200409 Racquet Sports Industry

STRINGINGMACHINESELECTION GUIDE2004Our exclusive guide willhelp you find the perfectmachine for your shop

Apparel for Spring 2005:Tech, Textures and Color

How the US Open Can HelpMarket Your Business

Wimbledon PlayerEquipment Log� French Open Stringer’s

Diary

� String Playtest

� Ball Machine Review

September 2004Volume 1 Number 8 $5.00

DEPARTMENTS

R S I S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4Contents

page 20

September 2004 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

FEATURES20 Lines of Force

Tenniswear collections for Spring 2005 are big on textures, tech fab-rics and colors.

27 Stringing Machine Selection GuideUse our exclusive guide to help you choose one of the mostimportant tools for your business.

34 Open for BusinessWith the US Open upon us, you can promote your shop

or facility along with the tournament.

36 Wimbledon Equipment Log

See what gear your favorite pro players brought to the hal-lowed lawns of the All England Club this year.

Contents

4 Our Serve

16 Grand Slam Diary

38 Tips and Techniques

40 String Playtest: Völkl F.I.R.E.

42 Ball Machine Review: Lobster Elite

45 Events Calendar

46 New USRSA Members and MRTs

48 Your Serve, by Jim Baugh

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Industry veteran John Embreestarts marketing firm

7 Prince streamlines itsinfrastructure

8 Tennis Warehouse is officialsupplier for ITA

8 PTR sets ProfessionalDevelopment Weekend

9 TIA TennisEXPO 2005 awards

10 Top coaches headline USPTAWorld Conference

11 Wakley is back at Princefootwear

11 Boeker joins Tecnifibre USA

12 USRSA book selectedby book club

12 PTR partners with TennisCoaches Australia

12 Lee Tennis holds indoorclay conference

13 Dunlop adds three to sales force

14 Cross creates commemorativeHall of Fame pen

page 27

page 36

e’d like to do something that, in many ways, wedon’t do enough of. We’d like to pat ourselves

on the back.Recently, we were notified that Racquet Sports Industry magazine, won an

Apex 2004 Award of Excellence. Of course, we’re proud to have our work rec-

ognized in this way, but we think it’s important that you—our loyal readers

and supporters—know that you also share in this honor.

RSI is the result of the merger of two indus-

try stalwarts—Tennis Industry magazine and

the U.S. Racquet Stringers Association’s Rac-

quet Tech magazine. The merger brought

together the best of both magazines into an

even better publication, dedicated to covering

this industry in a more complete way than

ever before.

The Apex Awards recognize excellence in

graphic design, editorial content and the “abil-

ity to achieve overall communications excel-

lence.” This year, there were about 5,500 entries in 109 different categories,

with awards of excellence for about 1,700 publications and websites. RSI was

one of 12 winners in the New Magazines and Journals category.

The talented men and women listed on the masthead just to the right of

this column have been dedicated to the tennis and racquet sports business for

a long time. We are all thrilled to have been recognized for creating a maga-

zine that effectively communicates what this industry is all about.

However, we also believe that we’re simply the medium for a sports indus-

try that, with each passing issue of the magazine, becomes more and more

dynamic and supportive. To that end, we share this honor with the nearly

18,000 dedicated industry professionals who take the time to read RSI, and

to the dozens of companies who support us—and the industry—through their

marketing and advertising.

In truth, this Award of Excellence simply recognizes a good start. We’ll of

course take the wins wherever they come, but we all know, and look forward

to, a lot of hard and rewarding work as we continue down the road.

Dave Bone Jeff WilliamsCo-Publisher Co-Publisher

Crawford Lindsey Peter FrancesconiEditor-in-Chief Editorial Director

Our ServeOff To a Good Start!

(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 (USPS 347-8300. ISSN 0191-5851) is published 10 times per year: monthly Januarythrough August and combined issues in Septem-ber/October and November/December by TennisIndustry and USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.August 2004, Volume 32, Number 8 © 2004 by USRSAand Tennis Industry. All rights reserved. Racquet SportsIndustry, RSI and logo are trademarks of USRSA. Print-ed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102x.125. Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177.Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Racquet SportsIndustry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September 2004

W


ormer Wilson Vice Presi-dent/General Manager John R.Embree has created John Embree

Diversified Enterprises (JEDE), a sportsmanagement company based in the Chica-go area. The new company will offer con-sulting services, management expertise,sales and marketing, sponsorship salesopportunities, and more for the tennis andgolf industries.

Two companies are cur-rently under the JEDEumbrella: tennis apparelmaker Bälle de Mätch and anew service company, Golf ProShop Supply LLC. The 12-year-old Bälle de Mätch recentlyannounced Embree as its newCEO; the golf venture is astart-up designed to help golfpro shop retailers managetheir golf apparel inventory.

“After spending the last 20years in a corporate environ-ment, the opportunity to bemore entrepreneurial wasvery attractive to me,” says Embree. “I'malso excited for the chance to be involvedwith a variety of different projects, all ofwhich are in industries that I am extreme-ly passionate about.”In early July, Bälle de Mätch founder and

COO Chris Deverian announced Embree'snew role with that Southern California-based company. With the apparel maker,Embree will manage sales and marketingfunctions, as well as oversee day-to-dayoperations.

"Bälle de Mätch is a wonderful littlecompany whose product is underdevel-oped and underexposed," says Embree."With a more intense focus on driving thetop-line revenue via increased distribution,

Industry Veteran John Embree Creates NewSports Management Company, JEDE

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I S E P T E M B E R 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

FPrince StreamlinesIts InfrastructurePrince Sports has realigned its organization,internal functions and activities to betterserve customers, says George Napier, chair-man and CEO of Prince Sports Inc. The newstructure went into effect in July.

"This realignment is designed to strengthenthe company, increase our ability to meetlocal market needs more effectively, andenable efficient global coordination of ourbusiness," says Napier. "We're excited aboutour new structure that is designed to createfaster and friendlier execution across all lev-els and departments."

The company will be divided into two busi-ness units, Prince Sports USA and PrinceSports International. The new Prince SportsUSA team is dedicated to accelerating itsgoal of achieving market leadership and serv-ing customers in the U.S., the company says.Bill Foy will assume the role of president ofPrince Sports USA.

Linda Glassel will assume the new position ofvice president of sports marketing and com-munications, adding licensing to her ongoingresponsibilities that include advertising, pub-lic relations, web and tennis tour manage-ment activities. Additionally, Glassel and herteam will support both business units withstrategic marketing and brand messaging.

The U.S. team will collaborate with othermarkets around the world on key initiatives.Prince has also created a new function tocoordinate and direct U.S. product manage-ment activities, which will be overseen byHoward Lay, who will take on the new role ofvice president of product management

The new Prince Sports International team willbe headquartered in London, with AlistairThorburn as president. Prince Sports Interna-tional will provide increased focus and sup-port to the company's growth plansinternationally.

Prince Sports Inc. is based in New Jersey.

and by establishing a corporate financialdiscipline, I think this brand has greatpotential to grow, especially at the grass-roots." One of Embree's first tasks will beto hire strong independent sales reps inareas of the country where Bälle de Mätchneeds attention.

"John recognizes that Bälle de Mätchhas not reached its full potential, so we

are very fortunate to havefound him," says Dever-ian. "I needed a strategicpartner, and now we have

a proven tennis leader with atremendous pedigree whocan work with the accounts,and our reps, while we getback to focusing on design-ing the line."

Embree has a strong his-tory in the tennis business,going back to the mid-1980s.His grassroots background,along with extensive knowl-edge of the pro and specialtybusiness and his passion for

the sport, are expected to be assets toBälle de Mätch, the apparel company saidin a statement. During Embree's tenurewith Wilson, which ended last fall, thecompany witnessed record years in salesand gross profits in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

“The beauty of both these companiesunder JEDE is that they coexist quite nice-ly,” Embree says. “The industries arecompatible, yet not conflicting. Havingextensive knowledge about how to getbusiness done at the green-grass level, orpro/specialty marketplace, these twocompanies hit the center of mysweetspot.”

For more information, contact 847-729-2497.


S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4I N D U S T R Y N E W S

Tennis Warehouse NamedOfficial Supplier for ITA

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has announced a new partnership withthe Tennis Warehouse to become its new official shoe and clothing supplier."This is a great fit for both Tennis Warehouse and the ITA," TW President Don

Hightower says. "ITA coaches and players will gain access to our complete selec-tion of apparel and footwear from top brands such as Nike, Adidas and Reebokand over 20 other brands, at reduced ITA team pricing. Our new team website willalso offer coaches a single source for different brands and styles. For Tennis Ware-house, the obvious benefit is to continue growing our team business, whileexpanding our support of college tennis."

"We are delighted to enter into this new partnership with Tennis Warehouse,"ITA Executive Director David Benjamin says. "Tennis Warehouse offers outstand-ing products for our 1,500 member coaches and will provide them with fast, reli-able and very knowledgeable service."

As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athleticand academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA(www.itatennis.com) is based in Skillman, N.J.

The Tennis Warehouse began as the Tennis Shop of San Luis Obispo (Calif.) in1992 and became the Tennis Warehouse in 1994 when it expanded into the mail-order business. The Tennis Warehouse is the exclusive e-commerce partner for theATP and WTA and the official site for Nike Tennis. For more information on TW,visit www.tenniswarehouse.com.

PTR Sets ProfessionalDevelopment Weekend

The PTR has scheduled its annual Pro-fessional Development Weekend forSept. 22 to 26 at the PTR Headquarters

in Hilton Head, S.C. The weekend is held inconjunction with the ROHO/PTR $15,000Wheelchair Tennis Championships.

The Professional Development Week-end is open to all tennis teachers, coachesand enthusiasts. Courses include MunchkinGames, conducted by PTR Executive Direc-tor Dan Santorum, and Team Coaching,The Basics, with PTRDirector of Develop-ment Geoff Norton.

Also, PTR Inter-national Director Inaki Balzola will presentthe Play Action Drills workshop, and Mas-tering the Mental Side will be presented byDr. Bryce Young and Linda LeClaire. Nortonwill also conduct Instructing WheelchairTennis 102, which is designed for tennisprofessionals who wish to earn a wheel-chair-tennis teaching certificate.

For more information, or to register forany courses or workshops, contact 800-421-6289 or 843-785-7244, or [email protected].


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

Awards to be Presented at TIA EXPOThe Tennis Industry Association has announced the categoriesfor the first TIA TennisEXPO Awards, to be presented in Januaryat the TIA TennisEXPO during the Super Show in Orlando, Fla.,Jan. 17 to 19. More than 50 individuals, businesses and organi-zations will be honored for setting the standards in retailing,merchandising, and growing the game. The categories are:

� Top 10 Pro Shops of the Year� Top 10 Specialty Tennis Shops of the Year� Top Sporting Goods Store or Chain of the Year� Top 20 Tennis Welcome Centers of the Year� Top Hard-Goods Manufacturer/Supplier of the Year� Top Soft-Goods Manufacturer/Supplier of the YearFor the Pro and Specialty Shop categories, 40 shops will be

nominated (20 pro shops and 20 specialty shops) in September,with the winners announced at the TIA TennisEXPO in January.In the hard-good and soft-good categories, winners will be man-ufacturers who also show creative and progressive ways to grow-ing their business. For the 20 Top Tennis Welcome Centers, therewill be one winner from each of the 17 USTA sections and three"at large" winners.

Representatives from various manufacturers and associationswill choose the nominees and winners, however, the top hard-and soft-goods manufacturer/supplier categories will be selectedthrough an online survey to be held in October. If any retailerwould like to be part of this survey, [email protected] and provide your email address andaccount information.

