201101 Racquet Sports Industry

January 2011Volume 39 Number 1 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

CHAMPIONS OFTENNIS 2010Our annual awards honorthose who continue tomake this sport a winnerThe Polo Club � Tom Parry � Pro-SportConstruction � Rick Walsh � NYCRacquet Sports � Robin Jones � ButchStaples & Leah Friedman � RobertPangrazi � Copeland-Cox Tennis Center �

Harlon Matthews � Dwight Davis TennisCenter � Southern Crescent TennisAssociation � Rodney Harmon � RonWoods � Bill Wagstaff � USTA Southern

CHAMPIONS OFTENNIS 2010Our annual awards honorthose who continue tomake this sport a winnerThe Polo Club � Tom Parry � Pro-SportConstruction � Rick Walsh � NYCRacquet Sports � Robin Jones � ButchStaples & Leah Friedman � RobertPangrazi � Copeland-Cox Tennis Center �

Harlon Matthews � Dwight Davis TennisCenter � Southern Crescent TennisAssociation � Rodney Harmon � RonWoods � Bill Wagstaff � USTA Southern

DEPARTMENTS

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INDUSTRY NEWS

7 Anna Kournikova topromote Cardio Tennis

7 Community TennisDevelopment WorkshopFeb. 11-13

7 Eco-friendly flaxracquet debuts

8 Dunlop adds five new strings

8 Annual PTR Symposium set

8 Courier replaces Pat Macas Davis Cup captain

9 New racquets from Pacific

9 Klip America changesname, signs partners

10 Wilson unveils newBLX frames

10 Short Sets

11 Four new stringsfrom Wilson

12 Peoplewatch

12 USPTA starts divisionin China

14 USTA to begin tenniscenter overhaul

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

17 TIA News

44 Ask the Experts

46 String Playtest: Tecnifibre X-Code 16

48 Your Serve, by Dr. Robert Heller

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2011 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ContentsContents

FEATURES

34 Faked OutCounterfeit racquets are becoming more prevalent, causing headachesfor manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

36 String SelectorUse our exclusive charts to find the perfect strings for your customers.

Cover photo by Bob Kenas/RSI

23 Person of the YearJon Muir

26 Private Facility of the YearThe Polo Club

26 Stringer of the YearTom Parry

27 Builder/Contractor of the YearPro-Sport Construction

27 Sales Rep of the YearRick Walsh

28 Pro/Specialty Retailer of the YearNYC Racquet Sports

28 Tennis Advocate of the YearRobin Jones

29 Junior Tennis Championsof the YearButch Staples & Leah Friedman

29 Grassroots Champion of the YearRobert Pangrazi

30 Municipal Facility of the YearCopeland-Cox Tennis Center

30 Wheelchair Tennis Championof the YearHarlon Matthews

31 Public Park of the YearDwight Davis Tennis Center

31 Community Tennis Associationof the YearSouthern Crescent Tennis Association

32 PTR Member of the YearRodney Harmon

32 USPTA Member of the YearRon Woods

33 High School Coach of the YearBill Wagstaff

33 USTA Section of the YearUSTA Southern

Our annual awards honorthe people, businesses andorganizations that aremaking a difference in thetennis industry.

Our Serve(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

PublishersDavid Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia CantrellJoe DinofferLiza HoranGreg MoranBob Patterson

Cynthia ShermanMary Helen Sprecher

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

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

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

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

Advertising DirectorJohn Hanna

770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per

year: monthly January through August and com-

bined issues in September/October and Novem-

ber/December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, 330

Main St., Vista, CA 92084. Application to Mail at

Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Vista, CA and

additional mailing offices. January 2011, Volume 39,

Number 1 © 2011 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All

rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and

logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A.

Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circu-

lation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscrip-

tions $25 in the U.S., $40 elsewhere. POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to Racquet Sports Industry,

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2011

RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Looking for Ways to Improve

When my RSI colleagues and I go to indus-try events, we often hear from people inthe tennis business—teaching pros,

stringers, court builders, retailers, school coaches,community tennis leaders and others—that theyvery much like RSI magazine.

Often they mention a specific story that stuck out in their minds forsome reason—maybe it was something they never knew about, or a newway of doing something, or a new product or service that is available.Sometimes it’s to let us know that there might be more to the story, oranother way of looking at an issue, or that we got something wrong.

It’s nice to hear this feedback, and it makes us feel good that peopleread our magazine and use it (and increasingly, our website racquet-sportsindustry.com) as a resource. And of course, it’s always nice whenpeople say nice things about you and what you do.

But there are always things that can be improved upon. And we need tohear this, too—whether in person at industry events, or on the phone orby email.

RSI covers a rather diverse audience—we’re not writing solely to teach-ing pros, or facility managers, or retailers, or manufacturers, or courtbuilders. We’re putting out information to all of these groups. And onething we want to make sure we have right is the “mix” of stories we runin our printed issues and online at racquetsportsindustry.com.

From your perspective in this industry, how can we improve the maga-zine? What are we not covering, or not covering as completely as you feelwe should? What would you like to see more of? Less of? And in your opin-ion, what are we doing well?

We realize that your answers—and what you find useful and interestingin RSI and on our website—will in most cases depend on what you do inthis industry. But we need to hear your feedback, to make sure we’re onthe right track as we move forward in this industry—so that we can betterhelp you to move forward, too.

We understand that the content of RSI and our website will alwaysrequire a sort of “balancing act,” to give all of our audience useful infor-mation. But help us to make sure we’re giving you the information youneed. Send me a note at [email protected], and when yousee any of us at industry events, let us know your thoughts about RSI.Thanks for your help.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSI 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

New Eco-FriendlyFlax Racquet DebutsGroupeOriginerecentlylaunched anew tennisracquetmade withflax andcarbonfibers. “Theuse of flaxenables thedesign of aneco-friendly product, whilecarbon fibers ensure strengthand performance,” saysGroupe Origine’s Benoit Bal-mana.

Flax fibers are less rigid thancarbon fibers, says the com-pany, and that softness helpsabsorb vibration in the rac-quet, improving comfort. Flaxis an eco-friendly product,and it grows naturally with-out specific irrigation orrequires no chemical prod-ucts. Origine’s tagline is“powerful by nature.”

The Origine racquet weighs10.2 ounces with a 100-square-inch head size,designed for intermediate toexpert players. Retail price is$115. For more information,and to inquire about distribu-tion opportunities, visitgroupe-origine.com.

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January 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Anna Kournikova to Promote Cardio Tennis

Anna Kournikova is the new spokesperson for Car-dio Tennis. The 29-year-old tennis star will appearin a p.r. and advertising campaign to promote the

program.“Thousands have already improved their health and

fitness with Cardio Tennis,” says Jolyn de Boer, execu-tive director of the TIA, which manages Cardio Tennis.“With Anna, we feel many, many more will realize thebenefits—and the fun—of this program.”

