002.



Council on Active Aging IsUSTA “Educational Partner”

The International Council on Active Aging has signed a new agreement tobecome an exercise and aging educational partner of the USTA, it wasannounced in June. The new partnership will work toward better understand-

ing and being a resource for the rapidly expanding 50-plus demographic, whichrepresents nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population.One of the main elements of the agreement is the joint execution of Welcome

Back to Tennis, a national promotion that provides free parties geared toward rein-troducing the sport to the 50-plus population in a fun and friendly setting and con-necting them to a series of four-week tennis programs to promote healthylifestyles. The USTA and ICAA plan to host three-hour tennis events in more than20 cities across the country in 2004.“Partnering with the ICAA to welcome new and returning players reinforces our

mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis,” says Kurt Kamperman, theUSTA's chief executive of Community Tennis. “This partnership underscores ourmessage that people of all ages and abilities can have fun and stay fit playing ten-nis.”"We are thrilled to offer our members and those over 50 the opportunity to par-

ticipate in the lifelong game of tennis,” says Colin Milner, CEO of the ICAA.There will be a variety of mini sessions offered at the parties on topics such as

warm-up and cool-down, racquet and footwear selection, tennis demonstrations,and more. There will also be equipment giveaways, music, food and beverages,and most importantly, the opportunity to sign up for continuing tennis classes.ICAA board member Sandy Coffman, an industry leader in programming and fit-ness for adults, will help lead activities and share her secrets for having fun, stay-ing healthy and keeping active in tennis.The ICAA is the world's largest association dedicated to changing the way

Americans age by uniting and working with professionals in the retirement, assist-ed-living, recreation, fitness, rehabilitation and wellness fields.

New Books Tackle Connors,Gilbert's Coaching Success

Among the new tennis publications coming out this sum-mer are books on Jimmy Connors by veteran tennis jour-nalist Joel Drucker and coaching winners by former pro

player and longtime coach Brad Gilbert.Jimmy Connors Saved My Life combines a comprehensive

biography of the tennis star with a memoir of author Drucker'slife as it intersected with and ultimately clashed with the tennissuperstar. Drucker first met Connors in 1982. “Connors tookme into his confidence, sucked my blood, and walked away,” says the author,who came to view the brilliantly talented tennis player as a “greedy, narcissistic,paranoid, and sensitive man-child.” $23.95 from SportClassicBooks, Toronto (onsale Sept. 1).In I've Got Your Back, Gilbert reveals his strategy and phi-

losophy for coaching winners: support your players 100 per-cent. Formerly No. 4 in the world, Gilbert is the coach whobrought Andre Agassi back to No. 1 and who is now coachingAndy Roddick. In his book, he tells the intimate details of hislife as a touring pro and coach. $23.95 from Portfolio/Penguin,New York (on sale Sept. 2).


ATP Launches New Ad Campaign:“Hit Me With Your Best Shot”

The supporting music makes you want to move your feet and the concept—show-casing the intensity and athleticism of the players—matches the driving beat.

The new ATP ad campaign “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” was recently tiedinto Roland Garros, and is now tying into the BNP Paribas Masters event, takingplace in Paris from Nov. 1 to7, with a special ticket priceopportunity for those inter-ested in attending.The effort to call atten-

tion to tour standouts is thefirst advertising campaignsince “New Balls Please”was launched in 2000. Col-orful player images will fea-ture a “performance andpassion” theme.

—Mark Winters

BAYLOR MEN, STANFORD WOMENCLAIM NCAA DIV. I TEAM TITLES

The Baylor University men and Stanford women won this year's NCAADivision I team tennis championships. Both teams also finished rankedNo. 1 in the 2003-04 Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.Baylor beat UCLA in the team final in May to win the school's first-ever nation-

al championship in any sport. Stanford won its 13th NCAA women's title, alsodefeating UCLA.In individual play, Baylor junior Benjamin Becker won the NCAA singles title,

beating Tulane's Michael Kogan in two sets. The men's doubles crown went toStanford's KC Corkery and Sam Warburg.Stanford sophomore Amber Liu became the fourth woman to repeat as NCAA

singles champion, beating Fresno State feshman Jelena Pandzic in three sets.UCLA's Daniela Bercek and Lauren Fisher won the doubles final.Liu and Baylor's Benedikt Dorsch were named the 2004 ITA National Players

of the Year. They will be honored at the ITA All-Star Outing and Awards Luncheonon Aug. 27 at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y.The ITA's National Doubles Teams of the Year are Stanford's Lauren Barnikow

and Erin Burdette for the women and Rice's Richard and William Barker for themen.Other men's Division I national award winners are:� Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year: Ron Smarr, head coach, and ShaheenLadhani, assistant coach, Rice

� Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award: William Barker, Rice� Farnsworth National Senior Players of the Year (co-winners): Brian Wilson,Illinois, and Jeremy Wurtzman, Ohio State

� National Rookie of the Year: Alex Slovic, Washington� National Player to Watch: Sam Warburg, Stanford� Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Lee TaylorWalker, Memphis

� John Van Nostrand Memorial Award: Nicholas Monroe, North Carolina




2 Earn USRSA CertificationTester Status

Justin Canup of Knoxville, Tenn.,and Hill Lee of Hong Kong havebeen named new certification

testers for the USRSA.Canup (near right), who has been

in the racquet service business since1990, is the manager of Racquets andJackets in Knoxville. He achieved MRTstatus while working at Nevada Bob's Golf and Tennis, and he is the only MRT inthe eastern Tennessee area. Canup also has strung at pro events, including thisyear's Family Circle Cup.Hill received his MRT certificate in 2002. He's been a tennis coach for more

than 15 years.

PTR Inks Deal With Sportwall

The PTR announced in June that it has signed a three-year agreement with SportwallInternational to offer a 20 percent discount to PTR members for Sportwall's inter-active tennis backboards. And Sportwall officials say they are working with PTR

teachers and coaches to develop customized programs and activities for Sportwall'sSports-PC for Tennis.The Sports-PC for Tennis features lighted targets, a scoreboard, time clock and net

line that simulates match play and rewards players with scores for accuracy, speed, con-trol, strategy and technique.“Not only does Sports-PC develop tennis skills,” says Dennis Van der Meer, PTR

founder and president, “it also improves reaction time, visual acuity, and physical fit-ness. Sports-PC is a tremendous teaching aid.”Each Sports-PC includes two remote controls, indoor/outdoor speakers, up to 10 pre-

programmed games, a 4-foot-high catch net to keep balls in play, a protective cover, twospare targets and a spare motherboard. The Sports-PC for Tennis is available in threesizes: 8 x 8 feet (10 targets), 12 x 8 feet (15 targets), and 16 x 8 feet (20 targets).In addition to the 20 percent discount on the purchase of a Sportwall product, PTR

members are also eligible for a $1,000 rebate with their demo program, or memberscan lease a Sportwall.For more information, visit www.sportwall.com, call 800-695-5056 or email Tom

West at [email protected].

Wheaties Serves Up Agassi

Andre Agassi, holder of eight Grand Slam titles and 58career singles titles, is now being honored byWheaties, the “Breakfast of Champions,” with his

own cereal box. “I remember reading the stories of peo-ple like Bruce Jenner and Mary Lou Retton on theWheaties box as I was growing up,” says Agassi, who isalso known for his charitable work away from the game.“Appearing on my own Wheaties box is something Inever dreamed of. It's a great honor.” Other tennis greatshonored on the cereal box, beginning in 1934, areEllsworth Vines, Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Alice Marble,Chris Evert, Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and Pete Sampras.

U.S. sporting goods manufacturers maintained a healthy rateof sales growth, while controlling costs and managing assetswell. However, a reduction in gross margin attributable to

pricing pressure resulted in weaker bottom-line results in 2003compared to 2002.That's the key finding of SGMA International's 21st Annual

Study of Financial Performance (2004 Edition). SGMA's compre-hensive report is based on actual results reported by 61 manu-facturers (publicly and privately held) in the athletic footwear,sports apparel and sport equipment segments, having combinedsales of $31.1 billion in wholesale value in 2003. Here are someof the results from the report:

� Sporting goods manufacturers' sales growth (+6.8 percent)was strong and on par with that of 2002, but lagged behindthe sales growth rate of all non-durable goods manufactur-ers in 2003.

� Productivity growth (sales per employee) improved in 2003(+3.7 percent), indicating good utilization of humanresources.

� Industry profitability declined slightly from 2002. Return onsales (5.2 percent), return on assets (8 percent), and returnon equity (13.1 percent) all declined in 2003. This was pri-marily caused by a decline in gross margin from 38.6 per-cent in 2002 to 35.5 percent in 2003.

� Manufacturers controlled assets wellas the fixed-assets-by-total-assets ratioand liquid asset turnover ratio bothimproved.

� Advertising spending increased in 2003,while R&D spending turned down.The 55-page report is available either as

a PDF immediate download or as a Kinko'sDoc Store printed copy. To obtain a report,visit http://www.sgma.com/reports.

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PRINCE LAUNCHES“SHARK BITES TOUR”

Prince's “Shark Bites Tour” will runthrough September and featurePrince grassroots teams appearing

at high traffic junior and pro tourna-ments to promote the new Shark rac-quet (see page 32).“The Shark signifies an important

launch in our plans for our perform-ance racquets,” says Bill Foy, presidentof Prince Sports USA. “With theresearch, testing and developmentthat's gone into this performance rac-quet, we're supporting its launch with anumber of marketing initiatives includ-ing a dedicated website [PrinceShark.com], promotional tour, and grassrootsstreet team.”Prince stars Maria Sharapova and

Jan-Michael Gambill have been involvedin the development of the racquet inpreparation for its official launch at theUS Open, according to Foy. Both proswill be playing experimental versions ofthe Shark leading up to the Open.“The Shark provides a ton of added

pop without compromising any control,and I know this racquet is going to adda huge lift to my game,” says Gambill.

Sporting Goods Manufacturers Weather Tough Financial Market



> In a State House ceremony on June 7, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri honored the Interna-tional Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., which will celebrate its 50th anniversary thisJuly, with a State of Rhode Island proclamation. Established in 1954, the Hall of Famewas honored for its efforts in the historic preservation of tennis, accomplishments inhonoring tennis champions throughout the world, and contributions to the state'stourism economy. Accepting the citation was Tony Trabert, president of the Hall ofFame and 1970 Hall of Fame inductee.

> The PTR and Gamma Sports have extended their eight-year partnership for an addi-tional three years. Gamma is an official supplier of string, stringing machines,accessories, teaching aids and court equipment of the PTR.

> The Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C., was selected as the site for the2004 U.S. vs. Belarus Davis Cup semifinal, to be held Sept. 24 to 26. Expected to playfor the U.S. are Andy Roddick and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan. It will bethe first-ever Davis Cup to be played in South Carolina, and it will be played on a hardcourt. For tickets for the three-day series, call 888-484-8782.

>World TeamTennis semifinal matches will be played on Friday, Aug. 27, and the WTTFinals will be held on the following day at the USTA National Tennis Center. Thewinning team will be awarded the King Trophy, named after WTT co-founder Billie JeanKing.

> The third annual Tennis Magazine Grand Slam will be on Friday, Aug. 27, at GrandCentral Terminal in New York City. The pre-US Open event, which includes a tenniscourt set up inside Grand Central, will feature top-ranked pro players, tennis legends,and celebrities, including Tennis Publisher Chris Evert. It will also include games andother events for spectators.

> World TeamTennis announced an expansion of Fox Sports Net's (FSN) second con-secutive year of TV coverage of the month-long WTT Pro league season, including anadditional episode of “World TeamTennis This Week,” a series of four one-hour broad-casts, hosted by Luke Jensen, of WTT highlights and features on Saturdays throughoutJuly. “We feel that featuring some of the elite players in the sport in a unique co-edformat offers our viewers an entertaining alternative to traditional tennis,” says CraigBorsari, director of acquisitions for FSN.

> A Völkl demo event at Washington Park in Denver, hosted by Rich Benvin and JanJensen, drew more than 300 tennis players.

> The Tennis Channel signed a deal for exclusive rights to broadcast the 2004 NCAADivision I men's and women's singles and doubles championships. The events, whichtook place in May, were telecast on TTC in early June, for a total of about eight hoursof tennis.

> The USPTA Texas Southwest Buying Show will be Aug. 27-28 at the WoodlandsResort & Conference Center. The show is free to tennis specialty and pro shop buyers.For more information, call 888-445-0505.

> Head player Anastasia Myskina won the French Open women's singles title, playingwith a Liquidmetal Instinct racquet.

> Xavier Malisse, playing with a Prince Tour Diablo racquet, and fellow Belgian OlivierRochus, playing with a Prince TT Graphite, captured the men's doubles title at thisyear's French Open. Also, Paola Suarez, playing with a Prince Tour NXGraphite, won thewomen's doubles title with Virginia Ruano Pascual.

> Tennis pro Janet Haas, a member of Team Völkl, has been inducted into the Univer-sity of Miami's Sports Hall of Fame.

> Dan Bratetic is the new community development coordinator for Nebraska for theUSTA Missouri Valley Section.

SHORT SETS

YOUR financesControl Your Profits ByControlling Your CostsE

very tennis specialty shop has a bestcustomer. In fact, studies have shownthat 80 percent of the income of

most businesses usually comes from only20 percent of its customers. But how canany tennis shop or facility owner, teachingpro, racquet stringer or manufacturer tellwhether that best customer is generatinga fair share of bottom-line profits? Couldyour best customer actually be costingyou money?

Only a few shop owners or managersactually utilize cost accounting or make anorganized effort to control costs in theirbusinesses, and, surprisingly, many whodon't are still quite successful. But arethey as successful as they could be?

A retailer may "mark up" the goodssold by a fixed percentage that they labelas "profit." A court contractor may tackon a fixed amount to each job or serviceperformed, while a manufacturer usuallyadds overhead costs to each job. Unfortu-nately, few tennis business operatorsseem to have any realistic basis for their"profit" additions. Knowing the cost of aproduct or service is the first step tosetting profits.

There are, for example, a number ofstrategies that are useful for controllingthe costs in your specialty shop or racquetsports business. And, best of all, not all ofthose strategies require large outlays ofeither time or salaries.

COST ACCOUNTINGCost accounting is the process of allocat-ing all of the costs associated with gener-ating a sale or performing a service, bothdirect and indirect. Direct costs includeany materials, direct labor (the total wagespaid to the workers who actually performthe service), costs paid to others, etc. Indi-rect costs include all other costs associatedwith keeping the operation's doors openfor business.