All the nominees and winners will receive a travel allowance toattend the TIA EXPO andwill be honored at the TIA Forumon Jan. 17.

TIA TennisEXPO 2005 is the start of an annual trade event(not open to the general public) that combines seminars, forums,awards, a buying show, and more.

For more information about the TIA EXPO or the awards cri-teria, visit TIAEXPO.com.

Honoring "20 Years of Service"Have you been working in the tennis industry for 20 years? Hasyour company been in business since 1985? The TIA and theSuper Show want to thank you for your dedication.

At the TIA TennisEXPO, and in celebration of the 20-yearanniversary of the Super Show, the TIA is working with the SuperShow to honor and publish a list of any individual or companywho was in the tennis business in 1985 and is still contributing.Anyone is eligible: managers, sales reps, custom service reps,teaching pros, club managers, administrative assistants. Also,companies and associations are eligible.

To sign up and qualify, go to TIAEXPO.com and click on "20Years of Service" to the Tennis Industry Awards. You'll then get aform to fill in with your name, company's name in 1985, whenyou started in the industry, where you are now, type of serviceyou perform, and your present email address and contact infor-mation. Make sure all of your friends and eligible contacts signup, too.



TOP COACHES HEADLINEUSPTA WORLD CONFERENCE

Coaches of some of the world's top players and a fewformer world-ranked players will be the featuredspeakers at the USPTA's World Conference on Tennis.

The conference will be held Sept. 18 to 25 at the La QuintaResort & Club in La Quinta, Calif.

Rick Macci, Nick Bollettieri, JoseHigueras, David Wheaton, Anne Smith,Jim Loehr, Jack Groppel, Eliot Teltscherand Wayne Bryan are among the fea-tured speakers. Most of them will maketheir presentations on court during 90-minute or two-hour general sessions.

A refined education schedule includesmore extended and unopposed generalsessions to give speakers more time todiscuss their topics and allow attendeesto have longer question-and-answer ses-sions. In addition to more than 50 semi-nars, there are 13 four-hour specialtycourses on the agenda.

Other speakers include Jill Fonte, BillTym, Todd Ellenbecker, Barbara Fackel,Dede Allen, Dave Kozlowski, BryceYoung, Kurt Kamperman, Jim Baugh,John Yandell and Larry Karageanes. Top-ics include video analysis, programmingand curriculum, business communica-tion and team building, strategy andstroke technique, the sport sciences andmore.

"This year's education schedule is aterrific opportunity to hear favoritespeakers and the fresh perspectives ofseveral new ones," says USPTA CEO TimHeckler. "The agenda will appeal notonly to tennis professionals interested inteaching the modern game to players ofall levels, but also to those who are moreinvolved in the business side of tennis."

Also during the conference, USPTAhosts its $30,000 International TennisChampionships, board and ExecutiveCommittee meetings, nighttime parties,industry meetings, a tennis buying show(Sept. 24 to 25), plus DevelopmentalCoach and Professional-level certificationexams.

Nonmembers are welcome at the con-ference. More information about the con-ference and online registration forms areat www.uspta.com, or call 800-877-8248.

Rick Macci

Anne Smith

David Wheaton

Nick Bollettieri

Jack Groppel

Jim Loehr



Boeker Joins Tecnifibre USA

Nicolas Boeker has joined Tecnifibre USA as U.S. player program manager. He will beresponsible for working with top coaches, college players and juniors, concentratingwithin the U.S.

"We are excited to have Nicolas as part of the Tecnifibre USA team," says Paul Zalatoris,Tecnifibre USA's general manager. Boeker recently graduated from the University of Geor-gia. He played on the national championship tennis team of 2001 and the NCAA finalistteam of 2002 and was named team captain in 2003. He received All-American status insingles in 2003.

Boeker, who will be based in southern Florida, will work with Marco Baron, Tecnifibre'sinternational promotion manager, who is also a former NCAA standout player.

Wakley Is Back at Prince Footwear

Footwear expert Gary Wakley has rejoined Prince Sports Inc. and will be respon-sible for leading the product management of Prince's tennis, racquetball andsquash footwear categories in the U.S.Wakley will oversee market research, product development, product positioning

and market support programs. The addition of Wakley, according to Bill Foy, presi-dent of Prince Sports USA, will provide Prince's footwear business with an experi-enced leader who brings enthusiasm for the sport.

"Prince is thrilled to welcome back Gary to our footwear team," says Foy. "Weknow that Gary's experience, combined with his passion for tennis and the Princebrand, will make a significant contribution to our business, both immediately andin the long-term. We are exploring several new initiatives to grow the brand, andGary's expertise will play a pivotal role in our success."

Wakley formerly worked at Prince from 1994 through 1999 in the footwear divi-sion, where he introduced the NFS and Quik Trac lines. Before that, Wakley workedat athletic footwear companies such as Adidas and Lotto, among others.


Lee Tennis To Hold Indoor Clay CourtConference on Long Island

Lee Tennis, in conjunction with Sportime Clubs and VelveTop, will host its firstconference on indoor clay courts Aug. 30 to 31, 2004, at Sportime at Syosseton Long Island, N.Y.“The conference is designed to bring together the nation's leading experts on

indoor clay courts to discuss the construction and maintenance of clay in anindoor environment,” says Pat Hanssen of Lee Tennis. Topics will include mainte-nance tools and techniques, surface compaction, irrigation, and structures. Therewill be classroom presentations, panel discussions and court demonstrations.

For more information, contact Hanssen at 877-4HARTRU [email protected].

USRSA Book Selected by ScientificAmerican Book Club

The USRSA's The Physics and Technology of Tennis hasbeen named a selection of the Scientific AmericanBook Club. Founded in 1958, Scientific American Book

Club is the world's oldest and most respected sciencebook club. Dedicated to serving both professionals andserious amateurs, it surveys the entire scientific field tomake the finest works available to club members. Thecross-disciplinary readership spans a variety of subjectsfrom theoretical and applied mathematics and physics tobiology, chemistry, and cognitive science.

The Physics and Technology of Tennis, by Howard Brody, Rod Cross, and Craw-ford Lindsey, was also named "Best Book (Technical Division)" by Inside Tennismagazine. Its 42 chapters are divided into four sections—racquets, strokes,strings, balls and courts. Topics include racquet weight, balance, swing weight,power, vibration, and shock; string materials, properties, tension, spin, andpower; and ball speed, trajectory, bounce, and spin.

It is published by Racquet Tech Publishing, an imprint of the USRSA, andavailable by calling 760-536-1177 or going to the USRSA store at www.racquettech.com. Price is $29.95 for nonmembers and $26.95 for USRSA members.


PTR Partners With Tennis Coaches Australia

The Professional Tennis Registry announced a new cooperation agreement withTennis Coaches Australia (TCA) designed to enhance the products and servicesoffered by both organizations.TCA President Judy Bull and PTR CEO Dan Santorum expressed enthusiasm about

the opportunity the union provides. "TCA is proud to affiliate itself with the largestglobal tennis coaches organization," says Bull. "This relationship enhances TCA'sposition as one of the premier coaching bodies in the world."

According to Santorum, "With members in 124 countries, PTR brings a globalresource to TCA and its members. The end result will be better-educated coaches whowill continue growing the game in Australia. We look forward to working with TCAand its members for the betterment of tennis coaches in Australia.”



Dunlop Adds 3 to Salesforce

Dunlop Racquet Sports has added new reps in the Philadel-phia, New York and Midwestern territories. Bruce Hamlinwill manage the New York and western Connecticut terri-

tories; Wolfgang Jaeger will manage New Jersey and Pennsyl-vania and Mark Kaneko will manage northern Illinois, Iowa,

Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. All three have back-grounds in playing tennis and in sales and marketing.

"We are happy to add such credentialed personnel to ouralready outstanding sales force," says Steve Zalinski, field salesdirector for Dunlop. "I'm confident that with our great salesforce and leading product technology pipeline, 2004 and 2005will be banner years."

Corrections� Page 12 of the July issue of RSI mag-azine listed Nasdaq-100 open teamstringer Ralph Kusche’s name spelledincorrectly.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4IN

DU

ST

RY

NE

WS


WINTER SPORTS COMPANY K2 BUYS VÖLKL;U.S. TENNIS BUSINESS NOT AFFECTED

Winter sports giant K2 has purchased Völkl International and Völkl Sport America inJuly for about $39.1 million in cash and about $21.4 million in K2 stock. The agree-ment was part of a huge deal in which K2 also acquired two other winter sports

companies, Marker and Marmot.Völkl International is the parent company of Völkl Ski, Snowboard and Winter Appar-

el, and Völkl Sport America is the U.S. distributor for Völkl Ski, Snowboard, Winter Appar-el and Tennis. However, excluded from the sale is Völkl Tennis GmbH, which is the parentcompany of Völkl Tennis. Völkl Tennis GmbH continues to be owned by Hans-DieterCleven and Boris Becker.

A spokesperson for Völkl Tennis in West Lebanon, N.H., says the sale will have noimpact on the daily operations in the U.S.

Cross CreatesLimited EditionPen For TennisHall Of FameA.T. Cross Company intro-duced a limited-edition solidsterling silver fountain pen tocommemorate the 50thanniversary of the Interna-tional Tennis Hall of Fame inNewport, R.I. The 1,954pens (the Hall of Fame wasfounded in 1954) are individ-ually numbered and featureengravings of historic tennisracquets. The pens also havean 18-karat gold nib platedwith brilliant rhodium. Theracquet-shaped pocket clip isdetailed with Swarovski crys-tal. Suggested retail price is$700. For further details anda listing of retail stores, visitwww.cross.com.

SlingHopperTeaching Drill Bags atKids' Day

PTR teaching pros at the 2004 ArthurAshe Kids' Day on Aug. 28 at theUSTA National Tennis Center will be

using SlingHopper Pro drill bags for on-court games and activities. Made of ripstop

nylon, the bags hold40 balls and allowteaching pros to movearound the court whilefeeding balls. Formore information,visitwww.slinghopper.comor call 866-434-1600.

GRAND SLAM diary�

A veteran stringer joins the Tecnifibreteam at the French Open B Y A L B E R T L E E , M R T


PROLOGUEI've been stringing racquets for more than20 years here in Potomac, Md. For manyyears, Tecnifibre USA has run a contest forstringers. Send back empty TF string packs,and you'll have a chance to join the Tecnifi-bre Stringing Team at Roland Garros tostring for French Open players. The last fewyears, I knew I was getting close in theannual lottery drawing because I was win-ning second- and third-place T-shirts andthe like.In late September 2003, I had a huge

collection of TF string packsready to send in for the2004 drawing. Then I readthat Pro-Kennex and Tec-nifibre decided to restruc-ture. I emailed Paul Zalatorisof Tecnifibre USA andfound out the contest for2004 was cancelled. I wascrushed. Stringing at theFrench Open had been mydream.Early in 2004, on a

whim, I emailed Jim Fro-muth of Fromuth Tennis,the new U.S. distributor forTecnifibre. Jim was headingto the Supershow andmeeting with TecnifibrePresident Thierry Maissant and Zalatoris. Iproposed to pay my own expenses inexchange for an invitation.In mid-February, Zalatoris emailed me:

"Book your flights, you're going to Paris!"They signed me up for the first four days ofRoland Garros! Definitely the toughest partof the tournament for stringers.

SATURDAY, MAY 22I make it to Paris' Hotel Alpha around 5p.m. In the lobby I see another stringer,Sam Chan, and his wife, Corrie. I meet Tec-nifibre rep Kristel and she hands me myclothing backpack and ID badge. My roomis a good size; the view from the window isquite good.