“Tennis gives your whole body a workout, and Car-dio Tennis takes it up another level," says Kournikova.“It's designed for players of all ages and levels frombeginners to advanced. You get a great workout and burn tons of calories. Plus, it’s a lot of fun—certainly more interesting than working out in the gym. And you’ll improve your tennis, too."

Kournikova’s interest in Cardio Tennis peaked when she was scheduled to appear on the popu-lar NBC show "The Biggest Loser." The tennis star suggested to the show’s producers that she runa Cardio Tennis workout. The episode aired on Oct. 5, with Kournikova putting the 15 contestantsthrough a fat-burning Cardio Tennis workout as a key part of the show’s weight-loss program.

“Cardio Tennis has been expanding rapidly,” says Cardio Tennis National Program ManagerMichele Krause. “I’m looking forward to working with Anna on promoting it worldwide.”

Kournikova joined the pro tour in 1995, reaching a career-highranking of No. 8 in the world in singles and No. 1 in doubles.While she hasn’t played on the WTA Tour since 2003, she partici-pates in exhibition matches and charitable events and will be enteringher ninth season with the World TeamTennis Pro League. Kournikova isheavily involved in causes that promote health and fitness.

Cardio Tennis was developed in 2005 by the TIA in conjunction with the USTA as a fun andhealthy exercise to get in shape and lose weight. There are now more than 1,700 Cardio Tennis sitesin the U.S. Visit CardioTennis.com and partners.CardioTennis.com.

USTA Community Tennis Workshop Set for Virginia

Tennis providers, sign up now for the 2011 USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop,which will be Feb. 11 to 13 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. The CTDW is thelargest annual gathering of CTA/NJTL leaders in the country, with opportunities to network with

more than 500 grassroots community tennis leaders from across the country.Sessions are led by specialists in their fields and include topics such as pro-

gramming for 10-and-under and for adults, how to become a stronger ten-nis advocate in your community, how to market and communicate yourmessage better, more effective fundraising, developing and involving vol-unteers, and much more. There also will be an “Open Space” session on com-munity tennis, in which attendees will be asked to offer and lead discussions andpresentations on topics of their choosing. The schedule also includes the annual Awards Dinner.

Conference registration is $329 for current USTA Organization Members/$359 for non-membersuntil Dec. 30; after that, it’s $415. Rates at the hotel are $129 per night. Visit usta.com/ctdw.

Dunlop Adds 5 New Strings

Dunlop has a revamped line of five tennis stringsshipping alongside its new Biomimetic

frames.� Silk: Designed for power and comfort, Silk

is a polyurethane-injected multifilament forplayers of all levels.

� Black Widow: For serious players, this co-poly has a heptagonal profile for controland spin.

� Hexy Fiber: A hexagonal shaped multifila-ment string with a microfiber core, for play-ers of all levels.

� Explosive Polyester: The original Dunloppolyester string, Explosive is generated fromthe high tensile premium polyester foradded durability and power, says the com-pany.

� S-Gut: A multi-filament for all-around playabilityand durability, says Dunlop, S-Gut has highly elas-tic synthetic fibers and a special PU coating.

USTA Sues Olympus for $11.65 Million

The USTA is suing Olympus for $11.65 million for breach ofcontract, saying the camera company wants to get out of its

sponsorship agreement for 2011. Olympus and the USTA havebeen partners since 2003.

In a 2007 agreement, they extended their partnership through 2013,including making Olympus the title sponsor of the US Open Series of hard-court events leading up to the US Open. The contract allowed Olympus to optout of the last two years of the deal, which it recently sought to do. But theUSTA complaint, filed in November, says Olympus also is trying to "prema-turely" get out of its commitments for 2011.

According to the complaint, Olympus wants to avoid paying $11.65 millionnext year because it says the USTA allowed Panasonic to infringe on Olympus'exclusive sponsorship rights—something the USTA says is “without merit.”The USTA says Olympus hopes to avoid fulfilling the contract because it is try-ing to reduce costs.

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PTR SymposiumSet for February

The PTR will hold its annual InternationalTennis Symposium Feb. 19-24 at PTR Head-

quarters on Hilton Head Island, S.C. For infor-mation and registration, visit ptrtennis.org.

The Symposium attracts nearly 1,000 ten-nis teachers and coaches from more than 50countries. Many of the tennis industry’s mostnotable speakers will be among the more than50 presenters who will conduct classroom andon court presentations. Presenters include LeoAlonso, Mike Barrell, Doug Cash, PatEtcheberry, Don Henson, Anne Pankhurst andDr. Bryce Young, speaking on topics rangingfrom tennis business to tactics to injury pre-vention and treatments.

There is also a special high school coaches’sequence that will be held over President’sWeekend (Saturday to Monday), for coacheswho may not be able to get away for thewhole week.

Teaching pros show off their playing skillsat a tournament held in conjunction with theSymposium. The Symposium also offers aTennis Trade Show where 45-plus organiza-tions and companies, such as, Gamma,Head/Penn and Playmate, exhibit their newproduct lines, latest technologies and services.

IMG Chief Told ‘Don’t Do That Again’

Ted Forstmann, the CEO of IMG, the agency that represents Roger Feder-er, Rafael Nadal and dozens of other top pro players, was told by the

men’s tennis tour not to violate its gambling rules after he acknowledgedmaking a $40,000 wager on Federer to beat Nadal in the 2007 French Openfinal. Federer lost the final.

“The ATP has sent the message very clearly to Mr. Forstmann that weconsider his behavior inappropriate and that he will be in violation of therules if he engages in such activity in the future,” the ATP said.

Forstmann’s wager was made before the ITF’s anti-corruption programcame into force in 2009. “Forstmann has confirmed that he understandsand accepts this and advised that he has not gambled on tennis since theuniform tennis anti-corruption program came into effect,” says Mark Harri-son, a spokesman for the ITF.

Courier Replaces Pat Macas Davis Cup Captain

Four-time Grand Slam champ and formerworld No. 1 Jim Courier will replace Patrick

McEnroe as the Davis Cup captain. McEnroeresigned in September after 10 years on the job.Courier's 2011 debut as captain will be March 4-6, when the U.S. travels to Chile for the firstround.

Courier, a TV tennis commentator, helpedthe U.S. win the Davis Cup in 1992 and 1995,and he finished with a 16-10 record in singles, 1-0 in doubles. He retired from the pro tour in2000 and was elected to the International Ten-nis Hall of Fame in 2005.

“I'm privileged to be able to step into thevery worthy shoes of my predecessor, PatrickMcEnroe, who did a terrific job for the team andlaid a great groundwork for the way the teamworks together and the camaraderie they'veshown,” Courier said. “That will be one of mymain goals, to maintain that same energy thatPatrick has created.” The Americans have wonthe Davis Cup a record 32 times, the last in2007.