In general, cost accounting includesmethods for reorganizing, classifying,allocating, aggregating and reporting

BY MARK E . BA T T ER SBY


actual costs and, often, comparing themwith standard costs. It can mean deter-mining unit cost to make aproduct or render a service.Cost accounting is an inte-gral part of establishinga selling price or feesand indispensablewhenever any racquetsports business orprofessional attemptsto reduce prices fora sale.

As profit marginshave shrunk, many busi-ness owners and managershave begun to discover just howvaluable cost accounting is as a toolin their business. By knowing the totalcosts associated with the performance ofthe services offered or the cost of goodsand products sold, an operator can deter-mine which are the most profitable.Thus, the efforts of the owner/managerand the business's employees can befocused on those areas, rather than onones that offer little or no bottom-lineenhancement.

According to Small Store Survival, theIllinois Retail Merchants Association'spublication for independent store ownersand managers, today's economic climatehas forced many retailers to look moreclosely at reducing costs simply in orderto survive. But what are the costs in yourbusiness?

The financial accounting that so manyowner/managers are accustomed to ismainly concerned with the historicalaspects of external reporting, that is,providing financial information to partiessuch as the owners, investors, creditorsand, of course, the government. To keepthese financial statements uniform and toprotect those outside parties from beingmisled, financial accounting is governedby general accepted accounting principles(GAAP). Cost accounting, on the otherhand, is more concerned with actually

running the business andpricing its products, services and inventory.

IN THE BEGINNINGBefore any owner/manager can determinewhether cost-cutting will increase profits,more information about the business isneeded. Proper recordkeeping is the start.After all, business records provide thefinancial data needed to prepare a bud-get, profit and loss statements, break-evencalculations, and operating ratios.

Whether prepared by an accountantor the result of a computerized bookkeep-ing system, every owner/manager shouldalready have access to the financial state-ments of their business. Those financialstatements can be used to control thecosts of the business. That's right, thosebasic financial statements provide awealth of information that will help every-one to better understand both the directand indirect costs of the racquet sportsoperation.

The majority of profit and loss state-ments show the various expenses for oneaccounting period as well as a percentagefigure. It is not at all difficult to see that ifutilities represented 2 percent of expenseslast month and 9 percent this month, thatsomething more than someone leaving alight on is happening and needs attention.

As mentioned, few tennis specialty


Use Your Budget to Control CostsYour budget should be a vibrant document, one that is understood andthat is used on an ongoing basis. While it is part of a historical report-ing system, it should not be used only to see how you've measured upto your goals months or even weeks after an accounting period hasclosed. Rather, this important information should be checked far morefrequently.

When you created the basic chart of accounts for your business, youcreated a list of general categories such as office expense or repairs andmaintenance. For the purpose of a profit and loss statement, those cat-egories are all that are required. For the purpose of cost control, howev-er, breaking down these items into subcategories might bewarranted.

For example, you may find it useful to break down “Utilities” into itscomponent parts: gas, electric, water, sewage. “Office Expenses” canbe broken into supplies, equipment leases, postage, temporary help.And “Insurance” can be broken down to liability, auto, health, life,workers' comp.

This will give you detailed information on exactly where the moneyis being spent so you can monitor and correct any serious excesses.Comparing your fixed expense to the budget and the amount spent ayear earlier on the same item is a good way to see if you are still in line,and still controlling costs.

Even when the trend is exactly where you want it to be, you shouldnot give up the habit of monitoring your business's costs against bud-get. You can create a statement that looks like this one:

BUDGET ACTUAL2004 JANUARY YTD +/-

INCOMECOST OF SALESGROSS PROFIT

Thus, if you had anticipated income of $600,000 for 2004 and yourincome for January was $42,000, the INCOME line would read:


INCOME $ 50,000 $ 42,000 $ 42,000 ($8,000)

Thus, you will know at a glance whether you are over or under inany budget category. You can then research the line items if necessaryto identify and correct any problems.

A healthy racquet sports business can bring a good return, long-term, to a prudent owner. Don't make the mistake of choosing short-term satisfaction—or profit—at the risk of long-term stability. Byknowing the costs in your business, you can not only ensure profitabilitybut know what expenditures your business can actually afford. -M.E.B.

Use Your Budget to Control Costs


INCOME $ 50,000 $ 42,000 $ 42,000 ($8,000)


INCOMECOST OF SALESGROSS PROFIT

shop retailers are aware of what their true costs of operatingare or where those costs occur in the business. In fact, very

few business owners/managerscan answer the question: "Howmuch does it cost you to turn thelights on?”

A good start involves identify-ing the areas in your business on

which you and/or your employeesspend time and money. While you may feel

that you don't need to justify spending either thattime or money, chances are you've blind-sided yourself to

lost profits.It doesn't take a cost-accounting system to

reveal that customers can vary greatly in the demandsthat they make on the business's resources. Traditionalcosting systems usually put support costs into a pool that

is distributed across the operation's cost centers, a pro-cedure that many experts say can distort the true cost

of performing a service or producing a product.

CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVESThe reduction of specific fixed and variable expenses canimprove the profit picture of any business. But beware: Noone should cut costs needlessly. Legitimate expenses providethe framework for the business. No business should cut theiroperating budget too deeply because it might adverselyaffect the overall operation of the business.

Thus, along with cutting costs, every owner/managershould also consider the alternatives. Every business canreduce costs without cutting specific expenses. All that isrequired is to increase the average income per sale, percustomer, per cost center, etc.

By increasing the overall value of a sale to each customer,for instance, the business spreads the same expenses acrossa large income. The result is a better sales vs. expense ratio.

Cost accounting is merely a tool. Although not everyretailer or business owner will use it, those who do will findthat it can help identify areas where costs may be higher orrising at a rapid rate. That tool shows an owner how expens-es are distributed from year to year while identifying areasthat should be reviewed.

Most importantly, cost accounting can provide theanswers to a number of questions, such as:w Can you negotiate a better lease?w Can you renegotiate long-term debt at a better rate?w Can you earn discounts by meeting accounts payable

deadlines earlier in the payment cycle?w Can you cut specific costs for specific time frames in order

to reduce overall expenses?And, of course, the biggest question that cost account-

ing can answer is: "How much does it cost simply to openthe doors for business?"w

Mark E. Battersby is a tax and financial advisor, lecturer,writer and author in Ardmore, Pa.

COURT construction

here is a saying in the design world:“It's all about the details.” This seemsto be true in the world of tennis aswell. How often have you played tennis

at an otherwise attractive facility only to findthat the net is sloppily installed or the postsare leaning and the surface around thefootings are cracked and peeling?

When it comes to making the rightimpression on your customers and members,it is often the little things they seem tonotice. It's easy to do this with the righttennis nets and posts. Since there are avariety of options to choose from, here aresome pointers for making the right choicesfor your facility.

A GOOD FOUNDATIONObviously net posts are an important part ofthe game, after all, they hold up the nets.What many people fail to appreciate is thatpost installations are only as good as the foot-ings that support them. Since the footingsaren't readily visible, they tend not to be care-fully considered. A net-post footing needs tobe properly designed and sized to resist frostheave (if you live in a cold climate), resistmovement when the net is tensioned, and notcrack the court surface (if used on a hardcourt). This is why a good net-post footingshould meet the following criteria:w It should be wider at the base than at thetop to resist upward movement underfreezing conditions.

w Its base should be below the averagedepth of the frost line in your region.

w It should have flat sides to provide maxi-mum lateral ground support under ten-sion.

w If you have hard courts, the footingsshould have a round top to prevent thedevelopment of radiating cracks in thepavement surface.

TENNIS POSTSNet posts have changed over the years, butmany clubs have not updated their equip-ment. Old-fashioned tennis net posts, whichrely on external, winch-type or lever-action

mechanisms to tension the net cable, can bea hazard to players. The sharp teeth of theexternal winches can catch fingers andclothing. The winding handles can also snapback during winding, causing injury. Thecrank handles and locking devices can bedangerous protrusions for players runningclose to the net. The exposed crank handlesare often too much to resist for children,vandals or overly enthusiastic players whomay tend to over-tighten the net cables,causing damage to the posts or footings.

Today's state-of-the-art net posts makeuse of internal-wind mechanisms to providethe tension on the net cables. The newerpost designs provide round, oval, or square

The Net EffectThe right tennis nets and net posts are details thatyou can be sure your players will notice.

post shapes. Since the winding mechanismsare concealed within the posts, the postshave a cleaner look.

The internal-wind posts are equipped withremovable or folding crank handles that canbe removed or secured in place once the nettension is set, making tampering with the netvirtually impossible and player injury less likely.The newer posts, which can be fashionedfrom steel or aluminum, are also supplied withwelded lacing rods that allow the net to beinstalled tight to the post, without unsightlybulging of the net ends. If it is nostalgia thatyou are after, there are also net posts fash-ioned from wood in the shape of the historicWimbledon posts.

Net posts can be installed permanently orin sleeves to allow for other uses on thetennis court. When buying removable netposts, be sure to get post sleeves and sleevecaps from actual post manufacturers toensure proper fit. Metal sleeves tend to keeptheir shape better during installation of con-crete footings, but they can rust over time ifnot properly treated. Rusted net-post sleevescan lead to staining of the court. PVC net-post sleeves that don't rust are also available,but they can deform during installation if notproperly handled, making subsequent postinstallation difficult, if not impossible.

When selecting post finishes, go with aheavy-duty, baked-on enamel finish ratherthan just a painted finish if the post is steel,and an anodized finish if the post isaluminum—it is a chemical bond and is muchmore durable than regular paint. Remember,the good thing about an aluminum post isthat it won't rust.

New posts come in a variety of colors. Awell-coordinated court will have net poststhat match or are coordinated with the colorsof the light poles, windscreens, and fencing.Dark green and black are the most commonnet-post colors.

TENNIS NETSThere are a dizzying array of options fortennis nets. Nets can be fabricated frompolyethylene, polyester, nylon, or steel mesh.

B Y A N D R E W R . L A V A L L E E , A S L A

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Properly installed nets and net posts can giveyour facility an inexpensive makeover thatplayers will notice.

Customize your courts with wooden netposts (from Edwards Sports Products) for anostalgic look or more modern designs, suchas the Courtmaster Royale Square Post withinternal wind (from J.A. Cissel).


Polyethylene mesh is perhaps the mostcommonly used material since it resistsfading and weathering. The better netmeshes make use of braided rather thantwisted cording. The braided cord,though more expensive than twisted,provides greater shock resistance, forcingthe ball to drop more quickly rather thanbouncing back from the net.

Steel mesh nets are typically onlyused at institutional, low-maintenancefacilities exposed to high levels of vandal-ism. Since metal mesh nets more closelyresemble chain-link fencing than the tra-ditional fabric-style nets, they are rarelyseen at upscale facilities. The metal nettingalso causes the ball to bounce back muchfarther than the fabric-type nets.

Net headbands, side bindings andbottom bindings can be fabricated fromPVC-coated polyester, nylon, or canvas, orsimply uncoated polyester, nylon, orcanvas. Generally, the coated bandingmaterials shed dirt and debris more easily,are more mildew and rot resistant and aremore washable. These maintenance consid-erations are important especially if youhave fast-dry courts. A drawback of thecoated headband material is that the balltends to skip off the surface and grazeover the net. Uncoated materials, mean-while, provide increased friction, keepingmore balls from sliding over the net.

Two innovations in nets over the yearshave gone a long way toward neateningup the appearance of tennis nets: short-ened nets and tapered nets. A regulationtennis net is supposed to be 42 feet longfor a doubles net and 33 feet long fora singles net. Unfortunately, regulationdoubles net posts are supposed to bespaced 42 feet on center, while regu-lation singles net posts are supposedto be spaced 33 feet on center. There-fore, when you take into account thedistance between the net posts, a reg-ulation net ends up being too wide tofit between the net posts. The extramesh width causes bunching that lookssloppy. Most net manufacturers nowmake nets slightly shorter than regula-tion widths to solve this problem posedby the regulations.

Since tennis regulations also call fora net to be 42 inches above thesurface at the ends and 36 inchesabove the surface at the center strap,a straight net ends up bunching up at

the center strap. Again, innovative netmanufacturers have created tapered netsthat eliminate the extra fabric at the center.A properly tensioned tapered net that isslightly shorter than regulation length totake into account the width of the netposts really looks as if it has been installedwith care, without the droopiness of atraditionally shaped net.

PROPER INSTALLATIONPicking the right equipment is only half ofthe equation. You also need to make surethat you install the nets and posts properlyso that they look and perform their best.When installing removable net posts insleeves at the start of each season, be sureto remove any water in the sleeve first toavoid staining the court surface with rustywater that may have been sitting in thepost sleeve over the winter. When installingtennis nets, don't over-tension the netcable, so you won't damage the posts,footings or court surface. When fastening

net ends, install the net tight to the post.Nets that bow away from the posts lookmore like poorly rigged sails than profes-sionally installed athletic equipment. Somenets come with dowels and sleeves at thenet ends to keep the edge neat. Properlylacing the net to the post using the lacingrods also keeps the net ends looking even.It goes without saying that you shouldalways check that the net is installed to theproper heights both at the posts and at thecenter strap.

Most facilities make use of the standarddoubles position for the posts, then use sin-gles sticks for singles matches. For tourna-ment and center-court locations, you maywant to consider a more finished look byproviding two sets of removable netposts—doubles posts and singles posts,with each set-up provided with its own net.The four-post layout really gives a court achampionship feel.

The careful selection of tennis-court netsand net posts is an important part of a well-designed facility. If you choose your netsand posts well and install them properly,they will provide years of service. You caneasily replace a court's nets and posts for aslittle as $400 or $500. It is a fairly inexpen-sive makeover that really gets noticed.

Remember, the little things often makea lasting impression, and a good impressionis good for business. w

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The clean lines of a well-kept court (from Lee Tennis)are inviting for both players and spectators.

Andrew Lavallee is a senior associate at MathewsNielsen Landscape Architects, PC, located in NewYork City, where he specializes in sports and recre-ational facility design.

TRENDSconstruction

t seems that most of the innovationsyou hear about in the tennis industryare in the retail end of the business:

fashion trends that influence tenniswear,new technology that racquet makers putinto their latest frames. As far ascourt equipment or site amenities,new developments seem few andfar between, and there's generallynot a lot of hype surroundingthem.