Sam, Corrie and I, walk around the neigh-borhood for a while, then head to dinner atLe Ty-Coz with the rest of the string team.It's a cozy restaurant specializing in crepes.We're back at the hotel by 11 p.m., but I'mso excited that I have a hard time getting tosleep.

SUNDAY, MAY 23The alarm wakes me around 6 a.m. I washup and dash down to the lobby to meet theother newbie Roland Garros stringers. There'sVirginia from Spain, John the Dutchman,

Lucien from Canada, and me. Sam Chan,from England, is here for his third FrenchOpen, so he is responsible for getting us tothe string room on time. It's a brisk 15-minute walk to Porte Suzanne Lenglen.Everyone is excited.It's a beautiful, quiet morning. We take

some photos on our way to the string roomfor the 7 a.m. start. The space is huge. It isnormally an indoor tennis facility and hasbeen converted into entertainment for kidsand stringing space for us.We scrounge through a box of red-han-

dled tools, picking out a starter clamp, string-bed cutter, needle-nose pliers, and awl. I getassigned a machine right in front. LucVesseaux, the stringing team leader, does a

quick run-through on machine functions:speed, memory, knot tension, pre-stretch,string length meter, etc., then he passes outracquets.The form that comes with each racquet

describes what's to be done and Luc makessure we all understand the French descrip-tions. I don't recall my first frame or who itbelonged to, I just wanted to be careful andget it right. Players generally leave their reels,which are marked with their names andboxed in alphabetical order. As we are issuedracquets, we log them out by stringer name

and machine number, so when theycome back, they can be strung on thesame machine.I string maybe 20 frames on the

TF8000. I also spied the new TF7000,which has dual-action clamps. If Tecnifi-bre USA brings a high-end machine tothe U.S., I hope it's this machine. Looksreally sweet.For this tournament there are 19

machines, and a couple of spares. Theyare all top-of-the-line TF8000s, andthey just about string the frames foryou. Mounting is quick and straightfor-ward. The tension head adjusts forshort string lengths. There's knot ten-sion, built in pre-stretch, and lengthmeter, along with pound/kilogram set-tings. I especially like the keyboard entry

for the tension; this is quicker than pressingand holding up-down buttons.The TF8000 clamps make the machine,

and these are really special. When yousqueeze the clamp, it literally jumps up toclamp the string. There appears to be somekind of linkage that simultaneously locks thebase and clamps the string in one effortlessmotion.The day goes fast. At 7 p.m., they cut us

loose. Overall, the stringing was a mixed bag,mostly split-tension hybrids with the crosses 1kg lower than the mains. Probably 75 per-cent of the frames were polyester, 15 per-cent conventional synthetics, and 10 percentgut. All the frames I strung were in fairshape, though I did have to repair a few

Albert Lee stands his post in the Tecnifibre stringing room.


grommets on Carlos Moya's frames.Dinner was at Le Relais des Sultans, my

first experience with Arabic food. Verygood, and I especially like the mint tea.

MONDAY, MAY 24It's early morning and I'm in the darkenedlobby, waiting for the first day of the maindraw to begin. Luc is already here whenour group arrives. We each grab some cof-fee, cut off a slice of some breakfast cake,turn on our machines and head over to Lucto get our first frames of the day from the8 a.m. bins. As racquets are dropped off,they are sorted into bins. Each bin ismarked with a pickup time. For newstringers, Luc issues us racquets; the moresenior stringers pick their own frames fromthe bin.It's a well-organized operation. The

desk staff is especially efficient at strippingout old string from incoming frames andstenciling restrung frames. The staff pays alot of attention to details, and for hybridframes, they leave one cross and one mainin the frame as a reminder.

We all string crosses bottom up or topdown as dictated by the pattern. There isno frame distortion. The frames exit themachines as easily as they mount. TheFrench stringers, who are from storesthroughout France, are very professional

GRAND SLAM diaryCO

NT

INU

ED

and quick. They use a loop weave withgreat efficiency. I've got to learn how to dothis. I don't think it's any quicker than my"snake weave," just more elegant.We catch up around noon and have

enough time for a quick bite and a chanceto run outside to take some pictures. I hearAmerican voices. It's Jim Fromuth. I also runinto Paul Zalatoris and Paul Kid, the Nos. 1and 2 people running Tecnifibre USA. Itake a quick snapshot and thank them forinviting me.Most of the frames being collected this

afternoon are for Tuesday pickup, and itlooks like tomorrow will be a busy day. Infact, the 10 a.m. bin overflows into a sec-ond bin. Each bin is about 48 inches wide.Around 5:30 p.m., Luc gets a little nervousand let's us start on the 8, 9 and 10 a.m.bins for the next day. He hands out onlysynthetic and poly string jobs; anythingwith gut will be strung on Tuesday morn-ing. By 7 p.m., we've taken quite a bite outof the morning backlog.We're all sent home. After dinner at La

Belle Epoque restaurant, we're told to beon the machines at 6 a.m. Tomorrow willbe quite busy.

Lee receives his stringing diploma from string-ing team leader Luc Vesseaux.

Stringing bins hold pending jobs.

TUESDAY, MAY 25After two days, we newbie stringers feel likepart of the team. We stow our backpacks,grab a quick coffee and walk over to Luc,who hands out the sticks.Time passes quickly. After winding

through 20 or so frames, it's now 12:15p.m. I glance behind me and half themachines are vacant. That can only meanone thing-lunch. The lunches are a varietyof sandwiches, a large chef salad, and largeyogurt. It's more than I can eat in one sit-ting.My legs are sore, and when I get back

on the machine, I find out how to raise themachine to a more comfortable height.Things are quiet this afternoon, so Luc holdsthe ceremony for the guest stringers. Thereare snacks, champagne, kind words, and aframed diploma. After the champagne, Ifeel the fatigue coming on. I've been run-ning on adrenaline for the past three daysand the grueling nature of tournamentstringing is finally catching up with me. Ihave surgical tape on one hand and a ban-dage on the other where I jammed somepoly under my fingernail.O.K., back downstairs, we clean up and


get ready to leave, but then a few "rush"frames come in and I take a moment towatch Laurent speed-string a few sticks. Lucchases us off and we walk back to the hotelfor a quick shower, then meet in the lobbyto walk to the neighborhood Chinese restau-rant. Luc and Laurent show up after 9 p.m.Luc says we need to be on the machines at6:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26I enter Espace d'Animation, the entrance tothe string room, for the last time. Again, wehave a lot of sticks to clear out, but we allwork hard and get caught up around noon.It's been a whirlwind four days of stringing,

with racquets coming in and out so fast thatit barely registers who you've strung for. Inaddition to stringing Moya's racquet, I recalldoing frames for Rainer Schuettler, AiSugiyama, Francesca Schiavone and Tathi-ana Garbin, who later upset Justine Henin-Hardenne. It's a funny thing aboutstringers—we always cheer for the frameswe've strung.The day goes quickly, and after lunch I

say my good-byes. I go back to the hotel torepack and get some rest before dinner andthe long trip home.This has been a great trip. I've learned a

lot, seen different stringing styles, met newpeople. I have to thank Paul Zalatoris, JimFromuth, Thierry Maissant, and ManuelleFelloni for allowing me to be a member ofthe Tecnifibre Stringing Team at Roland Gar-ros. I can now say I've just strung the tough-est clay court tournament in the world. It isone of the highlights of my career.Au revoir!

Paul Kidd of Tecnifibre, Jim Fromuth, Lee andPaul Zalatoris of Tecnifibre.

Albert Lee is an MRT Tour stringer with more than25 years of experience. He currently strings for CabinJohn Indoor Tennis in Potomac, Md. After the 2004French Open, he also strung at theNasdaq-100 in Miami and at Wimbledon.

APPAREL

LINES OF FORTenniswear collections for Spring 2005 are big on textures, teLINES OF FOR


DIADORANew in Diadora's line for spring is the Tessa collection with dress(shown), tank top and skirt, made with 91 percent DiaDry nylon/9percent spandex, combined with mesh insets for breathability.DiaDry is a moisture-management system that helps keep playerscool and dry. The Tessa line comes in royal blue, navy, red,maroon, purple, forest green and black, all with white trim. Alsonew is the Irina top and skirt (in royal blue, red and black, withwhite piping and trim) and the Bella top, with a hidden, built-inmesh sports bra. 253-520-8868; www.diadoraamerica.com

MARCIATechnical fabrics that wick away moisture and are quick-drying, such asVaportex (used in the Double Take line, shown), are big for Marcia appar-el, especially in bra tops, polos and some skirts, says Pratrice Brayer, thenational sales manager. “We've also incorporated more surface-texturedfabrics, especially in our all-white collections, to make them more inter-esting,” says Brayer, adding that color-blocking continues to be a bigcomponent of Marcia's lines. “We've gone even deeper in terms ofstyles offered that are color-blocked. It's extremely popular withteams,” she says. Marcia has also incorporated more reversible gar-ments, including a reversible skirt. 800-423-5208; www.marciagolfandtennis.com

RCEech fabrics and colors.

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

RCE


ELLESSEEllesse created its Tennis Advantage line (shown) with perfor-mance tech fabrics designed to keep players cool and dry. Thecollection includes women's racer-back tank top, skort andwarm-ups, in addition to a men's zip crew-neck. The TennisEssentials line consists of core basics in navy, red, white andblack, which work year-round for active players. Essentials canmix and match with Ellesse's Tennis Signature collection, whichare classically styled pieces in functional materials, designed foron or off the court. 561-491-9000; www.ellesse.com

LEJAYFor Lejay, “athletic-inspired looks”are big, says Trish Levin, vice presi-dent of merchandising. But, sheadds, “What's been past in tennismight be coming around again inan updated sort of fashion.”Lejay's new Palm Beach Pucci“Retro-Racquet” collection(shown) features a classiccamisole and skirt in whiteMeryl pique with crossedracquet embroidery. Alsoavailable is a coordinat-ing visor. Lejay alsooffers a new line ofscreen-printed nov-elty T-shirts. 800-932-7535;www.lejay.com


LBH“It's all about color and texture,” says Katie Curry, LBH's vice president of marketing. “For spring 2005, we wanted to pro-vide something for everyone. The styles are sleek, simple and flattering to the figure. The fabrics are technical with a sub-tle surface interest for added dimension.” The LBH Blue Crush collection (shown below) offers a “flair of the feminine,”along with textured fabric. For the Lily's of Beverly Hills line, the Wild Orchid collection (below), combines a ginghamcheck with white eyelet pointelle. And in LBH's Wimbledon Traditions (bottom), classic navy and white are combined witha stretch micro-polyester cable stitch fabric. 800-421-4474; www.lbhgroup.com

KAELINMerchandising Director Sue Harding says Kaelin Sportswear's new collections build on the compa-ny's reputation for quality fabrics. “We're continuing with our popular microfiber and Meryl jerseys,faux suede and meshes,” she says, “as well as introducing a few new textures with each collection.”(Meryl provides comfort and breathability and can offer protection against UV rays.) Colors in thespring lines are “saturated” and intense, says Harding, rather than pale, although Kaelin plans onbringing in paler colors for later in the spring. “Stripes are still strong,” she says, adding that the fab-rics “lend themselves to nice body-fitting silhouettes.” 800-525-5415; www.kaelinsportswear.com


SPORTING LOOK“Everything is performance fab-rics, and ours is 'Moisture-Move,'” says Peter Antonacci ofSporting Look. Moisture-Movetransfers moisture away fromthe skin to the outside of the

fabric, keeping playerscooler, drier and more

comfortable. Antonac-ci says his new linesoffer more perfor-mance T-shirts. “Formen, it's more andmore casual,” he says.“We're seeing V-neck T'sand long-sleeved T's.”Sporting Look, which spe-cializes in custom-embroi-dered tenniswear, also hasexpanded its color palette formen's and women's cottonpique polos. 800-750-8960;www.sportinglook.com