January 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9

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PTR Creates 3 Certification Pathways

EThe PTR has created three basic certifications to fit the needs oftennis teaching pros worldwide. In 2011, PTR’s education and certi-

fication pathway will be geared toward three distinct areas: Junior Development, AdultDevelopment and Performance. In addition, PTR has a Master of Tennis Program in thesethree areas for teaching pros who want to further their education.

“We have totally restructured our education and certification pathway to meet theneeds of teaching professionals, their employers, their students and our sport,” says DanSantorum, PTR CEO. “The pathway will initially be piloted in the United States, so, PTRboard members/staff will be visiting USTA Sections and Districts to answer questions andexplain how our new pathway can help facilitate the growth of the game.” The pathwaytakes into account the recent rule changes that promote 10-and-under tennis.

New RacquetsFrom Pacific

New racquets from Pacific for 2011include the X Feel Pro 95 and the

X Feel Tour, both featuring GraphiteBasaltX in their frames and takingadvantage of Fischer technology.(Pacific acquired Fischer Tennis &

Racquet Division in2009.)

Applied in“strategicareas” oftheframe,Pacificsays

BasaltXprovidesenhanced

feel, stability,comfort andpower.

BasaltX is anatural materialthat is 100 per-cent recyclable.Pacific says thatunlike regular

basalt fibers,which are inconsis-

tent in quality, BasaltXfibers are consistent

thanks to a productionprocess developed by ASA.TEC.

The new X Feel racquets, part ofPacific’s Tournament/Player Series,have a constant beam (vs. thetapered beam of Pacific’s X Forceline of frames) for consistent feeland feedback for skilled players,says the company. The X Feel Pro95 has a 95-square-inch head andweighs 11.3 ounces, with a 16/19string pattern. The X Feel Tour hasa 100-square-inch head, is 10.4ounces and also has a 16/19 pat-tern.

The “Junior Class” story in RSI’sNovember/December 2010 issuemisidentified the technology used.Pacific uses Fischer technology inits frames. For more informationabout Pacific racquets and strings,visit Pacific.com.


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> The USTA Tennis on Campus pro-gram is accepting nominations for2010/2011 Tennis on Campus Leader ofthe Year Award and Club of the YearAward. Nominations are due by January31. For more information and anawards nomination application visitwww.tennisoncampus.com.

> Italy beat the U.S., 3-1, in the 2010Fed Cup final Nov. 6-7, held at the SanDiego Sports Arena.

> The BNP Paribas Open, along withBNP Paribas and reBounces, will hold“Rally, Roundup & Recycle,” a tennisball recycling competition among clubs,school teams, community tennis pro-grams and other tennis organizations inSouthern California. The goal of thecompetition, which runs to Feb. 28, is tocollect 100,000 or more used tennisballs. For more information, visitwww.bnpparibasopen.com.

> Tennis Channel has renewed its tele-cast rights agreement with the ATPWorld Tour, which will keep the tour'smost prominent events on the networkthrough 2015. Paramount among the19 tournaments included in the deal arethe season-ending Barclays ATP WorldTour Finals and ATP World Tour Masters1000 competitions in Miami and IndianWells, Calif.

> The tennis apparel company AthleticDNA will visit national junior tourna-ments and top junior tennis academiesin the U.S. with a new 40-foot motorhome, scheduled to be on the road 26weeks in 2011. “The RV allows us toconnect with more kids and parents oneon one and more often,” says EvanZeder, director of sales and marketing.Athletic DNA’s line includes perform-ance T’s, training T’s, long-sleeve shirts,shorts, socks and hats. Visit adna.comfor information.

> Recreational tennis teams from Cali-fornia, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Mis-souri, New York and Virginia capturednational championship titles at the WTTRec League National Finals in earlyNovember. A record 59 teams repre-senting 17 states, the District of Colum-bia and Puerto Rico, competed for

S H O R T S E T Snational titles in 11 divisions. Visitwww.WTT.com.

> Inga Chilingaryan of Glendale, Calif.,is the grand-prize winner of the USPTA’spersonal website contest. Chilingaryan’swebsite, ingab.usptapro.com, stood outwith relevant and well-organized con-tent, visually appealing photos and useof technology. Runners-up in the con-test were Kamis Ahmad of Singapore,Dalton Hutchins of Brentwood, Texas,and Shareen Lai of Morrisville, Pa.

> Lawyers representing the U.S.-basedPro Squash Tour filed suit in New Yorkstate court against the UK-based Profes-sional Squash Association and twoother defendants for allegedly improp-erly restricting competition in the U.S.The PSA ruled in October that any of itsmembers participating in a PST eventcould be expelled from the PSA.

> Tennis’ top names rallied for charityat WTT Smash Hits in November atAmerican University in Washington,D.C., raising more than $500,000 forthe Elton John AIDS Foundation and theWashington AIDS Partnership. Team Bil-lie Jean defeated Team Elton John 19-15to tie their overall series at 9-9. In its 18-year history, WTT Smash Hits has raisedmore than $10 million.

> USPTA members who want to partic-ipate in the 2011 Head equipment pro-gram must enroll online and submittheir contracts by Jan. 31.

> Xerox has agreed to a five-year part-nership to officially sponsor the USOpen and Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day start-ing in 2011. Xerox will serve as theexclusive office equipment and docu-ment technology and services provider.

> The USPTA presented a grant toQuickStart Tennis of Central Virginia forits Jump Start QuickStart Tennis initia-tive. The grant makes it possible forQCV to provide QuickStart Tennis equip-ment to P.E. classes for several local ele-mentary schools benefiting more than3,000 children.

> Kultur/SRO Sports has released the2010 US Open Men’s Final: Nadal vs.Djokovic on DVD, for $24.99.

Wilson UnveilsNew BLX Frames

Wilson announced the introduc-tion of 14 new BLX racquet

models developed for players of alllevels and playing styles. BLX rac-quets are engineered with Basaltfibers, a natural volcanic rock thatdelivers feedback for the perfect feelon every shot, according to Wilson.

The cornerstone of the new 2011BLX line is the Blade Family of rac-quets. The Blade Series features fivenew frames, including the Blade TourBLX, Blade 98 BLX, Blade Team BLXand Blade Lite BLX. The Blade 98BLX is also available in a pinkcosmetic. New is the BladeLite BLX—a 100-square-inch, 10.2-ounce racquetgeared toward a wide rangeof players.

Leading the Blade Teamof players are 13-time GrandSlam champ Serena Williamsand nine-time Grand Slamchampion Venus Williams. Theywill debut their new Blade TeamBLX racquets at the start of the2011 season.