But all that may be changing,due to one word: “shade.”

That's the word from Larry Ball,CEO of BP International Inc. (for-merly Ball Products), one of thecountry's largest tennis courtequipment manufacturers.

“Shade will be the next hugeinnovation in tennis courts andfacilities,” Ball says, “not just forplayers, but also for spectators. Thedemand for shade will significantlychange the look of tennis courtsand clubs.”

As more and more peoplecome to realize the detrimentaleffects that too much sun can haveon their health, shade structuresare becoming more important.Typically, shade structures havebeen made of wood, which, whileattractive, requires building per-mits, needs a fair amount ofupkeep and can be expensive. Orthey've been made of metal, whichcosts less than wood but isn't asappealing visually. However, bothwood and metal structures havesolid roofs, so they hold hot airclose to the ground, which won'tprovide as much relief from theheat. Other choices have beensemi-permanent awnings orumbrellas.

But now, says Ball, permanentshade structures are being builtusing outdoor fabrics that not only

Made In The ShadeFabric structures can provide attractive relief from sun and heat,and they're becoming increasingly popular.

provide shade and relief from the heat,but also are attractive and cost-effective.“Within the last several years, outdoorfabrics have changed,” says Ball. “Theyare now so UV-resistant, so incredibly

B Y L A U R I E B L A C K G R O S S

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tough, they are being used to build per-manent shade structures that fill a nichepreviously lacking at tennisfacilities.”

Ball says that permanent structures—from small courtside shelters, suchas BPI's “Court Cabana,” to hugegrandstand covers—are using fab-rics “that are as durable as solidroofing, and require less mainte-nance.”

“Fabrics are changing the lookof tennis facilities because they areso beautiful, and they increase theuse of those facilities by providingcool oases of shade during theheat of the day,” says Ball. “Andfabric structures cost less thancorresponding solid-roofedstructures, so budget-consciousclubs can offer an amenityformerly reserved for exclusivecountry clubs.”

“Several years ago, I beganlooking at fabric shade structuresfor two primary reasons: cost andvisual appeal,” says MikeImbornone, owner of SignatureTennis in Atlanta. “Fabric gives youa more attractive, softer look thana wood or metal structure. Itblends with existing landscapingand gives a country-club look with-out a country-club price.”

George Todd Jr., president ofWelch Tennis Courts Inc., says he'sseen an increase in requests forshade facilities on or near courts.“A few years ago, shade on thecourt was just an option. Now it'sbecoming a standard,” he says,adding that he's regularly seeingshade structures included in the ini-tial design of new projects and inrenovations. “Also, we're begin-ning to receive more requests forspectator shade, in the form ofcanopy-type structures,” Todd says.

Embry-Riddle University in DaytonaBeach chose BPI’s blue Court Cabanas.

BPI’s ShadeZone covers were recently installedat The Tennis Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Fabric bleacher cover with curtains at Kimballarms near Atlanta was installed by Mike

Imbornone and Southeastern Tennis.

Welch Tennis built the McMullen TennisComplex in Clearwater, Fla., which featuresshade on and beside the courts.

BPI’s ShadeZone covers were recently installedat The Tennis Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Welch Tennis built the McMullen TennisComplex in Clearwater, Fla., which featuresshade on and beside the courts.

Fabric bleacher cover with curtains at KimballFarms near Atlanta was installed by Mike

Imbornone and Southeastern Tennis.

Embry-Riddle University in DaytonaBeach chose BPI’s blue Court Cabanas.

At the 24-court Tennis Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.,tennis director Dave Brown says he recently installed eightfabric bleacher covers. “Putting shade over my bleachers isone of the most important things I've done since I've beenhere,” says Brown. “We are an events-oriented facility, andlack of shade was the No. 1 complaint we had.”

Brown says engineers with BPI developed seven 12 x 18-foot structures and one 12 x 24-foot structure that fit inwith the aesthetics of the facility, and importantly, fit intohis tight budget. “If we had wanted solid roofs, wood andmetal structures, we would not have been able to affordshade,” he says.

In general, the fabric part of a permanent shade struc-ture represents about 20 percent of the total cost,according to Ball of BPI. What that means, though, is it'seasy and relatively inexpensive to replace the fabric, say, ifthe club or facility decides to change colors or décor.Adding decorative touches later, such as a scalloped edge,also is easy and inexpensive. In addition, permanent fabricstructures are typically designed for quick take-down in theevent of an approaching major storm or hurricane. The topscome off easily then are put back on easily, after thedanger has passed. With wood or metal structures, damageto siding and shingles can be expensive to repair or replace.

And at least one court builder, Robert Young of USTennis Co. Inc. of Naples, Fla., says that the fabric CourtCabanas he's installed in the last few years have withstoodsome tough tests. “Originally our concern was for windload, but we've had a lot of Cabanas up for several yearswith no problems,” he says.

Providing for shade between courts also can help keepcourts filled. That's what head tennis coach Scott Linn sayshe found happened at Embry-Riddle University in DaytonaBeach. Linn is overseeing the construction of a $2 millioncomplex including a clubhouse and grandstand, with shade,including Court Cabanas between courts, designed into theongoing project.

“The shade is one of the best features of our complex,”Linn says. “Where the courts used to be vacant during theheat of the day, now people want to play any time of theday, even in the summer.” Linn says the structures haveallowed him to put shade right where he needs it, withoutthe difficulty of pulling building permits.

“Fabric shade structures have a big future,” says BPI'sBall, who says his company is developing ShadeZone, afabric architecture product line that he's been using forstructures across the country.

“We've been building fabric structures at major athleticcomplexes, parks and recs, country clubs, and at commer-cial parking establishments. This market is huge,” Ball says.“And for tennis, the quest for shade is not going to goaway.” w


Magazine and newspaper writer Laurie Black Gross has her first

two novels with publishers in New York. She is the marketing

director for BP International Inc.

INDUSTRY�


fter a bad day on the court, MadelineHauptman did what comes naturallyto many recreational tennis players.

She blamed her racquet.Then she did something unusual. She

designed and manufactured a new one.As president of PowerAngle Rackets of

Scarsdale, N.Y., Hauptman is a rarity in themale-dominated racquet business, in whichhousehold names like Head, Prince and Wil-son predominate. Although she declined tocite sales figures, Hauptman says the Pow-erAngle racquet, which features a uniquediagonal stringing pattern, is steadily grow-ing in popularity as a result of word ofmouth, the ease with which it can be strung,and publicized customer testimonials.

In fact, the company recently launchedthe Henry K. Somerville signature PowerAn-

gle racquet as aresult of theendorsement bythe former tourplayer and headcoach of theHawaii PacificUniversity men'stennis team.

In all,PowerAngle hasseven racquets onthe market, whichwere declaredlegal for tourna-ment play by theInternational Ten-nis Federation inJune 2002. Prices

range from $99 for the junior model to$149.

“This racquet works,” says Hauptman,who credits PowerAngle business directorDavid Luskin with co-developing and co-patenting the design featuring two sets ofdiagonal strings of equal length, whichHauptman says produces a better balancedsweetspot that keeps the ball on the stringslonger, imparts more spin, and lessens theimpact on a player's arm and elbow. Ale-jandro Berenstein, M.D., is the company'sinvestor and strategic planning director.

“Sometimes I think, what am I doing?[Competing] companies have hundreds ofpeople working for them, and we just havea great product,” adds Hauptman, who isalso an oil painter and therefore averse tostiffer frames that could result in arm pain.

Working the AnglesFor decades, Madeline Hauptman has been a singular entrepreneurin the racquet manufacturing business. B Y C Y N T H I A C A N T R E L L

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PowerAngle's unique designfeatures two sets of diago-nal strings of equal length.

“But when I believe in something, that's it.”Hauptman says her efforts to design a

better racquet date back to the mid-1970s,when she was pursuing a master's degreein mathematics education at the Universityof Pennsylvania.

“I loved to play tennis, but I just wasn'tthat good. I thought, I'm bending myknees, taking the racquet back, doingeverything right. Maybe if the racquet wasstrung differently, I'd have a chance,” sherecalls. “I looked at some snowshoes in myapartment and wondered if you could stringa racquet like that, so it dispersed impact inmore directions. I decided to try.”

Using her knowledge of geometry,Hauptman ultimately designed a prototypeusing two sets of diagonals and one set ofmains, with which she defeated—six timesin a row—a tennis rival who had previouslybeen her equal. Encouraged, she patentedthe Mad Raq (“Madeline's racket”) in 1980.Produced by well-known racquet manufac-turers, thousands of Mad Raq tennis rac-quets and half a million racquetball racquetswere sold worldwide. Today, Mad Raq

For more information about PowerAngleracquets, visit www.powerangle.net, [email protected], or call877-POWER-21.

frames are displayed at both the Wimble-don Museum and at the InternationalTennis Hall of Fame.

Although Hauptman traded the rac-quet business for a position teachingmathematics in the 1990s, she says shenever stopped wanting to improve herdesign. Pre-strung Mad Raq racquetballracquets were a success, she says, butresistance from the tennis stringerpopulation proved to be too difficult toovercome.

Hauptman credits Luskin's mechanicalengineering expertise and her innovativeexperimentation with not onlyPowerAngle's improved design, but withher enthusiastic return to the racquet

business in 2002. Now, according toHauptman, stringing a PowerAngle rac-quet takes about the same time as string-ing a conventional racquet. Each racquetalso comes with two vibration dampenersdesigned to minimize impact on the arm,as well as loops on the racquet cover tohold a can of balls.

“I want to grow tennis, and the bestway to do that is by introducing some-thing new,” says Hauptman, noting thatPowerAngle racquets are available directlyfrom the company and at many tennisfacilities across America. “My first go-round was frustrating because peopleloved the Mad Raq concept, but it wasn'tviable [because stringing was difficult]. Ilearned from that experience, and now Ijust hope people will be open-mindedenough to try PowerAngle. If they do,they'll fall in love with it.” w

Hauptman and Luskin at the PowerAnglebooth at the 2003 Nasdaq-100 Open.

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THE STRINGSELECTOR MAP2004

THE STRINGSELECTOR MAP2004

STR INGS

Cure your customer's arms, headsand games with the right stringCure your customer's arms, headsand games with the right string

B Y C R A W F O R D L I N D S E Y

very choice concerning string is about its effect onstringbed stiffness. Material, construction, gauge, and ten-sion decisions all influence stringbed stiffness, and it is the

stiffness that influences the ball response and what you feel.It's all about stiffness—dynamic stiffness, that is. Dynamicstiffness refers to how much the string at given tension willdeflect when it is impacted with a ball or experimental ham-mer of a given energy.

Stiffness and FeelFor any given amount of energy in the impacting ball or ham-mer, a soft stringbed will display greater deflection. It willalso have a lower peak impact force and tension, as well as alonger dwell time. Consequently, when comparing twostrings on the String Selector Map, the softer string (to theleft) will exhibit the above characteristics compared to astring with a greater stiffness (to the right). This difference instiffness and the labels “soft” and “stiff” are not meant toindicate “good” or “bad,” however. Some players will call thesofter string “comfortable” while others will call it “mushy.”And while some will call the stiffer string “crisp,” others willcall it “harsh.” But whatever you call it, and whatever type of“feel” you prefer, all strings with the same stiffness values(within some plus or minus range) should in theory feel verysimilar, at least for a certain amount of time until differingrates of tension loss change the relative stiffness of the twostrings.Any string located on the same vertical axis has the exact

same stiffness, regardless of tension. Likewise, any string onthe same horizontal axis is at the same tension, regardless of

stiffness. Therefore, no matter how much tension has beenlost, all strings on the same vertical axis should feel about thesame. All strings along the same horizontal axis can feel wide-ly different from each other, even though they are at thesame tension. The key determinant is not how much tensiona string of a given material, construction, or gauge loses, buthow stiff it is after it loses the tension. String plane stiffnessdepends primarily on string stiffness (which is related tomaterial, construction, and gauge), tension, headsize, and thestring pattern.

Tension Loss and FeelA string's tension and stiffness never stay the same. Stringperformance is never the same from one hit to the next.Strings lose tension and become softer with every hit andevery second that passes. Strings on the Selector Map thathave lost more tension in the testing will probably continue tolose more over time than others. However, the effect of thistension loss on what you feel depends on several factors: thestiffness to begin with, the stiffness that feels best to you,your sensitivity to change, and how you interpret what youfeel at a given stringbed stiffness compared to another.

Tension Loss and Going “Dead”When a string loses tension, it becomes softer. That is all thatchanges in a string. It does not lose power, resiliency, elastic-ity, or go “dead” in any quantitative way. It simply becomesless stiff, and thus feels “different” to the player.In fact, in the testing, a hammer will be ejected at essen-

tially the same speed whether you raise or lower the tension.

E

Choosing a string can be an unbelievably bewildering affair with absolutely no guide to

choosing except pure chance and anecdotal advice—until now! The String Selector Map

is the only quantifiable way to compare and select from the over 350 strings tested in the

RSI/USRSA lab and listed here. Post it in your shop. Your customers will thank you—with

more business.

Choosing a string can be an unbelievably bewildering affair with absolutely no guide to

choosing except pure chance and anecdotal advice—until now! The String Selector Map

is the only quantifiable way to compare and select from the over 350 strings tested in the

RSI/USRSA lab and listed here. Post it in your shop. Your customers will thank you—with

more business.


w To find the string that goes with the dot, notethe dot's coordinates and look them up in thetable.

w Find your current string:• If you like it, dots in the neighborhood

(i.e., close vertical axes to right or left)will likely play similar (perhaps with bet-ter durability and cost).

• If you don't like it, move out of theneighborhood (i.e., vertical axes fartherto right or left).

• If you like the feel but it doesn't last,choose a string farther down on thesame axis.

w Stiffness (horizontal axis) is the MOST impor-tant factor in string “feel.”

w The amount of tension loss affects the consis-tency of that feel.

w “Consistency” is relative and depends onplayer sensitivity, string durability, andamount and style of play.

w Hard hitters lose more tension than light hit-ters.

w Softer strings are to the left, stiffer strings tothe right.

w Strings that lose more tension are at the top;those that lose less are at the bottom.

w All strings on the same vertical line should feel

about the same, no matter the tension.w All strings at different locations on the same

horizontal line will feel different from eachother.

w Stringbed power increases to the left.w Player supplied power increases to the right.w Stringbed control increases to the right.w “Arm friendly” strings are to the left.w Spin potential increases to the right.w “Feedback” intensity (shock) increases to

right.w Feel consistency over time tends to increase

toward the bottom.