WILSON“We’re getting back to designing groupings for women, as well as for men,” saysRandy Johnson of Wilson Apparel. “Our product manager and designer, Rob Grow,has designed a fit system for ladies, allowing consumers to choose from one of threefits in apparel: fitted, athletic and classic. This helps us have something for every-one, from the junior girl to the senior player.” Johnson says Wilson’s sun-protectiongrouping is doing well. “People are asking for it by name, and we’ve spun off afemale cut.” Wilson Apparel, which is also big in custom embroidery, has expand-ed its junior line for spring in both color and styling. 800-990-0000; www.athco.com

BUMI SIROTKABumi Sirotka designed her new tennis collection, with its signature pineapple logo, to makea sophisticated statement both on and off the court. “The shapes are neatly defined, creatinga fitted look with comfort and ease for an active game,” she says. Women's designs includean inverted pleat skirt, sleeveless rib trim polo, sleeveless V-neck stretch tricot tennis dress,racer-back scoop-neck top, stretch jersey A-line skirt, long-sleeve polo and T-shirt and a clas-sic pleat skirt. 212-327-0095; www.bumisirotka.com

TAIL“Fashion” is king in thespring collection fromTail, which this year is cele-brating its 30th anniversarywith the tagline: “30 years oftennis fashion and dressing forthe game.” New for spring is theNautical Sport line (shown), featur-ing Tail's signature waffle fabric in ared, white and blue group. “Grom-mets and cording detail emphasize anautical feeling,” says Amy Bentley,Tail's marketing manager. New itemsinclude a hoodie sweater, long-sleevecrewneck for sun protection, and a warm-up vest.Also new is Tail's Tennis Diva group, in blush, crystal blue and black, andwhite. 800-678-8245; www.tailinc.com

SPEC IT

CONTROL IT

DESIGN IT

INSTALL IT

SEE IT

BELIEVE IT

Our Aerosystem® and Courtsider® systems can be specifiedfor all types of tennis courts – from residential to stadium.

Our tennis lighting systems provide precise lightcontrol for uniform illumination and minimum spillage(meets IESNA requirements for full cutoff classification).

As lighting specialists focused exclusively on lighting,we provide not only aesthetically pleasing lighting systems of thehighest quality, but also offer customers assistance in the designand layout of an energy-efficient solution.

Courtsider Sports Lighting is the very definition of easeof installation and maintenance.

Our systems offer glare-free visibility, which enables playersand spectators alike to see every play at its spectacular best.

Because seeing is believing, check us out at www.courtsider.com.

© Courtsider 2004

1 - 80 0 -79 4- [email protected]

For more information, callor email

uying a stringing machine is one of

the most important purchases you

can make for your business. It is also one

of the most difficult. With the plethora of

machines, technologies, and features

available, selecting a machine is a daunt-

ing task.

Our Stringing Machine Selection Guide will guide youthrough the minefields and help you choose the bestmachine for your business. Below we explain the essentialmachine features, and the chart on pages 20-23 displaysthe features of almost every professional machine on themarket.

MOUNTING SYSTEMSThe charts lists machines with 2-, 4-, 5-, or 6-point mount-ing systems. This refers to how many places they support

the frame. There aremany subtle differ-ences in mountingsystems. Thethree most com-mon types ofmounting sys-tems are the 2-

point, 4-point and 6-point,though each of them is safe.

6-Point Mounting. Fansof 6-point systems willtell you that morepoints of contact must

be better. Six-point systems do supportthe frame in more places, whichmeans it is a little easier to lock theracquet in place so it does not slideback and forth during stringing.It also allows a better view ofthe grommets at the head andthroat of a racquet. Six-pointsystems can require feweradapters for frames of differentshapes. Finally, some of thesesystems have side arms thatcan be adjusted simultaneously,making it easier to center aracquet.

2-Point & 4-Point Mounting. Two-point and four-pointsystems suggest that it is quicker to mount a racquet ona 2-point machine because there are fewer mountingpoints to be adjusted. They will also say that these sys-tems offer more support at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock, (thetwo most important points to support), because theamount of surface contact with the frame is greater atthese locations.

Turntable Lock. This allows youto stop the turntable in one posi-tion. Helpful for calibrating andtying knots.

360o Rotation Turntable. Allowsyou to turn the racquet all the wayaround during stringing.

3-D Rotation Turntable. Allows theturntable to tilt so that each string getspulled straight through the grommet.This is designed to reduce the friction of thestring against the grommet when tensionis being pulled.

B

AlphaOrbiter SE

ATSTraveler

BabolatSensor



Tennis

Racquetball

Squash

Badm

inton

StandIncluded

StandAvailable

TableTopStandard

TableTopOp

tional

Sports

HeightAdjustable

Height

2-Point M

ounting

4-Point M

ounting

5-Point M

ounting

6-Point M

ounting

TurntableLock

360º

RotationTurntable

3-DTurntableRotation

Drop

Weight

FullClutch-Drop

RachetSystem

-Drop

Hand

Crank

2-SidedCrank

Electric

MultipleSpeedPull

ConstantPull

Lockout

Prestretch

LinearPull

Warranty(years)

Price(MSRP)ModelBrand

TensioningMounting

601F $219 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x602F $269 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x602S $379 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x603GB $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x604S $569 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x603S $699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x607 $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

String Pal $129 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xPioneer FL $269 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xPioneer DC $419 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xRevo 4000 $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xShuttle Express $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAxis Pro $749 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xBlu-DC Plus $899 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xApex $1,099 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xSaturn $2,295 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xOrbitor $2,695 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xOrbitor SE $2,995 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Super Stringer II $135 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTraveler $189 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sensor $5,200 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xSensor Expert $8,500 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

X-2 $135 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xProgression 602 $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xX-6 $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xProgression 602 FC $469 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xX-6 FC $469 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xProgression ST II $629 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xX-ST $629 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x5003 $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xProgression Es II+ $899 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xE-Es $899 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x6004 $1,199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x6500 Els $1,699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x7500 Els $2,799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x8500 Els $3,499 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Klippermate $145 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xKlippermate Bad’ton $155 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x280-CS $295 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x440-CS $495 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

MS200 ECO $399 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200 ECO $599 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200TT $699 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200TT $799 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200FX $999 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200FX $1,099 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

AGwww.gutermanintl.com800-343-6096

Alphawww.alphatennis.com800-922-9024

ATSwww.atssports.com800-866-7071

Babolatwww.babolat.com877-316-9435

Gammawww.gammasports.com800-333-0337

Klipper USAwww.klipperusa.com800-522-5547

LaserFibrewww.laserfibre.com888-895-2350


FootPedal Tension

Activator

Automated

TensionRelease

Diablo/Nosecone

Rotational Tensioner

Pounds

&KilosTension

Manual CalibrationAdjustable

Self-Calibrating

Diam

ondCoatTensionHead

Grip

Knob/Dial Tension

Setting

Plus/Minus

TouchPadTensionSet

FullKeypad

TensionSetting

Flyin

gClam

psFixedClam

pson

GlideBars

Tensioning

NoToolNeeded

toAdjustClam

psToolTray

ReelRack

Cabinet w

ithDraw

ers

LevelingPads

onBase

Under 5

0lbs

Clamping

50-75lbs

Over75

lbs

Calibrator

StartingClam

pDiagonalCutters

Needlenose

Pliers

Weight

Self-ElevatingLinearPull

LED/LCDTensionDisplay

KnotTensioning

RemovableElectricTensioner U

nit

DualSw

ivel D

oubleActionFixed

DualSw

ivel SingleActionFixed

360Degree

Clam

pson

GlideBars

SingleSw

ivel Fixe

dClam

pDiam

ondDu

stClam

psAutomated

Base

ReleaseClam

psMagnetic

AutoClam

pBase

Release

Cover Included

StringMeasurer

Built-in

Ruler

Racquet S

tand

Tools Included

Awl

Flyin

gClam

pAssemblyInstructions/Video

OwnersManual/Video

GuidingAw

lBentNose

Pliers

AssemblyTools

Flyin

gClam

pStartingPins

Extra Features

601F $219 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x602F $269 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x602S $379 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x603GB $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x604S $569 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x603S $699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x607 $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

String Pal $129 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xPioneer FL $269 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xPioneer DC $419 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xRevo 4000 $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xShuttle Express $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAxis Pro $749 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xBlu-DC Plus $899 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xApex $1,099 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xSaturn $2,295 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xOrbitor $2,695 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xOrbitor SE $2,995 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Super Stringer II $135 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTraveler $189 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sensor $5,200 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xSensor Expert $8,500 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

X-2 $135 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xProgression 602 $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xX-6 $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xProgression 602 FC $469 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xX-6 FC $469 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x xProgression ST II $629 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xX-ST $629 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x5003 $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xProgression Es II+ $899 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xE-Es $899 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x6004 $1,199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x6500 Els $1,699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x7500 Els $2,799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x8500 Els $3,499 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Klippermate $145 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xKlippermate Bad’ton $155 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x280-CS $295 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x440-CS $495 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

MS200 ECO $399 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200 ECO $599 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200TT $699 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200TT $799 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200FX $999 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200FX $1,099 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x


Silent Partnerwww.sptennis.com800-662-1809

Tecnifibrewww.tecnifibre.com877-332-0825

Wise USAwww.tennishead.com888-836-7466

Mutual Powerwww.mutualpower.com832-327-0256

Princewww.princetennis.com800-283-6647

MS200DX $1,399 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200DX $1,499 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xEM450 XLE $3,199 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xEM450 XLE $3,299 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xEM500 Tour Master $3,800 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Viking 200 $69 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 600 $199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xViking 500 $249 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xHercules 610P $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 2000 $429 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 4000 $459 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xHercules 620D $489 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 6000 $499 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xHercules 630F $539 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe-Bravo 750D $579 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe-Bravo 760F $629 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Neos 1000 $1,199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x3000 $2,995 3 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Swing $199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer $249 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer 6 point $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer CL $469 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xJazz $599 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer FL $699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMaestro $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer DG $999 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer Aria $1,599 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Pro Cord $3,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x5500 $4,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-6000 $4,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-7000 $5,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-7000 with Cabinet$6,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-8000 $7,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

2086 Professional ETH$495 2 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Tennis

Racquetball

Squash

Badm

inton

StandIncluded

StandAvailable

TableTopStandard

TableTopOp

tional

Sports

HeightAdjustable

Height

2-Point M

ounting

4-Point M

ounting

5-Point M

ounting

6-Point M

ounting

TurntableLock

360º

RotationTurntable

3-DTurntableRotation

Drop

Weight

FullClutch-Drop

RachetSystem

-Drop

Hand

Crank

2-SidedCrank

Electric

MultipleSpeedPull

ConstantPull

Lockout

Prestretch

LinearPull

Warranty(years)

Price(MSRP)ModelBrand

TensioningMounting

LaserFibrewww.laserfibre.com888-895-2350

TENSIONING SYSTEMSThere are two main types of tensioning systems availabletoday—lockout and constant pull. Lockout means that themachine pulls the string to the desired tension and then locksthe length of the string until you clamp it and release the ten-sion head. So, as soon as you lock the length of the string, itstarts equalizing and losing tension. Constant-pull machinespull the string to the desired tension, but when the string

starts to equalize and lose tension, it pulls a little moreagain to stay at reference tension. Constant-pull machinesgenerally achieve slightly higher stringbed stiffness (wefind the difference to be about 5 percent to 10 percent).