Rounding out the Player frameofferings for 2011 is the Pro LiteBLX, part of the Pro Family ofracquets lead by Juan Martin delPotro. This new frame, the ProLite BLX, is geared towardyounger players and thoseseeking a lightweight com-petitive model, says Wilson.

In the All Around andGame Improvement cate-gories, Wilson introduces eightnew models including JustinHenin’s new Tour Limited BLX.Designed in cooperation withHenin, this frame is an extra half-inch in length (27.5-in.). The CoralReef BLX, Tidal Force BLX andBold BLX finish out the All Aroundcategory.

The Cierzo Two BLX marksthe return of the sledge-hammerframe. And completing the GameImprovement category are theStratus Three BLX and Tempest FourBLX. Visit Wilson.com.

Blade Lite BLXPro Lite BLX

Tour Limited BLXCoral Reef BLXTidal Force BLXBold BLX

Cierzo Two BLXStratus Three BLXTempest Four BLX


MEMBER CLASSIFIEDSFOR SALE: Tecnifibre TF 8000 Stringing Machine.Excellent Condition. $5,000. Robert, 617-548-8558


CongratulationsTo the FollowingFor AchievingMRT Status

New MRTs

Lisa Palcic Sunriver, ORSabrina Fefferman Sunriver, ORDavid Clemans Newberg, OREric Ohlson White Salmon,WASpencer Heflin Memphis, TNDan Gaskell Wichita, KSDavid Kurvink Fayetteville, NCSean Teeter Fayetteville, NCMark Tarentino Fayetteville, NCNeal Crowell Derby, KS

Wilson Introduces Four New Strings

Wilson Racquet Sports is introducing four new strings for2011 designed to fit the needs of players at all levels.

The new Shock Shield string, developed forplayers with arm discomfort, has a gel-filledcore that helps reduce shock and vibration.Red Alert provides increased bite and thehigh molecular weight nylon coating pro-

vides durability, says the company.The newest member of the popular NXT

family, NXT Control combines polyester andnylon fiber bundles with polyurethane, designed to create con-trol and power, according to Wilson. And the new SGX 16 iscomposed of a high-energy core surrounded by bi-directional X-bands for a soft and comfortable feel.

New Haven Event No Longer Co-Ed

After Pilot Pen failed to renew its title sponsorship of the combined men’sand women’s US Open Series stop in New Haven, Conn., Tournament

Director Anne Worcester announced that the event will now be a women’s-only tourney and will be called the New Haven Open.

The tournament had been one of only four events sanctioned by both theATP and WTA tours, but now it will feature a field of 28 women. Worcesterwasn’t able to find a replacement for the big bucks title sponsor, but she wasable to secure four “cornerstone” sponsors, which combined will offset thetournament’s expected cost of $1.2 million. The four sponsors are Yale Uni-versity, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Aetna and American Express.

It’s a “good news solution to ensure that this large-scale, internationalsporting event will stay in our region for a minimum of three years,” Worces-ter said. “While we really would have liked to keep the men’s event, thefinancial model for staging a combined tournament simply didn’t work.”The tournament will be held in August.


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• Michael Mahoney has been named sen-ior vice president and general manager ofTennis Corporation of American and willoversee tennis operationsfor nine MidtownAthletic Clubs in theU.S. and Canada.He also retains hisrole as general man-ager at the company’sflagship location, Mid-town Tennis Club in Chicago. Mahoneyrecently celebrated his 32nd year with thecompany.

•Esther Vergeer won her 400th consecu-tive wheelchair tennis singles match onNov. 20. Vergeer, 29, hasn’t lost a singlesmatch since January 2003, and her current400-match winning streak is the most suc-cessful run ever in tennis. The five-timeParalympic champion and five-time USOpen champion has also won 102 consec-utive wheelchair tournaments.

• Billie Jean King is the recipientof the 2010 Fed Cup Award of

Excellence, presented by theInternational Tennis Hall ofFame & Museum and the

International Tennis Federa-tion. The award was presented

Nov. 7 during the 2010 Fed Cupfinal in San Diego.

• Former World No. 1 Carlos Moya, age34, hampered by a foot injury since lastMay, has announced his retirement fromthe pro tour.

• The Peace and Sport Image of the YearAward will be given to the Indian RohanBopanna and Pakistani-Ul-Haq AisamQureshi, two tennis players who managedto bring the political authorities in theirrespective countries closer through theirown history of personal friendship andcommitment. Bopanna (Hindu) andQureshi (Muslim) have played as a doublesteam for three years and are building theircareers together, despite historical hostili-ties that divide India and Pakistan. Motivat-ed by their friendship, they decided toactively campaign for peace between theirtwo nations.

• Former touring pro Roy Barth, longtimedirector of tennis at Kiawah Island GolfResort in South Carolina, has been reap-pointed chairman of the USTA Davis CupCommittee for 2011-2012. Barth will co-chair the combined Davis/Fed Cup/OlympicCommittee with Fed Cup Chairwoman,Pam Austin and Olympic Chairwoman, Bar-bara Smith.

• Taylor Dent, age 29, who reached acareer high ranking of No. 21 in the worldduring his 12-year tennis career, will retirefrom professional tennis.

• The USTA and ITA announced thatBrigham Young University Head Men's Ten-nis Coach Brad Pearce has been named thenational winner of the USTA/ITA Campusand Community Outreach Award. Also,Derrick Racine, the Men's and Women'sHead Tennis Coach at the University ofWest Florida, is the national winner of theUSTA/ITA Campus QuickStart Provider ofthe Year Award.

• Brad Parks, 53, of San Clemente, Calif.,and the founder of wheelchair tennis, wasselected as one of six ITF Wheelchair TennisAmbassadors to help promote wheelchairtennis worldwide.

• Remy Caffardo, a senior at GracelandUniversity, and Alida Muller-Wehlau, a sen-ior at Armstrong Atlantic State University,were presented with the 2010 James O'Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Awards pre-sented by Rolex Watch USA at theUSTA/ITA National Small College Champi-onships. The awards go to players who dis-play outstanding sportsmanship andexemplify the spirit of college tennis duringthe course of the USTA/ITA National SmallCollege Championships

• Serena Williams has partnered with OPIto sell her own line of nailpolish, called the GlamSlam Collection, set todebut in January dur-ing the AustralianOpen, with plans todebut two new shades ofnail polish during each sub-sequent Grand Slam in 2011. Williams,

who has been studying to become a nailtechnician, has expressed interest expand-ing her business ventures by launching herown chain of nail salons.

• The USTA has hired three new coaches:Jorge Todero as a USTA Lead NationalCoach, Frederico Rodriguez as a USTANational Coach and Marc Lucero as a USTACoach. All three will facilitate coaching andtraining programs while working with play-ers in the USTA Player Development pro-gram.