The Geography of “Feel”Finding Your “Feel Good” Location

Test Procedure. All strings were tensioned to 62 pounds and allowed to sit for 200 seconds. Then the string was hit five times with aforce equivalent to hitting a 120 mph serve. The tension loss represents the total amount of the relaxation over both time and impact. The stiffnessvalue is a calculation derived from the amount of force created at impact to stretch the string. Lower values represent softer strings and lowerimpact forces. Higher values represent stiffer strings and higher impact forces.


Head RIP Feel 17 (hybrid) Polyolefin 1.28 136 10.4Pro Kennex IQ-Element Z 17 Zyex 1.21 137 10.2Prince More Feel 16 Nylon/Softflex 1.31 138 10.6Pro Kennex IQ-Comfort 17 Polyolefin 1.27 142 10.5Head RIP Feel 16 (hybrid) Polyolefin 1.33 143 10.3Pro Kennex IQ-Element 2 16 Zyex 1.30 145 8.8Power Angle Duo-Color TNT Fat Core 17 Nylon 1.26 145 11.0Ashaway Dynamite 17 Zyex/Nylon 1.24 147 8.4Isospeed Professional 17 Polyolefin 1.27 152 9.9Blue Star Stargut 17 Nylon 1.27 160 10.9Pro Kennex IQ-Element 2 15L Zyex 1.40 161 8.5

Ashaway Dynamite WB 16 Zyex/nylon 1.37 165 9.0Gamma Live Wire Professional 17 Nylon/Zyex 1.29 168 8.1Pro Kennex IQ-Comfort 16 Polyolefin 1.37 168 10.6Ashaway Vantage Pro 17 Nylon 1.23 172 7.9Gamma Live Wire Professional Nylon/Zyex 1.33 174 9.7Prince Premier w/Softflex 17 Nylon 1.25 175 8.6Volkl Fire (hybrid) Nylon 1.31 175 9.5Prince Wrapsure 17 Nylon 1.23 176 8.0Head Synthetic Gut PPS 18 Nylon 1.16 176 8.1Prince Premier w/Softflex 16 Nylon 1.31 176 8.7Prince Attitude 16 Nylon/Polyester/Tungston 1.30 176 10.4

Stiff- Tension Stiff- TensionCompany String Material Gauge ness Loss Company String Material Gauge ness Loss

(lb/in.) (lbs) (lb/in.) (lbs)

Nylon, Zyex, & Polyolefin (Sorted by Stiffness)

The string doesn't change its “power” or elasticity. When youchange tension and hit a ball, the change in stiffness willaffect how much energy will go into ball deformation. This, inturn, will determine how much energy is lost, because theball loses almost half of the energy that goes into it.

So when a string loses tension and, according to someplayers, goes “dead,” it doesn't lose power. The power poten-tial of the string is the same (if not more). The difference ishow much energy goes into the string vs. the ball and theresult this has on performance and perception. In all cases,the string gives back about 95 percent of the energy that goesinto stretching it. So as tension declines, the string actuallytakes in, and thus gives back, more energy (which translatesto ball velocity). So tension loss does not equal “dead” interms of “power” (ball velocity), but in terms of diminished“force of impact,” shock, and feedback.

Tension Loss, Shock, and FeedbackYou don't get the same “punch” when you hit the ball withdiminished tension. The ball may go faster and farther, but itfeels like less oomph. And because you have actually lost“control” as witnessed by the ball going farther (i.e., notwhere you are aiming), you may back off your stroke speed,which lessens the feel of impact oomph even more. So youhaven't lost power, but you have lost the feel of providing thepower, being in control, and getting feedback confirmationfrom the racquet punch. In essence, you have lost shock, notpower. The impact doesn't shock you as much. Not as muchshock is not as much “feedback.” So, in one sense, when youchoose a string, you are choosing the level of shock that feelsgood or proper to you. (“Feeling good” doesn't mean that thelevel of shock that you like is good for you, however.)

Tension Loss and Consistency of FeelBut, however you interpret the change in feel as tension goesdown, the fact is that the feel does change. So, consistency offeel is important.A string at the top of the Map (more tension loss) had to

change tension more over the test range to get to its currentspot on the stiffness scale. It is likely that those strings willcontinue to lose tension (thus, change in feel) at a more rapidrate than others farther down on the Map. But strings do sta-bilize with time, and the rate of loss continually slows down.Consequently, a relatively “fast changing” string may still beslow enough to stay within your “feel range” for an accept-able amount of playing time. That will depend on your sensi-tivity and response to change. The Map does not tell us the

range of stiffness values that will “feel the same” to anygiven player.Nonetheless, a rule of thumb does apply here. Any strings

at the same stiffness value on the Map should feel close to thesame for a certain amount of time, no matter what amount oftension loss was required to arrive at that stiffness. The amountof tension loss is irrelevant as long at the resulting stiffnessfeels good to you. So, tension loss is not in itself a necessarilygood or bad thing. But, if you are unhappy with how long yourstring maintains its feel characteristics, then try a string of thesame stiffness, lower down on the Map.

Tension Loss and ControlLosing tension affects control (or the feel of control) in threeways. First, it may be that the lower tension results in moreenergy return to the ball from the strings, and the ball will trav-el farther (tests show this is very small—in the range of 1 to 2percent more velocity and only with very large tensionchanges) with the same swing. Secondly, a lower tension willresult in a longer dwell time. If you swing at the same speed,then the ball will stay on the strings through a longer part of thearc of your swing. The angle of your shot will therefore beaffected. And third, if you hit off center, the ball will twist theracquet for a longer time and affect the launch angle.Sometimes players describe this as a “trampoline effect,” or

by saying that the “ball flies all over the place,” or “I'm spray-ing my shots.” The answer? Move to a string to the right of yourcurrent string at the same tension loss, or move down to alower tension loss string at the same stiffness.

Stiffness, Sound, and FeelLosing tension changes the sound of the impact. The pitch islower. You can go from a “twing” to a “twang.” “Twings” soundmore responsive, elastic, powerful than “twangs”—if that iswhat you are used to, anyway. This twanging will affect thepsychology of your play. The secret is to tune your racquet.Stiffness is the key factor in twings or twangs. Twings will be tothe right and twangs to the left of your current string on theMap.

ConclusionString selection is definitely part science, part psychology, andpart art. If you integrate all these aspects, it can also become avery good business. If you can demonstrate and communicateyour proficiency to your customers and help them understandtheir own relationships with their strings, you will surelybecome a true Zen master of stringing, retailing, or coaching. w

Head RIP Tour 17 (hybrid) Nylon/Polyolefin 1.30 177 7.0Ashaway Vantage Elite 16 Nylon 1.28 177 7.8Head RIP Control 17 Nylon/Polyolefin 1.28 178 6.9Head RIP Power 16L (Hybrid) Nylon/Polyolefin 1.32 178 7.2Pacific PowerTwist Nylon 1.35 179 11.2Prince Wrapsure 16 Nylon 1.30 180 8.7Head Perfect Power 16 Nylon 1.35 180 8.6Head RIP Tour 16 (hybrid) Nylon/Polyolefin 1.37 181 7.0Tecnifibre NRG2 18 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.17 181 7.7Gamma Flex Core Power 17 Nylon 1.27 181 9.3Babolat Xcel Premium 17 Nylon 1.25 182 7.7Pacific FiberTwist 17 Nylon 1.25 182 9.3Gamma ESP 17 Nylon 1.28 182 9.5Tecnifibre 515 17 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.27 182 9.5Prince Sweet Perfection 17 Nylon 1.25 182 9.8Blue Star Laser 130 16 Nylon 1.31 183 8.4Head RIP Control 16 Nylon/Polyolefin 1.38 184 8.1Forten Tiegut 16 Nylon 1.32 184 9.7Alpha Firecable 16 Nylon/Polyester 1.31 184 11.0Pacific Graphite Braid TX 17 Nylon/Graphite 1.30 184 11.7Head Perfect Control 16 Nylon 1.38 185 7.9Head RIP Ti.Fiber 16 Nylon 1.33 185 7.6Babolat Syntronic Brio 17 Nylon 1.25 186 8.4Blue Star Fibergut XL 15L Nylon 1.39 186 9.6Gamma ESP 16 Nylon 1.32 186 9.6Wilson Stamina Spin 16 Nylon 1.29 186 10.9Blue Star Stargut 16 Nylon 1.36 186 10.3Babolat Xcel Premium 16 Nylon 1.31 187 8.3Alpha Gut 2000 Nylon 1.33 187 9.0Gamma Gut 2 Nylon 1.34 187 9.7Prince Sweet Perfection 16 Nylon 1.31 187 9.6Silent Partner Filament Frenzy 16 Nylon 1.31 188 9.0Gamma Live Wire 17 Nylon/Zyex 1.24 188 8.9Head RIP Ti.Fiber 17 Nylon/Polyolefin 1.23 189 7.5Alpha Element 16 Nylon 1.32 189 8.9Pacific Futura TXT 16L Nylon 1.29 189 8.9Head FiberGel Power 16 Nylon 1.31 189 8.1Tecnifibre NRG2 17 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.24 190 7.3Head Synthetic Gut PPS 17 Nylon 1.22 190 8.4Klip Kicker 17 Nylon 1.24 190 9.1Gamma Live Wire XP 16 Nylon/Zyex 1.32 190 9.4Gamma Live Wire 16 Nylon/Zyex 1.31 190 9.2Ashaway Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 190 10.3Gamma TNT2 Rx 17 Nylon 1.26 191 9.0Gamma Live Wire XP 17 Nylon/Zyex 1.25 191 9.4Gamma TNT Fat Core 17 Nylon 1.27 191 10.9Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 1.30 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.31 192 8.6Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 1.24 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.28 192 8.3Gamma TNT2 Pro Plus 17L Nylon 1.25 192 10.9Kirschbaum Touch Multi-Fibre Nylon 1.31 192 10.5Gamma Flex Core Power 16 Nylon 1.32 193 8.6Tecnifibre TRC 17 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.25 193 8.3Gosen OG-Sheep Micro Super 17 Nylon 1.24 193 8.7Forten Omni Spin 15L Nylon 1.37 193 10.2Wilson NXT 17 Nylon 1.24 193 9.4Gosen Biogut Poly Multi 16 Nylon 1.30 193 10.5Babolat FiberTour 16 Nylon 1.32 194 8.4Prince LightningXX 16 Nylon 1.29 194 8.3Silent Partner Ultimatum 18 Nylon 1.19 194 8.6Gosen OG-Sheep Tour 17 Nylon 1.25 194 9.1Forten Sweet 17 Nylon 1.27 194 9.9Gamma TNT Fat Core 16 Nylon 1.31 194 10.7Ashaway Liberty 16 Nylon 1.33 194 9.5Alpha Claycourt Plus 16 Nylon 1.32 194 10.8Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.27 194 9.3Volkl Power-Fiber 18 Nylon 1.19 195 7.5Klip Excellerator 16 Nylon 1.30 195 9.2Klip Excellerator 17 Nylon 1.30 195 9.3Gamma TNT2 Ruff 16 Nylon 1.52 195 10.5Gosen Super Tec AK Speed 17 Nylon 1.24 196 8.4Gamma TNT2 Pro Plus 16 Nylon 1.32 196 9.3Head Synthetic Gut PPS 16 Nylon 1.31 196 9.3Alpha Prodigy 16 Nylon 1.32 196 9.6Prince Perfection 17 Nylon 1.25 196 9.0Ashaway Liberty L15 Nylon 1.41 196 12.2

Tecnifibre NRG2 16 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.31 197 6.5Babolat Syntronic Brio 16 Nylon 1.34 197 8.6Forten Spin Gear 15 Nylon 1.43 197 9.8Wilson Sensation 17 Nylon 1.25 197 9.5Wilson NXT 16 Nylon 1.30 198 8.5Head FiberGel 16 Nylon 1.34 198 9.7Ashaway Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 198 9.1Forten Dynamix 18 Nylon 1.21 198 10.5Blue Star Original 15L Nylon 1.43 198 10.9Wilson NXT OS 16L Nylon 1.32 199 8.6Tecnifibre 515 16 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.35 199 8.7Pro Kennex CS-Elite 16 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.29 199 9.3Dunlop Max Comfort 17 Nylon 1.23 199 9.2Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 17 Nylon 1.24 199 9.2Prince Tournament Nylon 15L Nylon 1.40 199 10.2Wilson Stamina 18 Nylon 1.22 200 8.2Babolat Xcel Premium 15L Nylon 1.39 200 8.0Dunlop Max Comfort 16 Nylon 1.32 200 8.5Bow Brand Micro Tournament 17 Nylon 1.24 200 10.2Pacific PowerLine 17 Nylon 1.25 200 11.0Blue Star Focus 130 16 Nylon 1.33 201 7.8Bow Brand T2000 15L Nylon 1.37 201 9.6Forten Dynamix 15L Nylon 1.33 201 9.5Wilson Staminia Spin 15L Nylon 1.38 201 10.1Silent Partner Ultimatum 17 Nylon 1.28 201 9.8Alpha Sensor Fibre 16 Nylon 1.35 202 8.6Gamma Challenger 17 Nylon 1.27 202 9.3Klip Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 202 10.0Pacific PowerLine 16L Nylon 1.32 202 9.8Pro Kennex CS-Qualifier 16 Nylon 1.31 202 10.8Pacific PremiumPower X 16 Nylon 1.33 202 9.7Gamma Synthetic Gut 17 w/Wearguard Nylon 1.26 203 7.9Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Weargurard 18 Nylon 1.21 203 8.0Gamma TNT2 Rx 16 Nylon 1.36 203 8.2Prince Synthetic Gut 18 w/Duraflex Nylon 1.20 203 9.1Klip Screamer Titanium (hybrid) Nylon/Titanium 1.30 203 9.1Wilson NXT Tour 17 Nylon 1.27 203 9.0Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 16 Nylon 1.29 203 10.0Prince Perfection 16 Nylon 1.31 203 9.8Gamma Dura Spin 15L Nylon 1.37 204 8.1Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 w/Wearguard Nylon 1.31 204 8.6Gosen OG Sheep Micro Super 16 Nylon 1.30 204 8.6Forten Sweet 15 Nylon 1.36 204 9.4Pacific Syntec 16L Nylon 1.32 204 9.8Klip Excellerator 15L Nylon 1.34 204 9.5Silent Partner Head Spin 15L Nylon 1.38 204 10.6Silent Partner Titanium 16 Nylon 1.32 204 10.2Gamma Zo Plus 16L Nylon 1.32 204 11.4Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.28 205 8.3Dunlop Tour Performance 16 Nylon 1.34 205 8.8Wilson Supreme 17 Nylon 1.29 205 9.0Forten Dynamix 17 Nylon 1.26 205 9.0Blue Star Serve and Volley 16 Nylon 1.31 205 8.9Head Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.29 205 9.6AG International AG 16 Nylon 1.31 205 9.6Pacific Power Spin 16 Nylon 1.38 205 9.8Tecnifibre TRC 16 Nylon/Polyurethane 1.31 206 8.0Bow Brand Ballistic 15L Nylon 1.35 206 9.0Silent Partner Ultimatum 16 Nylon 1.33 206 9.7Klip Scorcher 17 Nylon 1.27 206 10.0Prince Lightning XX 17 Nylon 1.26 207 8.1Pacific Futura TXT 16 Nylon 1.39 207 9.0Silent Partner Original Syn 16 Nylon 1.33 207 10.7Wilson NXT Max 15L Nylon 1.35 208 8.4Wilson Supreme 16 Nylon 1.32 208 8.1Bow Brand Synthetic Gut XT 16 Nylon 1.33 208 9.1Forten Dynamix 16 Nylon 1.34 208 9.0Babolat Superfine Play 17 Nylon 1.25 208 9.5Klip Scorcher 16 Nylon 1.31 208 9.5Wilson NXT Tour 18 Nylon 1.24 209 7.7Wilson Stamina 17 Nylon 1.25 209 8.3Gamma TNT2 17 Nylon 1.27 209 7.8Prince Topspin Plus 16 Nylon 1.29 209 8.1Prince Synthetic Gut 15L w/Duraflex Nylon 1.35 209 9.1Gamma Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 209 9.8