Drop Weight. These machines use a lever (with a weightattached to it) to pull tension on each string. Moving theweight on the bar determines how much tension it pulls.These machines qualify as constant pull because the


MS200DX $1,399 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMS200DX $1,499 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xEM450 XLE $3,199 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xEM450 XLE $3,299 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xEM500 Tour Master $3,800 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Viking 200 $69 Life x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 600 $199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xViking 500 $249 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xHercules 610P $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 2000 $429 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 4000 $459 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xHercules 620D $489 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xAlpine 6000 $499 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xHercules 630F $539 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe-Bravo 750D $579 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe-Bravo 760F $629 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Neos 1000 $1,199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x3000 $2,995 3 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Swing $199 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer $249 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer 6 point $299 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer CL $469 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xJazz $599 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer FL $699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xMaestro $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer DG $999 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xe.Stringer Aria $1,599 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Pro Cord $3,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x5500 $4,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-6000 $4,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-7000 $5,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-7000 with Cabinet$6,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x xTF-8000 $7,500 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

2086 Professional ETH$495 2 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

FootPedal Tension

Activator

Automated

TensionRelease

Diablo/Nosecone

Rotational Tensioner

Pounds

&KilosTension

Manual CalibrationAdjustable

Self-Calibrating

Diam

ondCoatTensionHead

Grip

Knob/Dial Tension

Setting

Plus/Minus

TouchPadTensionSet

FullKeypad

TensionSetting

Flyin

gClam

psFixedClam

pson

GlideBars

Tensioning

NoToolNeeded

toAdjustClam

psToolTray

ReelRack

Cabinet w

ithDraw

ers

LevelingPads

onBase

Under 5

0lbs

Clamping

50-75lbs

Over75

lbs

Calibrator

StartingClam

pDiagonalCutters

Needlenose

Pliers

WeightSelf-ElevatingLinearPull

LED/LCDTensionDisplay

KnotTensioning

RemovableElectricTensioner U

nit

DualSw

ivel D

oubleActionFixed

DualSw

ivel SingleActionFixed

360Degree

Clam

pson

GlideBars

SingleSw

ivel Fixe

dClam

pDiam

ondDu

stClam

psAutomated

Base

ReleaseClam

psMagnetic

AutoClam

pBase

Release

Cover Included

StringMeasurer

Built-in

Ruler

Racquet S

tand

Tools Included

Awl

Flyin

gClam

pAssemblyInstructions/Video

OwnersManual/Video

GuidingAw

lBentNose

Pliers

AssemblyTools

Flyin

gClam

pStartingPins

Extra Features

weight continues to pull the string as the string stretches.

Hand Crank. Tension is pulled by hand crank. Thesemachines lockout when the desired tension has beenreached.

Electric. These machines require electricity to pull ten-sion. Most of these machines are constant pull, but a

few allow you to choose between constant pull and lockoutmodes. Some offer multiple pull speeds and a prestretchmode.

Linear Pull & Rotational Tensioners. Machines that pull ten-sion in a straight line away from the machine are said to belinear pull. The alternative is a rotational tensioner, whichwraps the string around a spool, then rotates the spool to pulltension on the string.


Diablo/Nosecone. The string is wrapped around the dia-blo or nosecone before it is put in the tension head,

allowing the tension head to grip the stringmore gently.

Foot Tension. Foot-activat-ed tension head.

Manual Calibration.Allows you to adjust(correct) the pullingforce manually, as

opposed to a few machinesthat are designed to calibrate themselves automatically.

Diamond Coated Tension Head. Grips the string withless pressure.

Tension Sets. Three types: dial tensionset, +/- key tension set, and numerickeypad.

Knot Tensioning. The machinecan be instructed to pull the laststring before a knot tighter thanthe reference tension to allowfor the tension that is lostbetween the clamp and theknot.

CLAMPING SYSTEMSThe clamping system is meant tohold strings in the racquet undertension. If clamps slip, or allow strings to slip throughthem, a string job can be ruined. There are many differ-ent clamps, but we will only discuss three here.

Flying Clamps. These clamps are not attached to themachine. They use onestring to hold ten-sion on anotherstring. They gen-erally do not hold

tension as consistent-ly as the other two types of

clamps. The low price tagmakes them attractive to newstringers testing the waters.

Fixed Clamps thatSwivel. Theseclamps are attachedto the machine andcan be turned in anydirection, especiallyhelpful when stringing

fan patterns. They also allow you to switch from main

strings to cross strings without having to remove andreplace glide bars. There are two kinds: dual swivel,dual action fixedclamps thatrequire you tolock two leversto clamp astring; and dualswivel, single-action fixed clamps thatrequire you to lock one lever.360º glide bar clamps areclamps that rotate 360degrees, but they aremounted on glide bars.Single swivel fixed refersto machines with only oneclamp attached to the machine.Machines with this type of clampwill generally require a starting clamp orflying clamp for part of each string job.

Fixed Clamps that Don't Swivel. These are clampsthat are attached to the machine by glide bars, butcan only be turned in two directions (90 degrees

and 0 degrees). These require removing and reposi-tioning glide bars to switch from main strings tocross strings.

Diamond Dust.Holds a string

with less pressure,avoiding string crushing.

WEIGHTCategories indicatewhether the machineweighs less than 50pounds, between 50and 75 pounds, or over 75pounds. Heavier machines can bemore stable and solid, but theycan be less convenient when mov-

ing or traveling.

TOOLS INCLUDEDThis final category indi-cates which supplies andtools are included with themachine. For descriptionsof each tool, see pages 9-10

of the USRSARacquet Ser-vice Tech-niques book. �

GammaX-ES

Klipper440-CS

Silent PartnerAria

TecnifibreTF-8000

Prince3000

Wise2086 Professional ETH

magine a world where everyone is talking about tennis.Every day, it's on the front pages of newspapers andmagazines, and for hours on end televised matches are

watched by millions. If you're in the tennis business you'dbe in second heaven, right?

Well, don't try to wake up because it's not a dream. Fortwo weeks this year, starting Aug. 30, an event called theUS Open makes this dream come true. Millions of sporadicfans will enthusiastically come out of the woodwork toplay during this two-week event, and millions more willwatch it on television and read about it on the front pagesof the newspapers. It's the time of year when “play”becomes more than a button on a VCR.

You can take advantage of this excitement for tennisright from the counter top of your pro shop. There is nobetter opportunity each year to increase the numbers ofyour tennis playing customers and the numbers on yourbottom line.

Here are some ideas to fire you up about the US Openand tennis. Along the way, you'll also fire up everyonearound you.

I

M A R K E T I N G S U C C E S S

1. Become a local Mecca for the OpenUse bulletin boards, bathroom mirrors, voice-mail greetings,court reservations staff, club newsletters, emails, fliers, TV,VCR, and PA system announcements to broadcast the play-by-play of the Open. For weeks leading up to the event, showhighlights from previous great US Open matches in publicareas throughout your club. If you don't have tapes of match-es yourself, ask around. Chances are one of your membershas some great matches of years past on cassette.

During the event, daily draw sheets and results can bepulled off the internet in seconds (www.usopen.org), fasterthan people will catch it on the news. Just print out theresults and your facility becomes a Mecca for the Open.Advertise your intentions with local press releases and radioPSAs weeks ahead of the event. Set up a temporary phoneline with updated messages on voice mail bringing fans thelatest results and human-interest stories.

You may even become an “expert,” interviewed in localpress, radio and television. The sort of exposure this effortcan bring will attract players to your doorstep throughout theyear.

With the US Open upon us, you can promote your shop orfacility along with the tournament.


OPEN FORBUSINESS

B Y J O E D I N O F F E R

OPEN FORBUSINESSWith the US Open upon us, you can promote your shop orfacility along with the tournament.

USTA

/Rus

sAd

ams

Phot

ogra

phy


2. Promote player racquetsto boost your own racquet sales

Print out the US Open draw daily and go to a copy center in your neigh-borhood that can blow it up to a 2 x 3-foot size for easy viewing. Thenmake nickel-size copies of the logos of the racquets that each of the topseeds are using. Post these logos next to the names of the top players.Your own customers will then start identifying with the players who usethe same racquets as they do. Plus, depending on who wins the tour-nament, be prepared to have inventory of that pro player's racquet.Chances are that sales of that particular frame will increase overnight.

3. Become the local sourcefor US Open fan merchandise

US Open T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and tennis balls are only some ofthe possibilities. If you didn't do this for the '04 Open, plan it for nextyear. There's even a basketball-size US Open tennis ball availablefrom one of the major ball manufacturers. Visitwww.molehillapparel.com to order US Open apparel and accessoriesfeaturing the US Open logo.

4. Organize events leading up toand during the Open

How about a dinner event with films highlighting the best matchesfrom previous US Open tournaments, or even bringing in a tennis leg-end speaker who is prepared to play in a weekend mixer with yourmembers?

5. Create a US Open sweepstakes for severalmonths leading up to the event

How do tickets for two plus round trip airfare sound (an airline basedin your city may donate the tickets for the right kind of exposure or ifa percentage of revenues goes toward a good cause in your area).

Two possibilities for a sweepstakes are a tournament event—howabout calling it the US Open Qualifying Tournament?—staged in earlysummer, or simply holding a drawing and to qualify for a ticket youmust have played a certain number of hours in a specific month orpurchased a certain amount of merchandise in your pro shop or spe-cialty store.

The halo effect of the Open creates dozens of profitable possibilities.The US Open is not only a huge profit center for the USTA, you can turnit into an income-producing event for yourself as well. Like other GrandSlam events, it's a great time to take advantage of the high visibility oftennis.

Joe Dinoffer is Master Professional for both the PTR and USPTA.He speaks frequently at national and international tennisteacher workshops as a member of both the Head/Penn andReebok National Speaker's Bureaus. He is president of OncourtOffcourt Inc. and has written 16 books and produced more than30 instructional videos.

USTA

/Rus

sAd

ams

Phot

ogra

phy

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


MEN

Round Racquet Racquet StringRank Reached Player Name Country Brand Racquet Model Headsize Brand1 W Roger Federer SUI Wilson nSix-One Tour 90 Luxilon/Wilson2 F Andy Roddick USA Babolat Pure Drive + 100 Babolat3 2 Guillermo Coria ARG Prince Experimental NXGraphite 100 Luxilon4 4 Carlos Moya ESP Babolat Pure Drive 100 Luxilon5 Q Tim Henman GBR Slazenger Pro X-1 95 Babolat/Luxilon6 David Nalbandian ARG DID NOT PLAY7 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP Prince NXGraphite 100 Luxilon8 3 Rainer Schuettler GER Head Liquidmetal Prestige Mid 93 Polystar9 Q Lleyton Hewitt AUS Yonex RDX-500 90 Babolat/Luxilon10 Andre Agassi USA DID NOT PLAY11 Gaston Gaudio ARG DID NOT PLAY12 S Sebastien Grosjean FRA Head Liquidmetal Prestige MP 98 Babolat13 1 Nicolas Massu CHI Babolat Pure Control + 97 Luxilon14 1 Paradorn Srichaphan THA Yonex Ultimum RD TI-80 98 Luxilon/Babolat15 1 Marat Safin RUS Head Liquidmetal Prestige Mid 93 Babolat16 2 Juan Ignacio Chela ARG Babolat Pure Control + 98 Babolat17 2 Andrei Pavel ROM Fischer Pro No. One 98 Luxilon18 1 Jiri Novak CZE Volkl Tour 10 MidPlus 98 Luxilon19 2 Tommy Robredo ESP Dunlop 300G 98 Luxilon20 2 Mardy Fish USA Dunlop 300G 98 Babolat/Luxilon

WOMEN

Round Racquet Racquet StringRank Reached Player Name Country Brand Racquet Model Headsize Brand1 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL DID NOT PLAY2 Kim Clijsters BEL DID NOT PLAY3 S Amelie Mauresmo FRA Dunlop 300G 98 Babolat4 3 Anastasia Myskina RUS Head Liquidmetal Instinct 100 Luxilon5 S Lindsay Davenport USA Wilson H Tour 95 Babolat6 1 Elena Dementieva RUS Yonex RDX-500 MP 98 Luxilon7 Q Jennifer Capriati USA Prince Tour Diablo 95 Babolat/Luxilon8 W Maria Sharapova RUS Prince More Attack 100 Babolat9 1 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS Head Liquidmetal Instinct 100 Luxilon10 Q Ai Sugiyama JPN Prince More Control DB 800 97 Prince11 Q Paola Suarez ARG Prince NXGraphite 100 Prince12 4 Nadia Petrova RUS Prince Triple Threat Hornet 98 Luxilon13 4 Vera Zvonareva RUS Fischer Pro No. One FT 98 Kirschbaum14 F Serena Williams USA Wilson H6 110 Wilson15 2 Venus Williams USA Wilson H4 110 Wilson16 2 Patty Schnyder SUI Head Liquidmetal Prestige MP 98 Kirschbaum17 2 Francesca Schiavone ITA Fischer Pro No. One 98 Luxilon18 1 Anna Pistolesi ISR Babolat Pure Drive 100 Babolat19 4 Silvia Farina Elia ITA Prince Triple Threat Graphite 110 Luxilon20 Q Karolina Sprem CRO Fischer Pro Tour FT 98 Tecnifibre


Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova overcome some tough competitors to win theAll England Championships this year. Here’s a look at the equipment that these twochampions, and their peers, used on the fast grass at Wimbledon. Show this toyour customers, too, so they can check out their favorites.