• Dennis Ralston, who had a foot ampu-tated earlier this year, gave three clinicsrecently to members of the Circle C TennisClub in Austin, Texas. The InternationalTennis Hall of Fame has established a fundto help Ralston with expenses, since hehasn’t been able to work for nearly a year.Tax-deductible donations can be sent to:Dennis Ralston Trust Fund, c/o Nancy Car-doza, International Tennis Hall of Fame,194 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI 02840.

• Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi hasbeen named a goodwill ambassador forthe U.N. Development Program.

• Martin Damm retired from the pro tourin November. Damm will now coach RyanHarrison.

• Pat Rafter was named captain of theAustralian Davis Cup team, only the fifthcaptain in 60 years, and following in thefootsteps of Harry Hopman, Neale Fraser,John Newcombe and John Fitzgerald.

• Tennessee’s Rhyne Williams and USC’sMaria Sanchez won the 2010 USTA/ITANational Indoor Intercollegiate Champi-onships.

• Katarina Srebotnik announced inNovember that she is retiring from singleson the WTA Tour, but will play doubles.

• Henry Baughman of Smithfield, Ky., RonHolmberg of New Orleans, and CandyReynolds of Suwanee, Ga., will be inductedinto the USTA Southern Hall of Fame. The2011 induction ceremony is scheduled forJan. 22 in Atlanta.

P E O P L E W AT C H




Wilson Develops New Platform Tennis Ball

Wilson has spent hundreds of hours developing a state-of-the-art ball for platform tennis that features a new long-lasting

“flocking” technology, resulting in a significant improvement incover durability, says the company. Wilson says the new ballallows for longer play and more consistency and is appropriatefor all levels of play.

Wilson is the official ball for 14 APTA clinics taking place atkey paddle cities. “These clinics are events to introduce andpromote platform tennis,” says Tim McAvoy, APTA president.“I am pleased that Wilson and the APTA have partnered to cre-ate such a great atmosphere to grow the game of platformtennis.”

USPTA StartsChina Division

The USPTAhas announced

a new China Division ofthe professional teach-ing pro organization.The announcement was made during lastfall’s USPTA World Conference in Califor-nia, with key staff members from theChina Division on hand.

“We are very excited with the oppor-tunity to learn and grow with the USPTAcommunity,” said Yue Wang, president ofUSPTA China. “Our goal is to have a sub-stantial membership within the nextthree years.”

“We are thrilled to welcome China tothe USPTA family,” said USPTA PresidentTom Daglis. “We are looking forward togrowing the USPTA in China under thedirection of Yue Wang, one of the leadersin China’s tennis industry.”

David T. Porter, Ed.D., a USPTA MasterProfessional and former USPTA presi-dent, has been instrumental in helpingforge the relationship with China andstarting a USPTA division there.

Klip America ChangesName, Signs Partners

Epic Sports International Inc., a globalsports brand management firm,

announced the official renaming of KlipAmerica Inc., the worldwide licensee forVolkl Tennis and Boris Becker Tennis. Inaddition, Epic has announced a new long-term, global logistics deal with SamsungC&T America Inc., a global trading andinvestment firm.

“Our new Samsung partnership pro-vides us with the expertise andresources of a proven global businessleader to efficiently service our growingnumber of distribution channels world-wide," says Brian Dillman, vice presi-dent and general manager of Epic SportsInternational.

Epic also signed new global distribu-tion partnerships across Europe and Asiafor Volkl Tennis products. The new dealsinclude Mint Apparel in the UK; LimitedSports in Germany, Switzerland and Aus-tria; Zero To Zero in The Netherlands;and Kawasaki in China.


IND

US

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SJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

PTR Holds DevelopmentWeekend in FloridaThe PTR held a Professional Develop-ment Weekend in early October at theGrand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Fla.The event featured more than 20 pre-sentations, and speakers included PatEtcheberry, Rodney Harmon, DanielSpatz, Doug Cash, Anne Davis, AnnePankhurst, Michele Krause, JorgeCapestany and others.

USTA to Begin National Tennis Center Overhaul

The USTA has approved a more than $300 million overhaul of the US Open’shome, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, that will include tearing down

and replacing Louis Armstrong Stadium and building two smaller stadiums. But theplans do not call for a roof over the 22,500-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium.

So far, only $30 million has been formally budgeted, and construction willbegin immediately on a 3,000-seat mini-stadium to be built adjacent to the hos-pitality building on the southeast corner of the property. The USTA could not sayif the mini-stadium would be ready for the 2011 Open.

Demolition on Louis Armstrong Stadium and the adjacent Grandstand Court won’t begin for six to eight years, according tothe USTA. Louis Armstrong, the No. 2 court at the NTC, will not have a roof built immediately but will be “roof-ready.” Armstrongcurrently holds 10,200 people; the new stadium will seat 12,000 to 14,000. The Grandstand, which currently seats 6,100 peo-ple, will be replaced by a mini-stadium for at least 7,000 fans.



Top-Selling Tennis Stringsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-September 20101. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex2.Wilson NXT3.Wilson Sensation4. Luxilon Alu Power5. Prince Lightning XX

Top-Selling Racquetsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-September 2010(average selling price)

Best-Sellers1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)2. Babolat Pure Drive GT (MP)3.Wilson BLX Six.One 95 16x18 (MS)4. Babolat Aero Pro Drive+ GT (MP)5. Prince EXO3 Black (MP)“Hot New Racquets”(Introduced in the past 12 months)

1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)2.Wilson BLX Six.One 95 16x18 (MS)3. Babolat Aero Pro Drive+ GT (MP)4. Prince EXO3 Black (MP)5.Wilson BLX Pro Open (MP)

Tennis Racquet PerformanceSpecialty Stores,January-September, 2010 vs. 2009Units 2010 561,825

2009 555,148% chg vs. ’09 1%

Dollars 2010 79,573,0002009 77,270,000% chg vs. ’09 3%

Price 2010 141.632009 139.19% chg vs. ’09 2%

Top-Selling Tennis Shoesat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-September 2010(average selling price)

1. Prince T222. Adidas Barricade V3. Nike Court Ballistec 2.34. Adidas Barricade 6.05. Nike Air Breathe Free 2

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

PTR Redesigns Website

The PTR has redesigned its website,ptrtennis.org, for easier use, with

streamlined navigation, “quick jump”immediate access to integral areas andother enhancements.

In addition, Facebook posts appearon the home page, and users can“Like” without having to leave the site.Other social media, like Twitter andYouTube, can be accessed directlyfrom the home page. A Media Galleryof large format images has beenadded.

The site is integrated with PTR’sdatabase, so members can updatetheir contact information, pay dues ormake purchases directly from the site.Any member or visitor can use Find aCoach/Pro that searches the databasefor PTR Certified members in theirarea or by name.