Polyester (Sorted by Stiffness)Stiff- Tension Stiff- Tension

Company String Material Gauge ness Loss Company String Material Gauge ness Loss(lb/in.) (lbs) (lb/in.) (lbs)

Tecnifibre Promix 1.25 Polyester 1.27 199 9.0Tecnifibre Promix 1.30 Polyester 1.29 204 10.1Bow Brand Bowstar 20 Polyester 1.18 212 13.3Bow Brand Bowstar 30 Polyester 1.28 224 13.2Babolat Pro Hurricane Polyester 1.25 226 10.2Silent Partner Roly Poly 17 Polyester 1.27 229 13.4Tecnifibre Spinfire 1.20 Polyester 1.20 230 12.9Pacific Poly Soft 16 Polyester 1.29 231 12.3Luxilon Big Banger Ace 18 Polyester 1.16 232 10.6Bow Brand Bowstar 25 Polyester 1.25 232 12.1Pacific Poly Power 17 Polyester 1.18 232 12.1Klip K-Boom 17 Polyester 1.23 234 10.8Wilson Enduro Tour 18 Polyester 1.20 236 14.2Wilson Enduro Tour 17 Polyester 1.24 236 15.7Gamma Zo Plus Polyester 1.25 238 10.4Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power Rough 16LPolyester 1.25 240 12.6Luxilon Monotec Zolo Rough 16L Polyester 1.25 240 13.3Wilson Enduro Tour 16 Polyester 1.30 240 16.4Babolat Pro Hurricne 16 Polyester 1.31 241 8.6Tecnifibre Spinfire 1.25 Polyester 1.24 241 10.0Luxilon Big Banger TiMO 18 Polyester 1.15 241 11.2Luxilon Monotec Zolo 18 Polyester 1.25 241 11.7Forten Poly-Blast 17 Polyester 1.23 241 11.6Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L Polyester 1.23 242 11.6

Gosen Polylon Flex 16 Polyester 1.30 242 13.0

Wilson Sensation 16 Nylon 1.32 209 9.5Prince Topspin 15L Nylon 1.30 209 9.8Klip Kicker 16 Nylon 1.32 209 10.3Gamma TNT2 16 Nylon 1.31 210 8.5Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 210 9.0Head Extreme Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.24 210 9.6Bow Brand Tournament 16L Nylon 1.32 210 9.9Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 210 9.7Babolat Superfine Play 16 Nylon 1.32 210 9.9Wilson NXT Max 16 Nylon 1.34 211 8.3Gosen Tecgut Super Tec AK Speed 16 Nylon 1.32 211 8.4Forten Competition Nylon 15L Nylon 1.41 211 8.5Gamma Marathon DPC 16 Nylon 1.32 211 9.9Babolat Powergy 16 Nylon 1.34 211 9.5Prince Synthetic Gut 17 w/Duraflex Nylon 1.26 212 8.8Forten Sweet 16 Nylon 1.33 212 8.8Gosen OG-Sheep Micro Super JC 16 Nylon 1.30 212 8.7Gosen Tecgut Super Tec Ak Pro 16 Nylon 1.34 212 9.5Alpha Viper 16 Nylon 1.29 212 9.8Pacific PowerLine 16 Nylon 1.36 213 9.8Prince Synthetic Gut 16 w/Duraflex Nylon 1.30 213 9.6Pacific SpacePower TX 16L Nylon 1.33 213 9.9Prince Synthetic Gut Original 17 Nylon 1.24 214 8.8Gamma TNT2 18 Nylon 1.18 214 9.6Klip Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.37 214 11.3Babolat Razor Spin 16 Nylon 1.30 214 10.7Klip Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.33 214 9.2Gamma Synthetic Gut 15L w/Weargurad Nylon 1.38 215 9.8Gamma Ruff 16 Nylon 1.48 215 10.2Klip Twister 15L Nylon 1.43 215 9.4Dunlop Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 215 10.8Pacific Syntec 16 Nylon 1.37 216 9.6Alpha Sphere 16 Nylon 1.31 216 10.4Gamma Dura Spin w/ Wearguard 16 Nylon 1.37 217 7.7Gamma Challenger 16 Nylon 1.32 217 9.1Prince Synthetic Gut Original 16 Nylon 1.30 217 9.4Babolat Conquest 16 Nylon 1.33 217 11.0Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.30 218 8.6Wilson Ultra Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.32 218 8.9Gosen OG-Sheep Proform Tuff 15L Nylon 1.38 218 9.6Bow Brand Super Pro 15L Nylon 1.43 218 9.9Bow Brand Calibre 15L Nylon 1.36 218 10.3Babolat Conquest 17 Nylon 1.27 218 9.7Head Spin Plus 15L Nylon 1.38 218 12.3

Babolat Conquest Ti 16 Nylon 1.33 218 7.8Wilson NXT Tour 16 Nylon 1.31 219 7.4Dunlop Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.24 219 7.8Wilson Stamina 16 Nylon 1.32 219 8.5Gamma Marathon DPC 15L Nylon 1.44 219 9.5Gamma Flex Core Control 15L Nylon 1.36 219 9.8Gamma XL 16 Nylon 1.29 219 9.3Head Master 15L Nylon 1.39 219 10.4Prince ZNX Nylon 1.36 219 11.6Head Master 16L Nylon 1.31 221 8.1Gamma Synthetic Gut 18 Nylon 1.22 221 8.6Gosen Tecgut Power 16 Nylon 1.31 221 11.3Bow Brand Superspin Nylon 1.43 222 9.7Gamma Dura Spin 16 Nylon 1.39 223 7.9Gamma Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.37 224 10.1Gamma Flex Core Control 16 Nylon 1.31 226 8.9Gamma Advantage 15L Nylon 1.39 227 8.3Gamma Marathon DPC 17 Nylon 1.27 228 7.7Gamma Dura Spin 15L Nylon 1.41 230 9.0Ashaway MonoGut 17 Nylon 1.22 233 12.2Wilson Stamina DT Nylon 1.38 237 9.9Ashaway MonoGut 16L Nylon 1.27 242 12.2





Klip Hardcore 17 Polyester 1.24 243 11.0Luxilon Monotec Zolo 16L Polyester 1.24 243 12.2Luxilon Big Banger XP 16L Polyester 1.25 243 11.8Tecnifibre Spinfire 1.30 Polyester 1.31 244 13.1Babolat Ballistic Polymono 17 Polyester 1.25 244 13.7Pacific PolySpin 16 Polyester 1.32 245 13.1Prince Polygut 16 Polyester 1.31 246 13.1Prince Polygut 17 Polyester 1.24 246 13.9Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 Polyester 1.28 249 11.7Tecnifibre Polyspin 1.275 Polyester 1.27 249 13.5Luxilon Monotec Supersense 16L Polyester 1.26 250 13.1Gamma Zo Life 16 Polyester 1.28 251 9.3Gosen Polylon 16 Polyester 1.30 254 13.9Klip K-Boom 16 Polyester 1.31 255 10.3Head UltraTour 17 Polyester 1.22 255 13.3Gosen Polylon Comfort 16 Polyester 1.30 256 13.3Babolat Ballistic Polymono 16 Polyester 1.30 257 13.7Alpha Polycable 16 Polyester 1.33 257 16.6

Volkl Fire (hybrid) Polyester 1.25 258 12.8Klip Hardcore 16 Polyester 1.27 258 13.1Ashaway Monofire XL 17 Polyester 1.26 259 11.1Luxilon Big Banger LTS 16 Polyester 1.30 259 12.7Luxilon Big Banger TiMO 17 Polyester 1.23 261 10.9Luxilon Poly-Blast 16 Polyester 1.29 261 11.8Head UltraTour 16L Polyester 1.27 263 12.4Gamma Dura Blast 17 Polyester 1.26 264 10.8Pro Kennex CS-X 17 Polyester 1.23 265 12.8Luxilon Big Banger Original Rough 16 Polyester 1.28 266 13.1Bow Brand Bowstar 35 Polyester 1.36 267 13.3Wilson Enduro Mono 16L Polyester 1.27 269 10.5Ashaway Monofire XL 16 Polyester 1.29 278 10.9Luxilon Monotec Super Poly 16 Polyester 1.25 288 11.8Luxilon Big Banger 5-Star 15L Polyester 1.37 290 12.6Pacific Poly Force 17 Polyester 1.24 294 8.7Gamma Dura Blast 16 Polyester 1.30 303 7.9Pacific Poly Force 16L Polyester 1.30 320 12.4

Stiff- TensionCompany String Material Gauge ness Loss

(lb/in.) (lbs)

Gut (Sorted by Stiffness)

Ashaway Composite XT Pro Vectran 1.30 470 8.8Forten New Age 18 Kevlar/Nylon 1.13 511 7.5Prince Perfection Control 17 Nylon/Technora 1.24 530 6.8Prince Perfection Control 16 Nylon/Technora 1.28 530 7.6Forten Ultra Thin Blend 18 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.12 545 7.7Forten Thin Blend 18 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.15 557 6.4Wilson Hyperlast Spin (hybrid) Technora 1.21 562 7.3Head RIP Blend 17 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.24 574 8.7Dunlop Max Touch 17 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.22 586 9.6Silent Partner Gutsy Aramid 17 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.15 623 8.1Forten Aramid Gear 15 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.45 627 8.6Pacific Gear 16 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.43 629 8.3Forten Sweet Aramid 16L (hybrid) Kevlar 1.27 632 8.4Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 19 (hybrid) Kevlar/Nylon 1.23 640 10.3Gamma Infinity 18 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.17 641 9.6Ashaway Crossfire 18 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.08 671 9.1Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 16 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.28 674 9.5Gosen Arammix Pro 18 Kevlar 1.09 697 6.1Wilson Hyperlast 15 (hybrid) Technora 1.41 709 8.3Prince Problend 17 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.24 720 5.8Gamma Infinity 16 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.30 736 10.5Ashaway Crossfire 17 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.22 757 9.6Klip Atomic 16 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.29 758 9.0Forten Sweet Aramid 15L (hybrid) Kevlar 1.36 761 8.6

Ashaway Crossfire II 16 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.29 764 8.8Prince Pro Blend 16 (hybrid) Kevlar 1.30 981 5.6

Kevlar/Technora/Vectran (Sorted by Stiffness)

Pacific Prime Gut Imperial 17 Natural Gut 1.17 90 7.5Pro Kennex Heritage 16 Natural Gut 1.27 99 8.3Wilson Natural 16 Natural Gut 1.31 102 6.7Babolat VS Team 17 Natural Gut 1.26 102 6.7Wilson Natural 17 Natural Gut 1.26 103 6.9Pacific Tour Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.24 104 7.8Pacific Prime Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.22 105 6.1Pacific Classic Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.30 106 8.8Babolat VS Touch 16 Natural Gut 1.30 107 7.1Wilson Natural 15L Natural Gut 1.34 110 7.4Pacific Prime Gut 17L Natural Gut 1.25 110 9.2Bow Brand Championship 16 Natural Gut 1.30 111 6.8Klip Legend 1.30 Natural Gut 1.28 113 8.3Klip Legend 17 Natural Gut 1.27 113 8.6Babolat Tonic+ Ball Feel Natural Gut 1.35 114 7.1Bow Brand Championship 15L Natural Gut 1.34 116 7.9Babolat VS Touch 15L Natural Gut 1.35 118 7.0Babolat Tonic+ Longevity Natural Gut 1.38 119 7.5

Polyester (Sorted by Stiffness)Stiff- Tension Stiff- Tension

Company String Material Gauge ness Loss Company String Material Gauge ness Loss(lb/in.) (lbs) (lb/in.) (lbs)



ooking for a way tospice up yourapparel sales and

to offer somethingunique to your mem-bers and customers?Put your logo or facilityname on yourtenniswear.

Many apparelmanufacturers offer a“custom-embroi-dery” program, inwhich you canhave your logostitched ontoapparel.Generally,there's aminimum

order of any-where from 12 to 24 pieces, a small set-up fee (usuallyaround $100) for the logo, and an extra charge of about$2.50 per garment. But, says Peter Antonacci of Sport-

ing Look, “You can increase your bottom line byhaving items that your customers can't buy inother shops.”

Antonacci sayshe's noticed anincrease in the cus-tom-embroiderybusiness over thelast few years, andthat's what hasprompted Sporting Lookto redo its line to focussolely on custom-embroi-dered tennis apparel. “Whereour business has really grown is inclubs and resorts that want the lat-est high-tech fabrics and the latestdesigns, and they want to put theirlogo on it,” he says.