String String Footwear ClothingString Model Gauge Tension Brand Footwear Model BrandBig Banger Alu Power Rough/Natural Gut 16L 25/23.5 Nike VAPOR S2 NikePro Hurricane/VS Team 16 73 Reebok Figjam DMX ReebokBig Banger Original 16 52 Adidas Barricade III AdidasBig Banger Original 16 60 Nike MAX Breathe FREE NikeBig Banger Timo / VS Team Natural Gut 18 51.6 Adidas Barricade III Adidas

Big Banger Original 16 53/51 Nike Air Court Implosion Sergio TacchiniEnergy 1.25mm Fila X-Point FilaVS Team/Big Banger Alu Power 16L 56 Nike MAX Breathe FREE Nike

VS Touch 16 50.6 ASICS Gel Invasion LacosteBig Banger Alu Power 16L 53 Adidas Barricade III AdidasBig Banger Alu Power/VS Touch Natural Gut 16L/16 64 Adidas Barricade III AdidasBallistic /VS Team 16 Adidas Barricade III AdidasBallistic 16 16 Adidas Barricade III AdidasBig Banger Ace Touch 18/16L Nike VAPOR S2 NikeBig Banger Alu Power 16L 29/28kg AustralianBig Banger Original 16L 23.5kg Sergio Tacchini Sergio TacchiniBabolat VS Team Natural Gut/Big Banger Timo 18/18 Nike Air Zoom Breathe Free Nike

String String Footwear ClothingString Model Gauge Tension Brand Footwear Model Brand

VS Touch 16 57.2 Nike MAX Breathe FREE NikeBig Banger Timo 18 56/52 Nike NikeVS Touch 16 63/64 Nike Air Zoom Thrive NikeBig Banger Alu Power 16L 51/48.5 Yonex Power Cushion 303 YonexVS Touch /Big Banger Alu Power 16/16L 67 Fila X-Point FilaPro Hurricane 17/VS Touch 16 17 Nike VAPOR S2 NikeBig Banger Alu Touch 16L Fila X-Point FilaNatural Gut 16 57 Nike Air Court Motion NikeNylon 15L Lotto ATP Supreme Lite LottoMonotec Supersense 16L 28 Adidas Barricade III W AdidasSuper Smash Spikey 16 Adidas Barricade III W AdidasNatural 16 67 Puma Extrena PumaNatural 16 65 Reebok VESW DMX ReebokSuper Smash Spikey 17 Adidas Barricade III W AdidasBig Banger Alu Power 16L Diadora Kynetech W DA2 DiadoraTour Duralast 16 77.2 Puma PumaBig Banger Original 16 52/50 Sergio Tacchini Sergio TacchiniX-Tra Dynamic 1.33 16 57.3/55.1 Adidas Barricade III W Adidas

kits can bedaunting oras easy as“falling off alog,”dependingon theframe. Thereappears tobe no logicas to whichare easy ordifficult.

Often with difficult frames, the proper andcomplete seating of the barrel takes anextra effort. Accomplishing seating in con-junction with restringing can cause a prob-lem, especially if you are using natural gutor a soft multifilament. Once the barrel isbent or distorted, it will always be a prob-lem. On frames requiring extra effort toseat the barrels, I use a scrap of stringthrough theaffectedbarrels, run-ningthroughopposingbarrels. Itension thisto about 40poundsafter mak-ing sure thebarrels arealigned. Thispulls themup snug, thus allowing for good restringing.Klip hat, wrist bands, and decal to:William Thompson, Farmville, VA

—Greg Raven w

and TECHNIQUES

GROMMET REMOVALEvery once in a while when replacing agrommet, the old one breaks off and justwon't come out. I've been successful withthis problem by carefully screwing a 3-inchdry-wall screw a couple of turns into thestuck grommet and gently pulling it out.

5 sets of Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 withWearGuard to:Glenn Brewer, Marietta, GA

RATTLE REMOVERTo get a loose, but still partially attached,piece of graphite out of a hollow racquethandle, I run a narrow bottle brush in andout of the handle after removing the buttcap or the “trap door.”

5 packs of Prince No Sweat overgrips(3 overgrips per pack) to:Roger Hansen, Orange, CA

Editor's note: For really tight passage-ways in hollow handles, the metalbrush that comes with gun-bore clean-ing kits is very effective.

BEGINNER TIPSSEATING GROMMET BARRELSInstalling bumperguard and grommet strip

Readers’ Know-How in Action


Tips and Techniques submitted since 1993 by USRSA mem-bers, and appearing in this column, have all been gatheredinto a single volume of the Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Ser-vice Techniques which is a benefit of USRSA membership.Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA92804; or email [email protected].

tips

string PLAYTEST

Völkl's F.I.R.E. (Fully Integrated Racquet

Engineering) Strings is a hybrid comprised

of a nylon multifilament and polyester

monofilament. According to Völkl, this

combination delivers the power and feel of

a multifilament with the durability and

control of polyester. The interaction of

these two string types was specially devel-

oped to support Völkl's Catapult racquets.

The elasticity of the multifilament

enhances the Catapult power, while the

stiffer polyester increases durability and

enhances the resetting of the string bed

through the Catapult springs.

Völkl says F.I.R.E. Strings enables easy "tun-ing" of the racquet. For maximum power,use the multifilament (yellow and blackstring) in the mains, and the polyester(white) in the crosses. For maximum controland durability, use the polyester in themains, and the multifilament in the crosses.

Völkl recommends F.I.R.E. Strings forplayers who seek the high-performanceassociated with natural gut, but want moredependable control and greater durability.

F.I.R.E. Strings is available in 16L/17L inyellow/black and white. It is priced from $12for sets of 20 x 2 feet, and $160 for reels of360 x 2 feet. For more information or toorder, contact Völkl at 800-264-4579, orvisit www.volkl.com.

IN THE LABWe tested the 16L/17L gauge F.I.R.E. Strings,using the multifilament in the mains and thepoly in the crosses. The coils measured22'8” for the mains and 23' for the crosses.The diameters measured 1.38-1.39 mm(mains) and 1.28-1.30 mm (crosses) prior tostringing, and 1.32 mm (mains) and 1.25mm (crosses) after stringing. F.I.R.E. mains

recorded a stiffness of 175 lbs/in.,and a tension loss of 9.5 pounds.F.I.R.E. crosses recorded a stiffnessof 258 lbs./in., and a tension loss of 12.8pounds.

We recorded a stringbed stiffness of68 RDC units immediately after stringingat 60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pull

machine. After 24 hours(no playing), stringbed stiffness measured62 RDC units, representing a 9 percent ten-sion loss. Our control string, Prince SyntheticGut Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDCunits immediately after stringing and 71RDC units after 24 hours, representing a 9percent tension loss. F.I.R.E. Strings added14 grams to the weight of our unstrungframe.

The string was tested for five weeks by36 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.5 to 6.5. These are blind tests, withplaytesters receiving unmarked strings inunmarked packages. Average number ofhours playtested was 20.8.

It seemed odd to put the nylon in themains, rather than putting the more durablepoly there to resist breakage. Ourplaytesters were just about evenly split onthe degree of difficult of installing F.I.R.E.Strings, but given the slightly stiff nature ofthe nylon and the need to weave the muchstiffer poly through the nylon, we expecteda much lower rating here. As stiff as it is,the tip of the nylon can become somewhatmushy on small-diameter grommets andblocked holes, making matters just thatmuch more difficult. If you decide to try thisstring with the poly in the mains, however,you'll find it easier to string.

No playtester broke his sample duringstringing, eight reported problems with coilmemory, five reported problems tying knots,and two reported friction burn.

ON THE COURTThe obvious reason to use a hybrid stringsuch as F.I.R.E. Strings is to gain durabilitywithout sacrificing all touch and feel, andaccording to our playtesters, F.I.R.E. Stringsis durable: 23 playtesters rated it more

VölklF.I.R.E. Strings

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 9about as easy 12not quite as easy 11not nearly as easy 2

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 1somewhat better 6about as playable 10not quite as playable 12not nearly as playable 5

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 10somewhat better 13about as durable 10not quite as durable 1not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.2Durability 4.1Power 3.1Control 3.5Comfort 2.9Touch/Feel 2.9Spin Potential 3.3Holding Tension 3.4Resistance to Movement 4.0


“ I thought this was a super string. It had a great combination ofplayability and control, but when you throw the wonderful durabilityinto the mix you have a super string. I didn't love the colors, but I gotover it real fast after I hit the first couple of balls. Great string!”5.0 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 strung at 60pounds CP (Luxilon Alu Power 16L)

“ The string did a good job of stiffening the frame. It was very good inadding control. I did not feel much loss of power although it is lesspowerful than the string I normally use. Very little wear after 30 hoursof play. There has been some drop-off inpower. Nice string for frequent string-break-ers and those who do not care about playa-bility as much as durability.”4.5 male baseliner with moderate spinusing Pro Kennex Core 1 No. 06 strung at59 pounds CP (Tecnifibre NRG 17)

“ The mains were easy to string, but aswith most poly strings, the crosses were abit difficult to weave across the mains.There was ample string for both the crossesand mains. I really enjoyed playing withthese strings as they added a lot of controlto my strokes. The string held its tension and there was very little move-ment of the mains. If someone has a power racquet that needs a littlecalming down, this string will help a lot. I would recommend this stringto some of my power hitters looking for more control.”4.5 male all-court player using Head Liquidmetal Instinct strung at 60pounds LO (Wilson Stamina 16)

“ A nice hybrid; good feel, good pop. Not crazy about the color. Verydurable.”5.0 male all-court player using Wilson H Tour strung at 55 pounds CP(Wilson Stamina Spin 16)

“ Good overall string. Still in the racquet and in good shape.”4.5 male baseliner with heavy spin using Head Ti Radical strung at62/59 pounds CP (Luxilon Alu Power Ice 16L)

“ Enjoyed the string. It feels similar to Head Intellifiber. Great coloron mains. String wore very well. Very responsive; ball reacts veryquickly off stringbed. Not too much notching. Strings stayed in posi-tion the whole time. Nice feel. Eager to find out the manufacturer andname of this string.”5.0 male all-court player using Head i.S2 strung at 55 pounds CP

(Forten Kevlar Gear 16/17)

“ Had to look at directions a couple of timesto verify poly on crosses. I have to admit the“bumble bee” color of mains bothered me. Iwas surprised by how well this string played.Good comfort and power. Not an easy combi-nation to achieve.”3.5 male all-court player using Wilson HyperHammer 5.2 strung at 56 pounds CP (GammaLive Wire XP 17)

“ This string surprised me and I'm not quitesure what to make of it. After stringing I

assumed it was a durability string, but after playing with it a while,I'm not sure how to categorize it. My arm has been bothering me, so Iwasn't excited about playing with what I thought was a durable, stiffstring, lacking in power. This string played much better than I expect-ed and did not bother my arm at all. I experienced a fair amount oftension loss, but it didn't seem to affect the playability, indicative of aresilient string. The strings locked into place and there was almost nostring movement.”4.5 male all-court player using Prince More Performance Power 1150Sstrung at 65 pounds CP (Prince Premier 16)

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

“ I am predominantlya doubles player. Thisstring really felt good on vol-

leys. I usually hit with a lot of

topspin and these strings held

up well. ”3.5 male serve-and-volleyer using

Wilson Pro Staff 6.5 strung at 60

pounds CP (Wilson Stamina 16)

TESTERS TALK

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

durable than other strings of similargauge. F.I.R.E. Strings also garnered morefavorable comments than any other stringwe've tested recently, as almost two-thirds of our playtesters had somethingfavorable to say about it.