W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

The tennis industry continues toface similar challenges as other industries,

due to the challenging economic environment.2010 started with a short-term business rebound and

the positive news regarding 2009 total participationreaching a level not seen in decades and with tennis once

again ranked as the fastest growing traditional sport.However, after this short-term rebound in the first part of 2010,

economic growth has slowed and consumers are still delaying or avoid-ing new product purchase considerations. Through the third quarter of

2010, shipments of racquets, balls and strings have all shown declines inunits and dollars vs. 2009.But our sport is also positioned as one of the few that is growing, and as

reported in the Wall Street Journal, tennis is perceived as cool and hip, with agrowing media attention base. In addition, our recent TIA Court Activity Monitor

survey continues to show increases in new players, leagues and court usage.A few months ago, the sport¹s governing bodies (the ITF and USTA) passed the

landmark rule change regarding 10-and-under tennis that, going forward, will also direct-ly support a much stronger participation effort targeted at youth players. With a primary

goal to get 10-and-under new players on the proper pathway to becoming frequent and life-time players in our sport.On the following pages, you will find some highlights from the TIA. With the challeng-

ing economic environment, we certainly recognize we need to move faster and more direct-ly to support and build our industry from an economic standpoint. During 2010 we focusedon more clearly establishing our key platforms that we feel will provide a stronger base of

focus to support our industry as we go forward. These platforms are: Fre-quent Player Growth, Economic Measurements and Growth areas, andstronger Communication & Positioning for our sport and industry.

Moving forward, the TIA is dedicated to promoting the growth and eco-nomic vitality of tennis and helping out all sectors of the industry to the over-all benefit of our common brand—TENNIS.

Below are just a few of the key efforts:� Technology tools to build businesses and their ability to connect to players

and increase tennis activity.� A focus on services and programs to help retailers grow & profit.� 10-and-under tennis initiative at retail with USTA-based promotion.� Enhanced research to further define the marketplace and guide growth.� Ensuring clearer pathways for new players & infrequent players to evolve

into frequent players & consumers.� Mainstream promotion of the health & fitness benefits of tennis.� Delivering free tools and resources through the GrowingTennis System

and at TennisIndustry.org.� Industry- and consumer- wide awareness campaign to combat counterfeit

racquets.

Moving Into the New Year

January 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 17Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

� The PlayTennis widget, which allows consumers tosearch for places to play, lessons and programs, retail-ers, teaching professionals, & more, is released andembedded in over 200 websites and blogs.

� The TIA fully launches its online career developmenttool and job board, CareersInTennis.com.

� The 2009 USTA/TIA Participa-tion study shows that “newplayer” participation rateswere up nearly 20% from 2008to 7.1 million players.

18 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2011 Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

JANUARY FEBRUARY� The Facility Manager’s Manual, a resource designed tohelp facility managers run and operate their businessesmore effectively, is updated and released by the TIA.� The TIA introduces a new e-newsletter format and mediaalerts to keep the industry betterinformed and connected.

� Cardio Tennis Kids makes itsdebut and the Cardio Tennis Kids“Playbook” is made available.

� The effect of the recession wasseen in wholesale ball and rac-quet shipments—down 2.3% inballs and 11.1% in racquet units at year-end.

� TennisConnect, the TIA’s premier software businesstool, launches TennisConnect Components, allowingbusinesses online tools that work with any existingwebsite.

� The TIA and its Board of Direc-tors set a goal of increasingfrequent players from 5.4 mil-lion to 10 million by 2020.

� TIA announces a new partner-ship with the American Sports Builders Association.

� The Wall Street Journal highlights the industry’s successin bringing youth into tennis.

MAY� The Retail Manager’s Manual, a guide to opening and

running a tennis retail shop, is released by the TIA.� The health section of the New York

Times runs a story on Cardio Ten-nis titled “Recess with a Racket,”and Cardio Tennis launches a “Fanof the Week” contest on socialmedia platforms.

� Funding is made available by theUSTA to assist facilities in liningcourts for 10-and-under tennis.

� According to the Court Activity Monitor, 58% of facili-ties felt there was an increase in new players.

JUNE

� TennisIndustry.org is revamped, designed to serve asa central portal for the industry and connecting visitorsto news, research, programs, resources and each other.

� TennisConnect releases anew MobileBuilder Compo-nent, allowing customers tocreate mobile pages for theirtennis business.

� TIA President Jon Muir isconfirmed by the Board ofDirectors for a second two-year term.

� A new Technology Panel is created to help keep theindustry connected and informed on the latest trendsin technology that can aid tennis businesses.

SEPTEMBER� The annual TIA publication “Tennis Is …” is released

in RSI, outlining industry trends, news and research.� A new webinar series platform is

launched to help further educatetennis industry professionals on newdevelopments affecting tennis busi-nesses.

� The TIA develops a new partnershipwith FedEx to bring discountedshipping to members through the“PartnerShip” program.

� NBC’s hit TV show “The Biggest Loser” featuresCardio Tennis, led by tennis star Anna Kournikova, tohelp contestants achieve their fitness goals.

OCTOBER

January 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 19Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

� The Tennis Marketplace is released, highlightingresearch across all sectors of the tennis industry.

� Improved communicationsefforts go into TennisIndustry.orgto keep industry participantsabreast of news and trends.

� TIA is a part of the delegation atthe 10th Annual SGMA NationalHealth Through Fitness Day onCapitol Hill.

� TIA holds board meeting duringthe BNP Paribas Showdown andfocuses on key platforms: Economic Growth, FrequentPlayer Growth and Communications/Positioning.

MARCH� The 2010 Cost of Doing Business: Tennis Facilities is

published, highlighting an 18% increase in revenue percourt and a 65% retention rate of introductory tennisprograms.

� Physical Activity Council releasesresearch indicating tennis is thefastest growing traditionalsport in the U.S., up 43% since2000.

� The GrowingTennis System statis-tics show that the system isreceiving more than 2 millionconsumer queries every month.

APRIL

� The TIA establishes new Facility and Retail Panels inan effort to stay better connected with the needs,issues and concerns of tennisfacilities and retailers.

� More than 216,000 tennisplayers are registered onPlayTennis.com.

� TIA stats show there are 2,753Tennis Welcome Centers; 1,729 Cardio Tennis sites;and 1,638 QuickStart Tennis sites registered in theU.S.

� CareersInTennis.com reaches over 700 job postingsand over 300 registered job-seekers.

JULY AUGUST� The TIA holds is 4th Annual TIA Tennis Forum at the

USTA Tennis Teacher’s Conference in NYC.� Tennis legend Billie Jean King is inducted as the fourth

member into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame.� The International

Tennis Federationand the USTA bothimplement new rulechanges requiring 10 & Under tennis tournaments tobe played on scalable courts with scalable equipment.

� The TIA’s annual board meeting in NYC outlinesopportunities to promote growth and partnershipamong tennis businesses in the industry.