“I think one reason why moreshops are doing custom embroi-dery is that their customers willnever see that garment in adiscount store, which buys

With custom embroidery, youcan offer tennis apparel thatis unique to your shop.

APPAREL


B Y P E T E R F R A N C E S C O N I

L

Lejay

Sporting Look

MADETOORDER

MADETOORDER

closeout lines from big manu-facturers,” says Antonacci.

Custom-embroidered apparelis something that most peoplemay associate with high-profileresorts. “If people are coming into a resort from around theworld, they want to take alogoed garment home withthem,” says Bill Evans,

vice president of salesand marketing forTail. Evans saysthat while themajority of Tail'scustom-logoedmerchandise ison the golf side,the companydoes tennisapparel, too,mostly for countryclubs and club

teams.Katie Curry, vice pres-

ident of marketing for TheLBH Group, also finds that

while the golf side has reallytaken the lead with customembroidery, there are tennisaccounts looking to logo theirapparel, too. “When an accountdoes request a custom logo, it's

usually either for atennis shop at aresort or for atennis team,”she says.

In fact, providing ten-niswear with a custom lookfor teams has been big busi-ness for many apparel manufac-turers. Patrice Brayer, thenational sales manager forMarcia Apparel, says that her

company recently com-pleted an order for 240

custom-embroi-dered shirts forone facility. “Itwas a hugeorder, for teamplay,” she says.“Logoing andteam orders aresomewhat com-mon. Sometimes,they even ask us to

design the logo for them, if they don't have alogo.”

“We do supply a lot of uniforms,” addsDiane Bladecki, marketing/promotions direc-tor for Kaelin. “I think where it's mainly onthe rise is on a polo type of shirt or a tank topfor ladies. As a past retailer, what you're look-ing for with those items are things with a verylong margin.”

Trish Levin, vice president of merchandis-ing for Lejay, says her company will do cus-tom embroidery, but when it comesto customizing for teams or facil-ities, Lejay's main focushas been on team colors.“A big part of our busi-ness is custom teamapparel, where weoffer up to 15 solid col-ors for the body styleand those same colors fortrim,” she says. “Then welet teams pick their own colorcombinations, and we turnit around in three orfour weeks.”

If there aretournaments orother specialevents in yourarea, considerhaving custom-embroideredapparel avail-able for sale, tai-lored, of course,to those events.

Also, you may want to carryapparel that is custom-logoedwith your community nameor other local affiliation, whichmight prove profitable forsome tennis shops that aren'tconnected to a specific tennisfacility.

Custom-embroidery can helpyour shop get noticed, and can providea unique product for your customers. w


How to Contact the ManufacturersKaelin—800-252-5415; www.kaelinsportswear.comLBH—800-421-4474; www.lbhgroup.comLejay—800-932-7535; www.lejay.comMarcia—800-423-5208; www.marciagolfandtennis.comSporting Look—800-750-8960; www.sportinglook.comTail—800-678-8245; www.tailinc.com

Kaelin


ROLAND GARROSMEN

Round Racquet Racquet StringRank Reached Player Name Country Brand Racquet Model Headsize Brand

1 2 Roger Federer SUI Wilson nCode Six-One Tour 90 Luxilon/Wilson2 3 Andy Roddick USA Babolat Pure Drive + 100 Babolat3 F Guillermo Coria ARG Prince Experimental NXGraphite 100 Luxilon4 S David Nalbandian ARG Yonex RDX-500 98 Luxilon5 S Tim Henman GBR Slazenger Pro X-1 95 Babolat/Luxilon6 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP Prince NXGraphite 100 Luxilon7 Q Carlos Moya ESP Babolat Pure Drive 100 Luxilon8 4 Rainer Schuettler GER Head Liquidmetal Prestige Mid 93 Polystar9 4 Andre Agassi USA Head Liquidmetal Radical OS 107 Luxilon10 W Gaston Gaudio ARG Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 -11 Q Lleyton Hewitt AUS Yonex RDX-500 90 Babolat/Luxilon12 2 Nicolas Massu CHI Babolat Pure Control Plus 97 Luxilon13 3 Sebastien Grosjean FRA Head Liquidmetal Prestige MP 98 Babolat14 3 Paradorn Srichaphan THA Yonex Ultimum RD TI-80 98 Luxilon/Babolat15 1 Marat Safin RUS Head Liquidmetal Prestige Mid 93 Babolat16 Sjeng Schalken NED DID NOT PLAY17 4 Mark Philippoussis AUS Head i.prestige Mid (black) 93 Babolat18 Q Juan Ignacio Chela ARG Babolat Pure control Plus - Babolat19 3 Jiri Novak CZE Volkl Tour 10 Mid Plus 98 Luxilon20 3 Andrei Pavel ROM Fischer Pro No. One 98 Luxilon

WOMENRound Racquet Racquet String

Rank Reached Player Name Country Brand Racquet Model Headsize Brand

1 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL Wilson HTour 95 BDE2 Kim Clijsters BEL DID NOT PLAY3 W Anastasia Myskina RUS Head Liquidmetal Instinct 100 Luxilon4 Q Amelie Mauresmo FRA Dunlop 300G 98 Babolat5 1 Lindsay Davenport USA Wilson HTour 95 Babolat6 F Elena Dementieva RUS Yonex RDX-500 MP 98 Luxilon7 S Jennifer Capriati USA Prince Triple Threat Rebel Midsize 95 Babolat/Luxilon8 Q Venus Williams USA Wilson H4 110 Wilson9 S Paola Suarez ARG Prince NXG Graphite 100 Prince10 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS Head Liquidmetal Instinct 100 Luxilon11 Q Serena Williams USA Wilson H6 110 Wilson12 2 Nadia Petrova RUS * * * Luxilon13 3 Ai Sugiyama JPN Prince More Control DB 800 97 Prince14 2 Vera Zvonareva RUS Fischer Pro No One FT 98 Kirschbaum15 Q Maria Sharapova RUS Prince More Attack 100 Babolat16 3 Silvia Farina Elia ITA Prince Triple Threat Graphite OS 110 Luxilon17 2 Anna Pistolesi ISR Babolat Pure Drive 100 Babolat18 Chanda Rubin USA DID NOT PLAY19 1 Francesca Schiavone ITA Fischer Pro No. One 98 Luxilon20 3 Patty Schnyder SUI Head Liquidmetal Prestige MP 98 Kirschbaum

P L A Y E R E Q U I P M E N T L O G

ROLAND GARROS

*We were unable to confirm the racquet that Nadia Petrova was using at RolandGarros. We recieved reports that she was using a Head and/or Prince Racquet.


Wondering what gear your favorite pro players brought to this year’s French Open?Here’s a look at the equipment that the top 20 men and women used to try to tamethe slow red clay. Put these pages on the wall of your shop, so that your customerscan check out their favorite players, too.

String String Footwear ClothingString Model Gauge Tension Brand Footwear Model Brand

Big Banger Alu Power Rough/Natural Gut 16L - Nike VAPOR S2 NikePro Hurricane/VS Team 16 16 73 Reebok Figjam DMX ReebokBig Banger Original 16 52 Adidas ClimaCool Feather AdidasBig Banger Original 16 64 Yonex Power Cushion 303 YonexBig Banger Timo 17 (M) / VS Team Natural Gut (X) 17 51.6 Adidas ClimaCool Feather AdidasBig Banger Original 16 53/51 Nike Air Court Implosion Sergio TacchiniBig Banger Original 16 60 Nike MAX Breathe FREE NikeEnergy 1.25mm - Fila X-Point FilaBig Banger Alu Power 16L 66 Nike MAX Breathe FREE Nike- - 59.5 Diadora Protech DA2 DiadoraVS Team/Big Banger Alu Power 16L 56 Nike MAX Breathe FREE NikeBig Banger Alu Power 16 53 Adidas ClimaCool Feather AdidasVS Touch 16 50.6 ASICS Gel Invasion LacosteBig Banger Alu Power/VS Touch Natural Gut 16L/16 64 Adidas ClimaCool Feather AdidasBallistic 16/VS Team 16 16 -- Adidas ClimaCool Feather Adidas

VS Touch Natural Gut 16 75 - - FilaBallistic 16 16 Adidas ClimaCool Feather AdidasBig Banger Alu Power 16L 29/28kg - - AustralianBig Banger Ace Touch 18/16L - Nike VAPOR S2 Nike

String String Footwear ClothingString Model Gauge Tension Brand Footwear Model Brand

BDE Performance 16 57.5 Adidas ClimaCool Feather W Adidas

Big Banger Timo 18 18 56/52 Nike - NikeVS Touch 16 57.2 Nike MAX Breathe FREE NikeVS Touch 16 63/64 Nike Air Zoom Thrive NikeBig Banger Alu Power 16L 51/48.5 Yonex Power Cushion 303 YonexVS Touch 16/Big Banger Alu Power 16L 67 Fila X-Point FilaNatural 16 65 Reebok VESW DMX ReebokNylon 15L - Lotto ATP Supreme Lite LottoBig Banger Alu Touch 16L - Fila X-Point FilaNatural 16 67 Puma Extrena PumaMonotec Supersense 16L 20kg Adidas ClimaCool Feather W AdidasNatural Gut 16 57 Nike Air Court Motion NikeSuper Smash Spikey 16 - Adidas ClimaCool Feather W AdidasPro Hurricane 17/VS Touch 16 17 - Nike VAPOR S2 NikeBig Banger Original 16 52/50 Sergio Tacchini - Sergio TacchiniTour Duralast 16 77.2 Puma - Puma

Big Banger Alu Power 18 - Diadora Kynetech W DA2 DiadoraSuper Smash Spikey 17 - Adidas ClimaCool Feather W Adidas


the EXPERTS

HARD COURTSVS. SOFT COURTS

In the April issue of RSI, CrawfordLindsey provided the article “Fol-low the Bouncing Ball,” which

describes the “coefficient of restitution”(COR) for a tennis ball as “0.6 for grass,0.83 for hard courts, and 0.85 for claycourts.” Furthermore, the article says,“That means that a ball's bounce will bethe highest and fastest on clay, lowestand slowest on grass.” The article alsostates, “The harder the court, the higherthe ball will bounce.”

If all this is not in error, then obviouslyclay courts, which we call soft, are harderthan hard courts. I know this sounds like aline from comedian George Carlin, but ifsoft courts are harder than hard courts,why aren't hard courts called soft courts?I'm asking not because of ball bounce butbecause of player injuries. I see moreinjuries on clay courts because of thelonger ball exchanges on each point, thephysical exertion from getting to balls thatare out of reach on the faster hard courts,and foot slippage from the lack ofstart/stop traction.

Good question, but the confusionstems from the fact that you are

attempting to draw conclusions based onthe coefficient of restitution for courts,rather than the coefficient of friction.According to an upcoming book fromRacquet Tech Publishing, From Breakpointto Advantage: A Practical Guide toOptimal Tennis Health and Performance,by Dr. Babette Pluim and Dr. Marc Safran,the sliding characteristics of the courtsurface are more important than the cush-ioning properties. Surfaces that permitsome sliding (such as clay) result in fewerinjuries than surfaces that allow virtuallyno sliding (such as hard courts). This isbecause on clay, sliding to a stop lowersthe peak force and spreads this already-lower force over more time. This translatesto less wear and tear on your body. Thisconclusion is supported by statistics pro-

vided by the ATP, which show that play-ers receive treatment at a rate of 0.37times per match on hard courts (includ-ing carpet), compared to a rate of 0.20times per match on clay. From Break-point to Advantage is scheduled forrelease in September, at a list price of$29.95.

REDUCINGSTRINGING SPEED

I hear about these stringers whocan restring a racquet in 15minutes or less, and I wonder

what I'm doing wrong. It takes me atleast an hour to restring a racquet, andthat's when I'm hurrying. What's thebest way to learn how to string faster?

While it is no doubt true thatsome have more aptitude for

stringing than others, you can gainspeed without sacrificing quality throughpractice. Also, read through the tips thathave been submitted by other members,to see if any of them fit with your styleand help improve your stringing time.One area that seems to make a hugedifference in the time it takes to finish aracquet is weaving the cross strings. Justabout anyone can complete the mains ina few minutes, so your total dependsmore on other phases of the restringingprocess. It is a good idea to use a stop-watch to determine how long you spendon various aspects of the stringingprocess, to get an idea where you needthe most work, and can realize the mostimprovement.

There is one other factor that hasnothing to do with your skill, and that is

the machine you are using. Somemachines are just faster than others. Youcan do a quality restringing with a drop-weight machine, but it can take a lotlonger than the high-end electronicmachines used by the pros.

BABOLAT SENSORI'm thinking about buying a newstringing machine, and one of themachines I'm considering is the

Babolat Sensor, despite its price. However,I've heard that the Sensor doesn't havespeed control, unlike most of the lessexpensive machines I'm looking at. Is itpossible to set the speed on the Sensor?

No, you cannot set the speed ofthe tension head on the Babolat

Sensor because its electronic control sys-tem sets tension head speed automaticallyafter looking at parameters such as thetension setting, the pre-stretch setting,and the stiffness of the string. The firsttwo parameters are set by the persondoing thestringing,but thelast para-meter,stringstiffness,is mea-sured bytheSensor oneach pullby exam-ining how much time it takes the tensionhead to reach a percentage of the refer-ence tension. By the time tension on thestring reaches 50 to 60 percent of thereference tension, the machine has calcu-lated the string stiffness, and the internalregulation loop takes over. The result isthat the reference head reaches tension,with the optimum pulling speed for eachtype of string, without overshoot oroscillation, and without the need formanually setting the speed. w

Q

A

Your Equipment Hotline

Q

A A

Q

ask

applied to the machine clamp by the ten-sion head wears out the clamp base tothe point where it will start to slip. Usingthe starting clamp on the outside of theframe is hard on the adjacent grommet,and we've found that the string suffers alot of wear and tear.

I avoid all these problems by using mystarting clamp inside the frame. Afterthreading the short and long sidesthrough the grommets for the two centermains, I install my second short-side

and TECHNIQUEStips

The ideas, suggestions and techniquesfound in “Tips and Techniques” haveall been submitted by USRSA members.This department has run almost everymonth since its inception in 1993,recounting stringers tricks and tales ofthe trade garnered from everyday,real-life stringing and business experi-ences. All these tips have been gath-ered into a single volume of theStringer’s Digest—Racquet ServiceTechniques—that is a benefit of USRSAmembership. Submit tips to: GregRaven, USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA92804; or email: [email protected].