Our playtesters weren't just payingF.I.R.E. Strings lip service: they rated wellabove average in Durability, Control, SpinPotential, Holding Tension, and Resis-tance to Movement—five of our nine cat-


egories! Not surprisingly, F.I.R.E. Strings'average score is also well above average.It seems that Völkl's F.I.R.E. Strings hassomething for just about everyone, espe-cially considering the fact that you caninstall the other way around, with thepoly in the mains and the nylon in thecrosses.

The test sample broke during play fornine of our playtesters, at 5, 8, 8.5, 10,12, 13, 14, 22, and 26 hours.

CONCLUSIONIf you're running out of options tryingto get a traditional nylon or polyesterstring to work for you, Völkl F.I.R.E.Strings could be the way to go. Withtwo complementary string materials,you get to decide which goes in themains and which in the crosses, andit's a snap to use different tensions forthe mains and crosses for further cus-tomization. —Greg Raven w

The Elite is Lobster's top-of-the-line ball

machine. Designed for maximum durabili-

ty, the portable, battery-powered Elite

operates even where there is no AC

power source. The Elite sells for $1,049.

To contact Lobster, call 800-526-4041, or

visit www.lobsterinc.com.

ASSEMBLYIn its shipping carton, the Lobster Eliteweighs about 60 pounds, light enough forone person to move without difficulty.Assembling the Lobster Elite requiresattaching the handle and removing a pieceof tape that secures the power switch. Thewhole process took us less than 5 minutes.Assembled, the unit weighs about 46pounds.

The machine was smaller than weexpected. This is partly because most of ourexperience has been with bigger machines,but also because it looks much larger inphotos. The compact size, though, allowsLobster to ship the Elite in a manageablebox that still has plenty of space inside toprotect the machine. We were amazed byhow powerful and sturdy the machine is,considering its size.

Lobster ships the Elite with a fullycharged battery, so we immediatelypressed it into service. The big wheels onback and the tall handle make it easy tonavigate the Elite over bumps and evensmall curbs. The handle is secured by tworemovable pins that, once removed, leavethe body of the machine small enough tofit in the trunk of a convertible. The padsunder the machine keep it from slidingaround. Molded handholds on the under-side of the Elite make it easy to lift duringtransport.

USEMBLYWe filled the Elite to its 150-ball capacity.The bin, which inverts to double as a coverwhen not in use, has a slot in front toallow monitoring the ball level even fromthe other side of the court. The Elite offers

Lobster Elite


ball machine REVIEW

a 15-second delay to allow you to get tothe other side of the court before it feedsthe first ball. It offers controls for ballspeed, feed frequency, and top- andunderspin, as well as switches for power,elevation, oscillation, and the remote con-trol.

REMOTE CONTROLRemote control of oscillation and ball feedis optional for this machine, but it certainlyis handy. With it, you can trigger the oscil-lation motor to aim the feed wherever youwant, turn off the ball feed to take abreak and adjust the settings and thenwalk (rather than run) to the other side ofthe court without missing a ball. It's alsogreat when you need to clear stray ballsfrom around your feet.

BATTERY LIFEWe tested the battery life by running theElite continuously until it would no longerfeed a ball, setting it to feed from thebaseline to the middle of the back courtevery four seconds with no oscillation andno spin. In this mode, the battery lasted 4hours and 15 minutes, shooting more than3,800 balls. We hit balls back for the firsttwo hours, but ran out of energy longbefore the battery did. The Elite does havea low-battery indicator, but we disregard-ed it to see just how long it would go.After three hours we had to bump up thespeed a little to get the balls to shoot asdeeply as they did at first. When makingthis adjustment, we figured the batterywas about dead, so we were pleasantlysurprised when it ran another hour with-out needing further adjustment. At aboutfour hours we had to increase the speed alittle once again. The machine lastedanother 15 minutes before it quit com-pletely. The amazing thing is how well itcontinued to feed balls to the same spotthroughout the entire test. After drainingthe battery completely, recharging tookabout 25 hours. But, obviously it wouldrecharge more quickly if you don't com-pletely drain the battery like we did.

FEED TRAY/INTERVALThe rotating feed tray did a great job of stir-ring the balls and letting only one ball intoeach hole. In all the hours that we used themachine, we experienced an average ofonly three misfeeds (when a ball doesn'tcome out) per hour, and no jams. Therewere no multiple misfeeds, which undernormal operating conditions can lead youto wonder if the machine is empty,although the slot in the front of the ball binallows you to check the status visually. Theball bin's capacity is 150 balls, but wefound that when full, the stirring of therotating tray would bump a few balls out ofthe bin. The interval knob on the machineadjusts how fast this tray rotates and there-fore, how frequently balls are fed. Thelongest interval setting allowed 12 secondsbetween shots, while the shortest intervalsetting allowed 2.2 seconds. The 2.2 sec-ond interval is faster than top players hit aball from baseline to baseline. But, it's a lit-tle slower than the time top players hit fromvolleyer to baseliner.

SPINThe spin feature worked very well. We wereable to adjust the level from barely notice-able to the kind of spin you get playingwith big string breakers. On full topspin, themachine fed a very heavy ball that wouldjump forward off the bounce, while the fullunderspin setting would send a ball that lit-erally stopped moving forward and satstraight up after bouncing. This is more


underspin than we've ever seen in liveplay.

OSCILLATIONThe oscillation works very smoothly andfeeds balls in random directions, almostlike playing a real person. The machinebody rotates during oscillation, so youhave some idea where the ball will go.Even so, it didn't take long on randomoscillation to wear us out.

HEIGHTTrue to its name, the Lobster Elite lobslike a champ. We were able to lob anyheight to any part of the court. And, byadjusting the spin control, we were ableto create offensive topspin lobs anddefensive underspin lobs.

THE PROSw Easy to unpack and assemble.w Alignment marker under machine.w Arrived with a fully charged battery.w Long battery life.w Compact and light, making it easy to

transport and fit in trunk of a car.w Smaller target for hitting it with your

returned shots.w Sturdier and more powerful than we

expected based on its size.w Plastic outer body helps to avoid

rusting.w Ball bin has a slot in it to let you moni-

tor the number of balls remaining.w No ball jams and very few misfeeds.w Optional extended warranty.w Big wheels in back make it easy to

move around.w 15 second delay on the feed motor.w Adjustable speed, frequency, spin, and

elevation of feeds.w Full range of topspin and underspin.w Feeds lobs better than most teaching

pros, with any kind of spin.w Random oscillation.w The feeds were remarkably consistent.w Quiet, no complaints from neighbor-

ing courts.w Optional remote is very handy.

THE CONSw No assembly instructions.w Can't charge the battery while using

the machine.w It took a long time to recharge battery

after it was fully drained—more than24 hours.

w It would be nice if the battery wouldjust stop charging on its own when itis fully charged.

w The 15-second delay on the feedmotor wasn't much help if you need-ed to make any adjustments to thesettings before use.

w When the ball bin is completely full ofballs, a few can get pushed over theedge by the stirring of the feed tray.

w Does not offer programmableoscillation.

w No indicator of the height of the ele-vation setting.

CONCLUSIONThe Lobster Elite is a terrific little machineideally suited for a tennis-playing family.It's small and easily portable, and it runson battery power, so you can use it any-where. It feeds the ball as often as youwant to anywhere you want with asmuch speed and spin as you want. Iteven offers random oscillation to simulatereal play. The optional remote is a goodinvestment and the battery life is longenough to wear out the whole family.

—Dave Bone w

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 OR SER-VICE TO TENNIS CLUBS ORRETAILERS?Why not contact them with aclassified 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]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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 NEWSPAPER.Get a free one-month subscription to DailyTennis, the world’s only daily tennis news-paper. Get the latest news about the play-ers, tournaments, companies, college tennisand even job availability. For free samplewrite [email protected].

HOW TO HIRE A TENNIS PROGet this free booklet that tells how to hire apro, step by step and avoid making a mis-take. For free copy, Call Bob Larson at 952920 8947 or by e-mail [email protected].

MERCHANDISE TO BUY/SELL

WE BUY TENNIS BALL CANS 952920 8947WE BUY OLD WOOD TENNIS RACK-

ETS—952 920 8947

POSITION WANTED

Highly successful Tennis Director/Head ten-nis professional, seeks a position in theSouthern California area. This professionalhas extensive experience in all aspectsincluding world class instructional pro-grams, national junior development, and allduties concerning operating, maintaining,and transforming a facility into an elite classorganization. Professional is currentlyemployed, but will consider any position inSouthern Calif. Inquries [email protected] or 952 920 8947.

HELP WANTED

TENNIS COACHES CONNECTICUTIndoor Tennis Clubs in Connecticut is seek-ing hardworking, enthusiastic and dedicat-ed instructors. Minimum two-yearsexperience and commensurate salary. USVisa sponsorship will be considered forqualified applicants, if required. Contact JeffGocke at 203 655 2852 X 308, or via fax203 656 1091.

2 TEACHING PROS MISSOURIThe Sunset Tennis Center in St. Louis whichspecializes in teaching seeks 2 young, ener-getic pros with constructive, positiveapproach teaching the game. Dominant cat-egory of instruction is juniors of all ages andlevels, but candidates should also be com-fortable working with adults. One of these2 should be interested in helping to build ahigh-intensity training program for top-leveljuniors. Start in September or November.For more information call Doug at 314-849-2327.

SALES REPS OR DISTRIBU-TORS NATIONALWe are a successful company in our areaand are going nation-wide, and we want astaff of go-getters to develop the line. Weoffer a line of hats, visors, socks and sweat-bands tailored for golf and tennis. We wantdistribution across the US, Canada andMexico. Positions are commission only.Please e-mail resumes or questions [email protected] or fax 561 994 3009.

TENNIS ADVISORY STAFF SALESBancroft Sports, America's Oldest RacquetBrand, is seeking qualified tennis profes-sionals for part-time area sales positions ofour new racquet line. A successful candi-date will receive commissions from all salesin their area. There are a limited number ofterritories available. Phone 1-800-779-0807or e-mail [email protected].