� TIA announces a new program for tennis facilities, theCardio Tennis–Get Fit! Challenge, set to run from Jan-uary through May 2011.

� TennisConnect launches a new“Leagues and Ladders” compo-nent to help tennis facilities man-age tournaments and leagues.

� The preliminary annual TIA Eco-nomic Index study values the ten-nis industry at just over $5.6billion.

� TIA's Cost of Doing Business Retailer Study isreleased and shows net profit remained stable at 23%for tennis retailers despite the turbulent economy.

NOVEMBER� Tennis glamour sensation Anna Kournikova signs on to

be the spokesperson for Cardio Tennis.� The first two webinars in the TIA’s new series focus on

social media for the tennis industry andtips for retailers regarding racquetsand stringing.

� TIA develops a PTR Edition ofTennisConnect to help membersgrow their business and the game.

� The TIA launches a campaign tomake consumers aware of the prolifera-tion of counterfeit racquets and to buy only fromauthorized retailers.

DECEMBER

2010 YEAR IN REVIEW

It’s amid the turmoil and commotion of an event like theUS Open—with all the meetings, presentations andoverbooked schedules that surround it—that Jon Muir

appears to be at his most confident and collected. Whilethose around him make last-minute tweaks to slide presen-tations for the TIA Tennis Forum, which he will soon emcee,or worry about special guests arriving on time, Muir calmlylooks over his notes, adjusts his tie and exhales slowly, likea tennis player stepping up to the line to power in a serve.Muir, the Tennis Industry Association president, once

again hosted the 2010 Forum, introducing industry digni-taries, talking about retail and participation research, andrelating the TIA’s goals and priorities. He ends his secondyear as TIA president at the end of 2010, but following rec-ommendations from the TIA board of directors and its exec-

utive committee, the 40-year-old Muir will remain as presi-dent for another two-year term, through Dec. 31, 2012.The confidence the TIA board has in Muir’s leadership—

particularly while the overall economy has manufacturers,retailers and others in the industry scrambling—is inspiring.In reality, though, it shouldn’t be unexpected. Throughouthis career (Muir is the global general manager for WilsonRacquet Sports), he has shown leadership, a quiet confi-dence, respect for everyone, and a clear dedication to thesport and to making it grow.In his first term as TIA president he’s helped to crystal-

lize the direction the organization and the industry needs totake to increase tennis participation and business. His savvyand understanding have helped lead to unprecedentedcooperation among the various entities in tennis. As USTA


Photo by Bob Kenas/RSI

President and Chairman of the Board Lucy Garvin says, “He’s inthis for all the right reasons.”It’s not just those “reasons,” but also his vision and talent in

helping this sport to grow and in bringing all industry groupstogether, particularly over the last 12 months, that has madeJon Muir Racquet Sports Industry’s 2010 Person of the Year.“Jon is intelligent, articulate and has good strategic vision,”

says Dave Haggerty, former CEO of Head/Penn and the TIApresident immediately before Muir. “He works hard for his com-pany and on behalf of the tennis industry, and it’s great that thecompanies had the confidence in him to appoint him to a sec-ond term as TIA president. He builds consensus andhe’s well-respected.”Within the tennis industry, it seems you can’t find

anyone who can say anything even slightly negativeabout Muir. From top executives to teaching pros toretailers, Muir seems to touch everyone in a positiveway. And the word “vision” comes up over and over.“Jon has a genuine interest in promoting tennis;

he has a lot of vision for the industry,” says Garvin,whose term as USTA president ends Jan. 1. Sheasked Muir to serve as a presidential appointee tothe USTA board of directors when she took office in2009, and her successor, Jon Vegosen, has indicatedhe will continue to keep Muir involved with theboard during his two-year term heading theUSTA.“Jon is very bright,

passionate and hasvision,” says Vegosen.“He has excellent fol-low-up and follow-through, and he’scollaborative and inclu-sive in his approach toworking with others.”As president of the

TIA, adds Vegosen,“Jon looks out for theindustry first and does-n’t put Wilson first.That exhibits goodleadership and instills trust. I’m thrilled about his reappoint-ment as TIA president and I’m really looking forward to work-ing with him.”“I was extremely pleased when the board agreed to have Jon

stay on for a second term,” says TIA Executive Director Jolyn deBoer. “He’s a great asset to the TIA, a unified leader who is veryzoned-in and has the core values of the TIA at heart. He knowsthat helping the industry grow and strengthen helps everyone inour sport.”Through the TIA, Muir has developed a vision for the indus-

try that includes three central platforms:� Increasing the number of frequent players in the U.S.� Better defining the economic impact of the tennis industry, soas to identify ways to increase growth.

� Developing communication channels for clear, consistentmessaging about tennis and the reasons to play.

“Frequent players are the core economic drivers of tennis,”accounting for more than 80 percent of all consumer goods andservices sold, says Muir. His goal is to increase frequent players(those who play at least 21 times a year) from the current 5.4million to 7.5 million in 2015 and 10 million in 2020.Better defining the economic impact of tennis—in essence,

defining the “worth” of the tennis industry from all sectors—willhelp the industry determine “where we’ve been, and how wecan positively affect the future for all stakeholders,” he says.“We know we have to communicate clearly what we’re

doing and stay focused on those things so we’re consistent,”Muir notes. “We’re going todrive more the key stories ofthe industry to a broader audi-ence, so we can bring moreattention to tennis in general.”Critical to communicating

better is “doing a better jobmerchandising the sport at alllevels of the industry,” headds. “We have to get retail-ers helping tell the storyabout the importance of ten-nis, as a lifetime sport and ahealthy sport.”Also a key for communi-

cating the benefits of tennis isa common website for get-ting people involved, Muir

says. That site is playtennis.com, something thatMuir and de Boer presented to the USTA board in2009. “I’m really excited about this because theUSTA is taking it seriously and has committedresources,” he says.Muir also is advocating “a major youth initia-

tive that can further support 10-and-under pro-grams, but take this to retail on a broader level.”He says it's too early to give specifics, but the ini-tiative’s goal is to “bridge between retailers pro-moting our sport and new players/parentspurchasing equipment.”Muir started playing tennis at age 9 on the

public courts of Hermosa Beach, Calif. “My uncleRobb put the first racquet in my hand,” he says, “and my moth-er was so supportive, working hard as a teacher to pay for mytennis growing up.”Muir attended USC and was a tennis team walk-on. “The

team was so good, I was just happy I was able to be a part ofit.” In his senior year at USC, while studying economics, he hada chance to work at a summer camp at the public LakewoodCountry Club in Long Beach and soon after leaving school wasasked to teach there full-time.He moved to the Lindborg Racquet Club in Huntington