LUBRICATE THEBLOCKING STRINGWhen working with natural gut or otherfragile strings, I put a little lubricant on the

blocking string before pulling the crossstring through. This is a prime area forfriction, and a little lubrication can preventthe creation of a notch that could jeopar-dize the string job. Make certain to wipeoff any excess lubricant from the outsideof the frame before giving the racquet tothe customer, of course.5 packs of Wilson Pro Overgrip(3 grips in a pack) to:David Mindell, Cathedral City, CA

STARTING CLAMPAS A STARTING CLAMPA lot of stringers use the starting clamp toback up the machine clamp on the firstmain, or put the starting clamp on theoutside of the frame. But I use my startingclamp on the inside of the frame. Backingup the machine clamp with the startingclamp holds the string, but the side-load

Readers’ Know-How in Action


string so it lays the way I want it to rela-tive to the other string going to thathole. Sometimes, though, pulling theknot tight will “undress” the string,leaving a benign but unsightly cross-over. To prevent this from happening Iput my awl into the hole after first dress-ing the string. The awl keeps the tie-offstring in place, through the knotting

process. You just have to remember toremove the awl before doing your finalcinch on the string to get any slack thatmay be on the outside of the frame.5 packs of Unique Tourna Grip(3 overgrips per pack) to:Billy Knight, Incline Village, NV

—Greg Raven w

main, and apply my starting clamp insidethe hoop on the end of the racquet far-ther from the tension head. I then pulltension on the first short-side main, andclamp off using the machine clamp. I nexttension and clamp the first three mains onthe long side as normal, before goingback to tension the second short-sidemain, at which time I remove my startingclamp and clamp off using the machineclamp as normal.

When using delicate or slippery string,or when stringing at really high tensions, Iuse two starting clamps, one behind theother, in the same fashion.Bow Brand string pack(including 1 set of natural gut) to:Chase Oliphant, Indio, CA

NATURAL GUT PROTECTIONI recently installed some natural gut in myracquet. The strings are great, but I wasworried about how they would hold upunder the conditions here on the Floridacoast. I play on green clay surfaces thatare constantly damp, and the heat,humidity, and rain here are legendary.

So I relied on anold trick I used 30years ago in Maryland.After each match, Iimmediately rub cocoabutter onto the stings.It works to protect thegut from drying out.

Rub the cocoa butter on both handsthickly, then rub your hands all over thestrings. Friction heats the cocoa butter soit will coat the strings and protect them.

It wears off after a few warm-up hits.As if that's not enough, your spouse orsignificant other will love the new feel ofyour hands.Alpha 5-string pack to:Karl SangerEditor's note: Just make certain thatyou apply the cocoa butter to yourstrings after you play, unless you likea really slippery grip.

BEGINNER TIPSNEATER TIE-OFFSAfter running the end of the stringthrough the tie-off hole, I “dress” the


string PLAYTEST

X-One Biphase is a multifilament string

constructed using a new variation of the

tried-and-true Tecnifibre process.

According to Tecnifibre, X-One Biphase

combines H2C (High Heat Capacity)

microfilaments for power and feel, with

NRG microfilaments for dynamic

response. These microfilaments go

through a chemical “trimerization”

process to increase cohesion when

dipped into polyurethane for bonding,

and external protection against wear

and notching. As with other Tecnifibre

strings, the polyurethane also absorbs

vibration and reduces shock. Tecnifibre

tells us that its patented Biphase

process extends string life by 20 percent

and increases spin performance.

Extensive lab testing and playtesting byTecnifibre have shown that X-One Biphasewill reduce muscular fatigue, have dynam-ic properties similar to natural gut, andoffer excellent durability.

X-One Biphase is available in 16 (1.30mm) and 17 (1.24 mm) gauges in naturalonly. It is priced from $14.50 for coils of39 feet. For more information or to order,contact Tecnifibre at 877-332-0825, orvisit www.tecnifibre.com.

IN THE LABWe tested the 1.24 mm (17) gauge X-OneBiphase. The coil measured 40 feet, 2inches. The diameter measured 1.26 priorto stringing and 1.21 mm after stringing.We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 70RDC units immediately after stringing at60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pullmachine.

After 24 hours (no playing),stringbed stiffness measured 64RDC units, representing a 9 per-cent tension loss. Our control string,Prince Synthetic Gut Original Gold 16,measured 78 RDC units immediately afterstringing and 71 RDC units after 24 hours,representing a 9 percent tension loss. X-One Biphase added 13 grams to the

weight of ourunstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeks by34 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests,with playtesters receiving unmarkedstrings in unmarked packages. Averagenumber of hours playtested was 25.7.

X-One Biphase is easy to install. Theonly problem we had was that the lastinch or so of the already-flexible stringwould become a bit too flexible onblocked holes, necessitating a quick trimeven though the point itself was still ingood shape. For best performance, Tec-nifibre recommends pre-stretching beforeinstallation, but it is not required. We pre-stretched our test sample, and advised ourplaytesters to do the same.

X-One Biphase also has a slight textureto it, but not enough to create a “saw-ing” of the crosses on the mains. Knotswere easily tied, and there was no coilmemory, no doubt due at least in part topre-stretching. Best of all, straighteningthe strings after installation was a breeze,despite the polyurethane impregnation.No playtester broke his sample duringstringing, none reported problems withcoil memory, none reported problemstying knots, and one reported frictionburn.

ON THE COURTOur playtester team loved this string, giv-ing it the highest Power rating of anystring we've playtested, dethroning Tec-nifibre 515 16L (our previously highestrated string), and moving Tecnifibre NRG2SPL 17 from second place to third highestof all time. They also loved the Comfort,awarding X-One Biphase our best-ever

TecnifibreX-One Biphase

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)No. of testers who said it was:much easier 4somewhat easier 9about as easy 18not quite as easy 2not nearly as easy 1

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)No. of testers who said it was:much better 4somewhat better 10about as playable 9not quite as playable 11not nearly as playable 0

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)No. of testers who said it was:much better 2somewhat better 13about as durable 17not quite as durable 2not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.9Durability 3.4Power 3.8Control 3.8Comfort 4.0Touch/Feel 3.6Spin Potential 3.5Holding Tension 3.2Resistance to Movement 3.3


“ This string reminds me of natural gut. After a couple of hours ofplay, it became very soft and comfortable. It holds tension well andshows very little string movement. I really love this string.”4.0 male baseliner with heavy spin using Dunlop 200G strung at 65pounds CP (Prince Synthetic 16)

“ The string is soft and slippery, and the tip didn't fray during string-ing. It has low coil memory and is very easy to work with. It has a softfeel during play, similar to my normal string, although with a little lesscontrol. I like this string and would recommend it to customers whowant a softer feeling string. It is a goodalternative to natural gut, and I would useit myself.”3.5 male all-court player using Völkl Tour9 V-Engine strung at 54 pounds CP (PacificTourGut 16)

“ I liked this string from the first hit. It hasgreat feel, great ball grab, and offers verynice control. It reminds me of the qualitiesthat natural gut offers. Having made thatstatement, I would guess that this string is made by Tecnifibre.”5.5 male serve-and-volleyer using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.7 Extremestrung at 54 pounds CP (Natural gut 16/17)

“ Very easy string to work with. Virtually no coil memory. Scoredabove average in most categories. I felt that I hit out with this stringwith no loss of control. Off-center hits were returned with adequatepower and no harshness. While the strings move initially, they quicklylocked into place, although that may have been due to notching. Thestring did fray on me near the end of its life, but this did not affect theplayability.”4.5 male baseliner with heavy spin using Pro Kennex 7g strung at 68pounds CP (Prince DNA Helix 16)

“ I am pleased with this string, as it suits my game quite well. I amable to hit heavy topspin as well as underspin from the baseline, andhave touch and control at the net. If the price is reasonable I wouldhave no problem recommending this string.”4.0 male all-court player using Head i.x5 OS strung at 57 pounds LO(Wilson Sensation NXT 17)

“ I just returned from a severe bout with tennis elbow, and I foundthis to be an excellent choice. I am pleased with the overall playability

and comfort.”5.0 male all-court player using WilsonHyper Pro Staff 6.1 strung at 50 pounds LO(Tecnifibre NRG2 17)

“ I didn't like having to pre-stretch thestring. Otherwise, it was fine.”5.0 male serve-and-volleyer using WilsonHyper Hammer 4.0 OS strung at 58 poundsLO (Wilson NXT 17)

“ Very little give on pre-stretch, much likea poly. One of the quietest, most shock-absorbing strings I've hit.Dampening to the point of losing power. Would be excellent for over-powered frames. Very little movement with no signs of wear duringtest. Only moderate tension loss during four weeks of playtesting.”4.5 male all-court player using Völkl Tour 7 strung at 62 pounds CP(Tecnifibre NRG2 18)

“ A good string offering power and control. Noticed tension droppedconsiderably after about nine hours of use.”5.0 male baseliner with heavy spin using Head Intelligence strung at 60pounds CP (BDE Performance 16)

For the rest of the tester comments, USRSA members can visit RacquetTECH.com.

“Very good string.Gut-like playability. Ilove it.”5.0 male serve-and-volleyer using

Wilson Surge strung at 65 pounds LO

(Wilson Hyperlast 63)

TESTERS TALK

(Strings normally used by testers are indicated in parentheses.)

rating of all the strings we've tested.In addition, our team rated X-OneBiphase third place overall both in Playa-bility and in Spin Potential (the Biphaseprocess in action?), and fourth placeoverall in Touch/Feel. For good measure,they also rated it well above average inControl. The average score was goodenough to vault X-One Biphase intofourth place of all the strings we've tested.

Six playtesters broke the test sample,one each at 5, 5.5, 7, 17, 26, and 55hours.

FREE PLAYTESTSTRING PROGRAM

Tecnifibre has generously offered to send a free set of

X-One Biphase to USRSA members who request it.

To get your free set, just register at

www.tecnifibreUSA.com

Offer expires September 15, 2004One set of free string per USRSA membership

Offer only available to USRSA members in the US

FREE! Tecnifibre X-One Biphase!In order to qualify, you will need to provide your

USRSA member number.


CONCLUSIONX-One Biphase didn't just score first over-all in the Comfort category, it far sur-passed our previous first-place string. Eventhough competition among manufactur-ers has brought down the price of thetraditional comfort string—natural gut—X-One Biphase's comfort-to-cost ratiocould win it a lot of friends among thosewith arm problems, and that's not takinginto consideration its many other finequalities, or its ease of stringingcompared to gut. —Greg Ravenw

TENNIS PROS Want to change jobsand let everyone know you are available?Place a Tennis Position Wanted classifiedhere - everyone gets RSI magazine. Seedetails at the bottom of this page.

TENNIS CLUBS Want to add to staff?Place an ad in RSI; everyone reads it. Allinformation is at bottom of this page. Wecan help.

DO YOU WANT TO BUY OR SELL ARACQUET BUSINESS? If you don?twant to keep it a secret, place a classifiedad here. If you want confidentiality, let usadvise you. For details, see bottom of thispage.

DO YOU SELL A PRODUCT ORSERVICE TO TENNIS CLUBS ORRETAILERS?Why not contact them witha classified ad here in RSI? It’s easy, just seedetails at bottom of this page.

SELLING YOUR CLUB?Let us help you.Call bob Larson for confidential consulta-tion. 952 920 8947 or contact by [email protected]

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SALES REPS Join the fastest growingstring company with a new fresh approachto the tennis industry. We are seekingestablished and motivated sales reps thatare looking to add a string and accessoryline to their current products. We offer a fullrange of strings including synthetics, poly-esters, natural gut an gut hybrids. Salesreps are needed across the US, Mexico andCanada. Positions are commission-basedonly. Please e-mail all resumes and/orquestions to [email protected] or faxus at 720 559 3253.

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TENNIS SERVICES

At no cost for clubs, ProMatch Tennis Ser-vice finds qualified tennis teaching profes-sionals. We interview, check references andcriminal background, and train. Profession-als are certified either with the USPTA or

the PTR. ProMatch Tennis Service can becontacted by calling 770-817-0559. Youcan email us for more information at [email protected].

COURT CONSTRUCTIONIs it time to resurface or repair your tenniscourt? Sport-Master’s nationwide andworldwide network of professional sportsurfacing contractors are available to pro-vide free on-site assessment and recom-mendations. Phone 1 800 395 7325, [email protected].

TENNIS EQUIPMENTFOR SALE

RALLY MASTER BACKBOARDSLowest price, 20 year warranty. Punctureand crack proof. Quiet performance.www.Rallymasterbackboards.com. 800-725-5916

TENNIS SHADE GAZEBOSUnique seating/ shade gazebos forbetween courts or against fences. No paint-ing or maintenance with Eco - Board,hunter green plastic extruded cover overstructural wood. Special designs for unitsaround light poles,fences, etc.

Easy to assemble, free standing gaze-bo's, do not require footings or anchorsinto courts. Call (800) 928 - 7331 or visitwww.tennisgazebos.com

BUBBLE FOR SALEAir supported structure “bubble” for a twotennis court enclosure, translucent, avail-able immediately. Used only for one sea-son, 118‚ by 108‚ by 40‚ high. Completewith new heater/inflation system, doorsand lighting. Contact Walter Ptaszek atMSS Inc. 908 876 0146. Cell phone 908 6936232. E-mail [email protected].

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

INCREASE YOUR NET INCOMEWITH NO INVESTMENT!Promote the new tennis publication, TEN-NIS CELEBS to your members or customersand receive $10 for every sale. With littleeffort and no investment or risk it is possi-ble to earn thousands of dollars annually.For information, contact Bob Larson [email protected].

R S I C L A S S I F I E D SB Y B O B L A R S O N

TO PLACE AN AD IN RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCLASSIFIEDSClassified ads are $100 for up to 50 words. Additional words are $1 each. To place anad or for help in writing the ad, call Bob Larson, 952 920 8947. Deadline for the Augustissue is July 22. E-mail [email protected].


FOR THE LATEST IN TENNIS NEWSall day every day go towww.tennisnews.com. Why spend hourslooking for the latest news when it is all inone place? See The Tennis Newswire now.