SALES REPS Join the fastest growingstring company with a new fresh approachto the tennis industry. We are seeking

established 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. Sales repsare needed across the US, Mexico andCanada. Positions are commission-basedonly. Please e-mail all resumes and/or ques-tions to [email protected] or fax us at720 559 3253.

TEACHING PROS AND COACHESBook your dream trip NOW! Enjoy sevendays and six nights at an “all inclusive”SuperClubs resort—the most exclusivevacation destination in the Caribbean (13locations) for you and a companion (or withyour family). Small fee and limited teachingobligation required.Visit our websites at www.superclubs.comand www.sportsinternationaltennis.com. Tobook or for more information, call 978 4669393 or e-mail to [email protected].

VACATION OPPORTUNITIESFOR TENNIS PROFESSIONALS

For only $250 plus airfare, your guest andyou could be vacationing at the #1 ultra all-inclusive Sandals and Beaches Resorts inJamaica and St. Lucia. Your food, drinks andaccommodations are included as well as allthe amenities of the resort. These workingvacations run from Sunday to Sunday. Formore information, contact Mike Romisher at847 207 9475. E-mail [email protected].

WANT TO BUY A CLUB

ATTENTION CLUB OWNERS. Experi-enced Head Pro/Manager seeking to acquiretennis, tennis and swim or tennis and healthclub in the CT, NY, NJ region. For confiden-tial inquiries, please contact Bob [email protected]

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 thePTR. ProMatch Tennis Service can be con-tacted by calling 770-817-0559. You canemail 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]. www.sealmaster.net.

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 for betweencourts or against fences. No painting ormaintenance with Eco - Board, hunter greenplastic extruded cover over structural wood.Special designs for units around light poles,fences, etc.Easy to assemble, free standing gazebo's,

do not require footings or anchors intocourts. 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 season,118‚ by 108‚ by 40‚ high. Complete withnew heater/inflation system, doors andlighting. Contact Walter Ptaszek at MSS Inc.908 876 0146. Cell phone 908 693 6232. 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 possibleto earn thousands of dollars annually. Forinformation, 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 INDUSTRY

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified ads are $100 for up to 50 words. Additional words are $1 each. To place an

ad or for help in writing the ad, call Bob Larson, 952 920 8947. Deadline for the Octo-

ber issue is August 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].

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].

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]


FOR SALE: Ten (10) brand new TST Precision500 stringing machines, used for the Nasdaq-100 Miami Open is available for sale. Price . . .just $2200 ea. Plus shipping. For inquiries,please email: [email protected] or callMike at 772/285-5845

WANTED: Wilson Sledge Hammer 3.8 PowerHoles, 98 inch head, 4-1/4 grip. Please call Dinaat 718/268-2300 x135 or email at [email protected]

USRSACLASSIFIEDS

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

OctoberDate Event Location

2-3 PTR Certification Phoenix, AZ2-3 PTR Certification Atlantic Beach, NC7-8 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, IL16-17 PTR Certification Williamsport, PA18-19 USPTA Certification Atlanta, GA19-20 USPTA Certification Mesa, AZ21-22 PTR Certification Honolulu, HI23-24 USPTA Certification Memphis, TN23-24 USPTA Certification Mandevilla, LA23-24 USPTA Certification Joplin, MO23-24 PTR Certification Thorofare, NJ23-24 PTR Certification Los Angeles, CA23-24 PTR Certification Madison, WI25-26 USPTA Certification Beverly Hills, CA30-31 USPTA Certification Fayetteville, NC30-31 PTR Certification Hadley South, MA

NovemberDate Event Location

4-5 USPTA Certification Hempstead, NY6-7 PTR Certification Gainesville, FL6-7 PTR Certification Duluth, GA6-7 USPTA Certification Mequon, WI6-7 USPTA Certification Brnswick, ME6-7 USPTA Certification Grenada, MS6-7 USPTA Certification Charleston, SC11-12 PTR Certification Flushing, NY13-14 PTR Certification Medford, NJ13-14 USPTA Certification Pebble Beach, CA13-14 USPTA Certification Eugene, OR14-15 USPTA Certification Atlanta, GA15-16 USPTA Certification Houston, TX19-21 PTR Certification San Jose, CA20-21 PTR Certification Miami, FL20-21 USPTA Certification Big Raids, MI20-21 USPTA Certification San Diego, CA20-21 USPTA Certification Asheville, NC21-22 USPTA Certification Denver, CO26-27 USPTA Certification Honolulu, HI26-27 USPTA Certification Gastonia, 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 LOCATIONSCALL FOR DATES


NEW MEMBER CITY STATE/COUNTRY

Lance Andersen Boxborough MA

Richard Hynes Sudbury MA

Marvin Wong Newton MA

Peter Bonacich Warwick RI

Eloise Meissner Bedford NH

Warren Bingham Lower Waterford VT

Josh Wasserman Westfield NJ

Frank Carcione Franklin Lakes NJ

Michael Wong Burlington NJ

McElryn Reynolds Valley Stream NY

Lisa Teitelbaum Plainview NY

Trent Edwards Greensburg PA

Eric Miller Langhome PA

Terry Brown Philadelphia PA

Richard Palmer Downingtown PA

Don English Wilmington DE

Skip Bishop Sterling VA

Sports Authority #522 Largo MD

Ramon Bernal Dumfries VA

Scott Fonger Winchester VA

Michael L Grabeel Rose Hill VA

Matt Simeon Arapahoe NC

Ann Y. Fosnacht Blythewood SC


James Wehner Acworth GA

Danny Thiets Mableton GA

Charles Hoskins Birmingham AL

Ronald Uszenski Morristown TN

J B Harwood Ocean Springs MS

Steve Ensley Reynoldsburg OH

Russell Wortman Westerville OH

Maurice A Williams III Indianapolis IN

Ken Hedrick Columbus IN

David Acton Bloomington IN

Bev Geesin Battle Creek MI

John Schaff Ada MI

Jeremiah Burdett Traverse City MI

Brad Smith West Des Moines IA

James Raife Des Moines IA

Bruce Dougan Champlin MN

Jeffrey Cappel River Forest IL

Victor J. Dupre Mandeville LA

Nathalie Roziers Monroe LA

Mark Saylor Edmond OK

Craig Starke Oklahoma City OK

Ryan Haddad Dallas TX

Dustin Tankersley Keller TX


Christopher Jolivette Houston TX

Terry Daniel Bryan TX

Robert Wall Austin TX

Cliff E. Rogge Mead CO

Gary Wilson Greeley CO

Kai Fong Lewiston ID

Cynthia Kennedy Salt Lake City UT

Sports Authority #696 Tucson AZ

James Oldham Santa Fe NM

Nik DeVore Los Angeles CA

Samuel Yeu Los Angeles CA

Harry Wickes Chino Hills CA

John Kuramoto Monterey Park CA

Angelizen Zabala San Francisco CA

Sportmart #656 Stockton CA

George Kevly Redding CA

Michael Gibbons Portland OR

Aldo Lizzul Sequim WA

Ko Sau Bun Bunny Hong Kong CHINA

Colyn Dee Johannesburg S.AFRICA

Didier Windmeulen Battice BELGIUM

Kirk Harry Birmingham UK

B Snapes Kingston UK

NEW MEMBERS June/July 2004


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 inthis issue of Racquet Sports Industry, please contactthe manufacturers directly.

Company Page

Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Ashaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39ATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Bakko Backboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Bancroft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Classic Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Courtsider LSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Fischer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Forten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Gamma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 46, IBCHead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2ICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 18Klip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14LBH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Lee Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17LeJay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Lobster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Novagrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 15Nova Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26On Court Off Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Polo Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Silent Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Tecnifibre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFCTOA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Unique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Volkl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BCWise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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.

MASTER RACQUET TECHNICIANSCongratulations to the following members who

recently became MRTsEric Kaplan Bryn Mawr, PA

Shone Rowley Rochester, NY

CERTIFIED STRINGERSCongratulations to the following members who

recently became CSsHannah Dolinger Bryn Mawr, PAChristopher W. Pappe Kenosha, WIChristopher M. Pappe Kenosha, WI

MRT’s: 401 CS’s: 2520

Your ServeJoin the Campaign!The TIA president says while work continues on bringing in new players,we all need to focus on frequent-player retention.

We are approaching the endof the first year of the Ten-nis Campaign. We launched

the largest new-player retention pro-gram in our sport's history. How arewe doing? I'd give us a grade of a “B”for the first year.

On the positive side, thanks to theefforts of the entire industry, we haveestablished the largest grassroots net-work in sport, with more than 4,000Tennis Welcome Centers. We have hadgood marketing, great tools for localTWCs to use, and great support by ourpartners. Teaching pro, manufacturerand retailer support has been out-standing. The major associations andmedia partners in our sport at thenational level stepped up also, allworking together in an unprecedentedway, which will pave future success.The real results will not be known untilwe see our participation numbers laterthis year, but the feedback from manyTennis Welcome Centers has been pos-itive. In a recent poll of TWCs, 62 per-cent rated the marketing good. And,51 percent saw an increase in thenumber of new players coming out toplay tennis in the past few months!

We do have some real challenges.We need to push our message and theurgency down to the local level. Wefound many Tennis Welcome Centersnot ready to service new players. Wewill be focused on quality and notquantity for 2005 and beyond. Proba-bly the most disappointing thing wasto see the number of facilities thatwaited for the phone to ring and did-n't use the great marketing tools pro-vided.

Well, there are three types of peo-ple in this world: those who “make ithappen,” those who “watch it hap-pen” and those who “wonder whathappened.” With this campaign, and

for our future, we need to have more“make it happen” people.

This brings me to the future. TheTennis Campaign will continue to berelentless in fixing our new-player reten-tion issue with Tennis Welcome Centers.But we have an equally big issue: thedeterioration of frequent players.

Frequent players, while representingonly 19 percent of our total players,account for over 75 percent of totalplay. Frequent players are the power-brokers of our sport. They are our leagueplayers, our club members, the oneswho take lessons, the biggest fans oftennis, they watch the most tennis onTV, etc. Frequent players hold the keysto our sport!

But we have lost frequent players atan alarming rate—a 25 percent reduc-tion over the past three years! This isconfirmed by our TIA/USTA survey andrecent SGMA surveys of frequent partici-pants in all activities in America. And, ifthis doesn't get your juices flowing, Ten-nis is now ranked 33rd of all activities inour country by frequent participants.

The Tennis Campaign will focus onfrequent-player retention as a second

major priority. But, you must take thischallenge on, too! In fact, the fre-quent-player retention war will not bewon with marketing and advertising.Research shows the real key is facilityowners, pros and local effort. Here aresome interesting research findings:

w 44 percent of all frequent playershave taken a lesson in the pastyear; only 15 percent of former fre-quent players have.

w 60 percent of former players wouldplay again if they had regularlyscheduled matches.

w 36 percent would play again if aclub called to schedule a match.

w 45 percent of new players wouldplay more tennis if they thoughttennis was a great workout

In the near future, you will be hearingabout plans to help us win this battle.It will include practical and useful tips,best practices, a greater focus on fit-ness for our sport, and the use oftechnology in the future.

But, the key will be you! Tennisneeds your help. I don't want to bethe 33rd ranked sport anymore. I hopeyou don't, either! Be a leader in theTennis Campaign. Growing andrebuilding our sport has to be every-one's responsibility. w

Frequent players, while

representing only 19

percent of our total

players, account for

over 75 percent of total

play. They are the

power-brokers of our

sport.

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

Jim Baugh is the presidentof the Tennis IndustryAssociation and amember of the USTAboard of directors.

B Y J I M B A U G H


Documents

200409 Racquet Sports Industry