TENNIS CELEBSis a new weekly publi-cation with stories and pictures of the richand famous tennis people. TENNIS CELEBSgets its news from reporters around theworld sending it the latest news about thestars. For a free sample, [email protected].

FREE SAMPLE TENNIS NEWSPA -PER.Get a free one-month subscription toDaily Tennis, the world’s only daily tennisnewspaper. Get the latest news about theplayers, tournaments, companies, collegetennis and even job availability. For freesample write [email protected].

HOW TO HIRE A TENNIS PROGet this free booklet that tells how to hirea pro, step by step and avoid making amistake. For free copy, Call Bob Larson at952 920 8947 or by e-mail [email protected].

ATTENTION CLUB OWNERS.Experi-enced Head Pro/Manager seeking toacquire tennis, tennis and swim or tennisand health club in the CT, NY, NJ region.For confidential inquiries, please contactBob at [email protected]

INCREASE YOUR NET INCOMEWITH NO INVESTMENT!Promote the new tennis publication, TEN-NIS CELEBS to your members or cus-tomers and receive $10 for every sale.With little effort and no investment or riskit is possible to earn thousands of dollarsannually. For information, contact BobLarson at [email protected].

NEW MEMBER CITY STATE/COUNTRY

John Lewis Odenville AL

Eugene Kim Los Angeles CA

Sportmart Long Beach CA

Richard Wynn Jr Altadena CA

David Schwartz Stevenson Ranch CA

Stella Manashirov Mountain View CA

Richard Wilczak Napa CA

Jerry Kinnaman Oakley CA

Vijai Batchu San Jose CA

Bobby Hush Bethany Beach DE

Andrew Austin Atlanta GA

Dan Kolodziej Dyer IN

Chris Ensslin Lexington KY

Kim Angermeier Henderson KY

Cody Fister Mandeville LA

Jeffrey Kelley Easthampton MA

Jonathan Kostek West Springfield MA

Michael Pierce Silver Spring MD

Jeremy Johnson Abington MD

Calvin Choi Auburn Hills MI

Jerry Amstutz Coldwater MI

Matt Bruer St. Louis MO

Mark Enderle Fulton MO

NEW MEMBER CITY STATE/COUNTRY

Scheels All Sports Omaha NE

Ivan Fernandez Las Cruces NM

Judy Feldman Brooklyn NY

Bob Tuttle Freeport NY

Daniel Hwang Melville NY

Ken Baxter Ellenville NY

Robert Myerson Rhinebeck NY

John Koval Endwell NY

Teriangela Abbett Pittsburgh PA

Dave Messinger Kennet Square PA

Neil Soffer Blue Bell PA

Heinrich Stander Reading PA

Mason Brunson Florence SC

Nicole Stephenson Dallas TX

Katherine Enlow Missouri City TX

Scott Warren Seattle WA

Souriya Chanthaphonh Franklin WI

Ricky Payton APO AE

A.Oliveira do Amaral Rio de Janeiro BRAZIL

Ron Gore BC CANADA

Geoff Bowers Nottingham England

Dan Tinsay Tamuning Guam

Angel Rodriquez Garcia Lomas Altas MEXICO

NEW MEMBERS

USRSA MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

USRSA membership dues: $99 annually. (CA

residents add 7.75% sales tax. $106.67 total.)

Canadian Members add $20 (US) for postage

costs. US Total: $119. Mexican Members add

$25 (US) for postage costs. US Total: $124. All

other International Members add $36 (US) for

airmail postage costs. US Total: $135. Mem-

bership includes: 10 issues of Racquet Sports

Industry, the five-volume Stringer’s Digest,

free consultation, free classified advertising

and access to the member's-only website.

May/June 2004

MASTER RACQUET TECHNICIANSCongratulations to the following members who

recently became MRTsAlen Amini Cincinnati, OHSonny Kay Cincinnati, OH

CERTIFIED STRINGERSCongratulations to the following members who

recently became CSsJoseph Chastain Marietta, GASharon Hall Athens, GA

MRT’s: 400 CS’s: 2517


E V E N T C A L E N D A R

SeptemberDate Event Location

2-3 USPTA Certification Freeport, NY4-5 USPTA Certification Atlanta, GA5-6 USPTA Certification Hilton Head, SC10-11 USPTA Certification Minneapolis, MN11-12 PTR Certification Wilmington, DE11-12 USPTA Certification Rome, GA11-12 USPTA Certification Valencia, CA11-12 USPTA Certification Aurora, IL25-26 PTR Certification St. Louis, MO25-26 PTR Certification Manasquan, NJ

OctoberDate Event Location

7-8 USPTA Certification Bethpage, NY7-8 PTR Certification Flushing, NY9-10 USPTA Certification Rochester, MI16-17 USPTA Certification Sacramento, CA16-17 USPTA Certificaiton Edmonds, WA16-17 USPTA Certification Hot springs, AK16-17 USPTA Certification Ft. Worth, TX16-17 PTR Certification Wheaton, IL18-19 USPTA Certification Atlanta, GA19-20 USPTA Certification Mesa, AZ23-24 USPTA Certification Memphis, TN23-24 USPTA Certification Mandevilla, LA23-24 USPTA Certification Joplin, MO23-24 PTR Certification Thorofare, NJ23-24 PTR Certification Madison, WI25-26 USPTA Certification Beverly Hills, CA30-31 USPTA Certification Fayetteville, NC

Birmingham, AL 205-985-4989

Anchorage, AK 907-244-9810

or 225-767-1379

Scottsdale, AZ 480-483-5560

Mountain View, CA 650-968-8952

Ojai, CA 805-640-2109

San Diego, CA 858-272-9063

Boulder, CO 303-442-1412

Boca Raton, FL 561-997-0881

Clearwater, FL 727-442-7923

Ft. Walton Beach, FL 850-862-2023

Palm Coast, FL 386-446-6360

Winter Park, FL 407-673-9200

Snellville, GA 770-982-8989

Honolulu, HI 808-373-1212

Boise, ID 208-794-6236

or 208-345-4140

Northbrook, IL 847-480-7841

Overland Park, KS 913-491-4116

Baton Rouge, LA 907-244-9810

or 225-767-1379

East Lansing, MI 517-337-0002

St. Louis Park, MN 952-920-1603

Lincoln, NE 402-474-5050

Mountainside, NJ 908-233-6650

or 201-679-7535

For additional datesand locations,contact the USRSA,760-536-1177.

For more information or for additional dates and locations, contact the organization directly: PTR: 800-421-6289 • USPTA: 713-978-7782


Albuquerque, NM 505-299-8052

Commack, NY 631-543-7077

Flushing Meadows, NY 718-760-6227

Rochester, NY 585-427-2747

Cary, NC 919-859-6788

Cincinnati, OH 513-791-4636

Mentor, OH 440-357-6147

Lakeside, OR 907-244-9810

or 225-767-1379

Bryn Mawr, PA 610-525-2504

Pittsburgh, PA 412-323-0335 ext 256

West Lawn, PA 610-288-5030

Hilton Head Island, SC 843-341-8647

Myrtle Beach, SC 978-343-4944

Antioch, TN 615-731-3700

Dallas, TX 214-821-8440

Sugarland, TX 281-980-4286

Arlington, VA 703-522-2700

Farmville, VA 434-392-6081

Seattle, WA 206-812-6002

Victoria, Canada 604-418-4842

Tokyo, Japan 03-5603-1168

Ontario, CAN 519-534-3745

Tasmania, Australia 03 62348627

or 04 19 523226

Victoria, Australia 061-03-9890-3011

CERTIFICATION LOCA -TIONS

FOR SALE: Ten (10) brand new TST Precision 500stringing machines, used for the Nasdaq-100Miami Open is available for sale. Price . . . just$2200 ea. Plus shipping. For inquiries, pleaseemail: [email protected] or call Mike at772/285-5845

FOR SALE: New Gamma 8500 Els stringingmachine with linear pull. Complete progrqam-mable electronics with auto string measuring.This machine has strung less than 25 frames!Asking: $2,450 with free shipping! Contact:Cindy, Denver, CO o 303/220-0178

FOR SALE: Gamma 7000 Es stringing machine(electric) in excellent condition. Includes tools,cover, manual + clamps. Asking: $1200 + ship-ping, OBO. Contact: George Tompkins, GrandJunction, CO 81506 o 970/241-9043 or Email:[email protected]

WANTED: Dunlop Max Superlong +2.00. Con-tact: Don Donati, Clinton, CT 96413 o 860/669-6726 or Email: [email protected]

USRSACLASSIFIEDS


U S R S A330 Main St., Vista CA 92084 Tel: 760 • 536 • 1177

President Patrick CurryPartner/Business Development Steve Schein

Executive Director David Bone, MRTManaging Editor/Webmaster Crawford Lindsey

Advertising Director John HannaDesign/Art Director Kristine Thom

Technical SupportDot Hogen, MRT; Greg Raven, MRT

Membership ServicesNancy Crowley, Barbara Smith

Shipping/Receiving Pat Regan

USRSA TECHNICAL ADVISORSWarren Bosworth Professional stringer,racquet designer and industry advisor

Dr. Howard Brody Professor Emeritus of Physics,Univ. of Pennsylvania; Science Advisor, PTR

Ron Carr R&D Manager, Gamma Sports

Rod Cross Associate Professor of Physics,Univ. of Sydney, Australia

Bill Severa Director of Technology, Innovation andDesign Group,Wilson Racquet Sports

Steve Davis VP of Next Generation, Prince Sports

Dr. Simon Goodwill Research Assistant,University of Sheffield, UK

Dr. Carl Love Professor Emeritus, Metallurgy;President, Love Sports Enterprises

Bill Mitchell Director R&D, Powers Court

Tom Parry Product Development Manager/Pro Tour Services Manager; Volkl Tennis GmbH

Roger Petersman Business Manager-Accessories,Head/Penn Racquet Sports

ADVERTISERS INDEXFor more information on products and services in

this issue of Racquet Sports Industry, please contact

the manufacturers directly.

Company Page

Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Ashaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBCATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22BPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Classic Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Forten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Fromuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Gamma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 13, 15, 40, BCICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45, 47Klip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14LBH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Lee Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Lobster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Novagrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 21Nova Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Silent Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Tecnifibre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Unique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46USPTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38USTC&TBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFCWise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Your ServeWelcome to the Family!With teaching pros leading the way, Tennis Welcome Centers can go along way toward bringing people into their local tennis communities.

Irecently returned from the NCAADivision II tennis championships where I wasfortunate to coach some wonderful young

men and women. Their enthusiasm for thegame and commitment to hard work paid off,and in the case of the women's team, ended ina successful conclusion to a long and challeng-ing season.

Having had a few days to recover fromthe intensity of the tournament, I havebeen considering the incredible opportuni-ties that the young people involved in col-lege tennis have made for themselves.Although many of these student-athletesreceive scholarships to pay for part or all oftheir educational expenses, I believe thatthe greatest benefits they receive are lesstangible. They have traveled to places andmet people that without tennis would havebeen unavailable to them. They havelearned to excel in an individual sport andto be constructive members of a team.

I could go on at great length abouthow these players are propelled intosuccess as adults owing much to the sportof tennis, but most of us understand that.What's interesting to me is that theseyoung people began playing tennis at anearly age and kept playing—for countlesshours, through lactic acid buildup in theirmuscles, despite painful losses, and at theexpense of many other diversions availableto young people. Why?

It is very important to know why peopleplay. But it is equally important to knowwhy people who have tried tennis quit anddon't plan to play again. Thankfully, theTIA asked why. The research shows us thatthe majority of people who were dissatis-fied with tennis had never experienced aformal lesson with a qualified instructor.That's where the USPTA professional andthe industry-supported Tennis WelcomeCenter program come in.

A big part of the business of tennisteaching professionals is to give newcomersa great first lesson and then to turn theminto regular tennis players by providing

events and programs to keep them interest-ed and involved. Every day USPTA profes-sionals share our passion for the game withnew students and lifelong players alike.Ultimately, the tennis professional is thesolution to the industry's challenge toincrease the number of people who maketennis a part of their lives.

Today, tennis professionals haveunprecedented support when it comes tobringing people in for their first high-qualitylessons. The entire industry is solidly behindthe Tennis Welcome Center concept thatwill drive would-be players to our facilities.

You've read it in these pages before,but the numbers are worth repeating: 2.5million racquets, 25 million cans of tennisballs and 1 million shoe boxes and hangtags will send people to TennisWelcome-Center.com. Eight-page advertising insertswill appear in national magazines includingMen's Health, Shape, Vibe and Travel andLeisure. The message is broader than all ofthe parts that speak it: Tennis is a greatsport for fitness and recreation. It's worthlearning and it can be learned fast at aTennis Welcome Center.

The efforts of our tennis manufacturers,retailers and associations have never been

so powerfully joined. We have made collec-tive grow-the-game efforts before. This oneis more inclusive and bound for moresuccess for one reason: The leadership atthe USTA has mended fences and shown anew will to be both a true leader and apartner to the rest of the industry. Neverbefore have we had such an opportunity towork together for the good of the sport.

Tennis professionals are doing our part,registering more than 3,800 facilities on theTWC website. USPTA members are leadingthe way at 67 percent of those facilities.When the message about tennis reachesour target audiences and they log on to finda place to play, we will be ready to acceptthem into the tennis community and makethem feel at home.

After all, the feeling of being wantedand included in a community is one of thoseintangible benefits of being a tennis playerthat most college players surely recognizedlong ago. With the right introduction to ten-nis from qualified professionals, new playerswill soon enough realize how to have fun,be competitive, and get fit through tennis.

However, we will have found realsuccess when we make these new playersfeel like they're part of their local tenniscommunities as well as a popular worldwidesport. Experiencing the social, physiologicaland competitive benefits of tennis will addthese new players into the growing numberof lifetime tennis addicts. w

“With the right

introduction to tennis

from qualified

professionals, new

players will soon

enough realize how to

have fun, be

competitive, and get fit

through tennis.”

We welcome your opinions. Please emailcomments to [email protected] orfax them to 760-536-1171.

David T. Porter, Ed.D., is pres-ident of USPTA and the men'sand women's head tenniscoach and a full professor ofexercise and sport science atBrigham Young University -Hawaii. His Seasiderwomen's team has won three

straight NCAA titles and five in the past sixyears while accumulating a dual match recordof 204 wins and 1 loss.

B Y D A V I D T . P O R T E R


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200408 Racquet Sports Industry