Beach, Calif., running the junior tennis program. “I also startedgetting involved in some of the retail aspects of the club,” Muirsays. “I got to know the Dunlop sales rep, Jeffrey Adams, andeventually went to lunch with him and the president of Dunlopat the time, Dave Haggerty. Dave hired me as a rep for Hawaii.Jeffery and I had become great friends and he was very sup-


As TIA president,Muir emcees the

TIA Tennis Forum.As Wilson GM, he

meets with lifetimeWilson player

Roger Federer.


portive of me getting into the industry. I have a lot of respectfor Jeffrey.” In fact, Adams and Muir still work together; Adamsis Wilson’s national sales manager.Muir was with Dunlop for about two years, then a job with

K-Swiss opened in Southern California. Shortly after that, in thefall of 1997, he joined Wilson as territory manager in SouthernCalifornia. Bob Shafer, who currently works for Active.com,was the Wilson sales manager who hired Muir. “I don’t know ifI’ve ever met anyone brighter than Jon,” Shafer says. “Right offthe bat, I was impressed with him.”Shafer says Muir understood what Wilson had to do to build

market share, including looking into the growing internet retailmarket. “Jon was one of the pioneers of trying to keep thepeace between brick-and-mortar and internet retailers,” Shafernotes.“In 2002, I had the opportunity to move to Wilson’s head-

quarters in Chicago as the national manager of e-commerce,”Muir says. “I also was the liaison between sales and marketing.It allowed me to get exposure to all different categories thatWilson was involved in.”He quickly rose through the company. After about eight

months, Muir took over promotions for the U.S. in 2003. Thenin 2004 he was named director of U.S. marketing, and in 2005took over as director of U.S. sales and marketing. Then in 2006,he was named worldwide general manager for Wilson RacquetSports. Now Muir, who is a lifetime USTA member and certifiedby both the PTR and USPTA (and an active member of bothteaching pro groups), spends a lot of time traveling for Wilson.“Our worldwide revenue, profitability and most importantly

our focus on building our platforms for future growth arestronger today then ever,” he says. “We've always been strongin the Americas markets but have had good growth in Europeand Asia the past few years. I'm deeply entrenched in our go-to-market planning, and extremely proud of the people andteam we are building internally.“I expect our core tennis racquets, strings, and ball cate-

gories to grow and gain further momentum in 2011, but it’salso an exciting time at Wilson with our fast growth and focuson softgoods: tennis apparel and footwear. Over the next fewyears, we expect to continue to accelerate our apparel businessand are working now on some exciting innovations and designdirection in tennis footwear. One of our primary goals is toposition Wilson as a much stronger apparel and footwearbrand—to compete with Nike and Adidas globally in tennis.”“It’s been rewarding for me working with Jon,” says Cory

Springer, Wilson’s global business director for tennis racquets.“His approach is direct and honest; he’ll tell you exactly theway he sees the situation, and that’s reassuring for people. Youdon’t have to be concerned with behind-the-scenes agendas.”Cathy Jacobson, who oversees two tennis centers for the city

of Long Beach and one for Seal Beach in California, has knownMuir since his days as her K-Swiss rep and keeps in touch withhim regularly. “He has the same qualities now as he did then,”she says. “He’s so articulate, humorous and bright. And hisbusiness sense is impeccable. He’s the greatest guy I know inthis industry, and he will make things happen.”“Jon was very close with the people he worked with, more

so than most reps,” says Al Wilmot of Racquet Swingers inLomita, Calif., another of Muir’s Wilson accounts. “You could

tell when he was a rep that he was going to be big and becomepresident of that company. You’ll never find a better person.”“I’ve watched him go from the bottom to the top,” says

Steve Bellamy, founder of the Tennis Channel and owner of thePalisades Tennis Center near Los Angeles. “He was always justa cut above everyone we have in this industry.“I guarantee there are a lot of pro shops that are either still

around or lasted a lot longer because Jon was their sales rep,”Bellamy adds. “He’s talented, smart, charismatic, prudent, prag-matic, leaves nothing to chance—we’re really lucky to havehim.”Many in tennis agree with Bellamy’s assessment of Muir and

his impact—and potential future influence—on this industry.“Jon has the ability to pinpoint the real issues, to cut to the

chase,” says Jeff Williams, group publisher of Tennis.com andTennis magazine (and co-publisher of RSI). “He really has atheart how to make it better for everybody.”

“He gets the bigger picture,” adds de Boer. “He knows weneed to make this a stronger industry by increasing our fre-quent player base. And he also is tuned in to making use oftechnology to help tennis businesses and the sport grow.”“One of my big hopes for the TIA is to make sure the indus-

try, facilities, retailers teaching pros—everyone—sees thatwe’re focused and that we ‘get it,’” Muir says, “that we under-stand what’s really happening. I think a lot of people don’t real-ly get the impact that we can have.“We need to be aggressive pushing the USTA even more on

focusing on frequent player growth,” he adds. “We also want tocontinue building the tools the TIA can offer to retailers and facil-ities, and to build more awareness for certified pros. We want totell the industry, here’s where we are and where we’re going.”“If Jon weren’t doing what he’s doing now,” says Wilson’s

Springer, “he’d be a movie director. He’s a huge fan and stu-dent of films, and a film director needs to have vision, andneeds to use what’s at his disposal to shape things. That’s Jon.”“If you had to pick one person to run the entire tennis indus-

try,” adds Bellamy, “I would pick Jon Muir.” �

� When it comes to finding solu-tions, there’s nothing wrong inmaintaining some flexibility.There are many different waysto find the end result.

� “One of the biggest things I’velearned in the industry is theimportance of teamwork,” Muirsays. “No one can do every-thing alone.”

� “We may not always agree, butin this industry the goals wehave far outweigh some of thenuanced ways we approachthings,” Muir notes.

� Grow the whole pie, not justyour slice. “If the pie is bigger,it helps everyone.”

TIPS FORSUCCESS


There are a few tennis facil-ities in the U.S.that you continu-

ally hear great thingsabout. The Polo Club inBoca Raton is one ofthem. This Florida facilityhas 29 Har-Tru tenniscourts (11 with lights) anda dynamic, innovativeand social tennis pro-gram.Of course, The Polo Club caters

to its 3,300 members, but it also reaches beyond it borders. Forinstance, since 1986, the club has hosted the USTA’s Girls’National 12-and-Under tournament, and it continues to hostother events and tourneys, including pro-celebrity charityevents by Chris Evert and Andy Roddick and ITF events. Ten-nis and Spa Director Jean Mills (photo above) also points outthat the club has donated more than $10 million to tennis inIsrael, and contributed over $400,000 to breast cancer aware-ness and treatment.

Topnotch service for members,combined with a welcoming and giv-ing environment for all tennis fans,help to make The Polo Club a win-ner—and RSI’s 2010 Private Facilityof the Year.The tennis center features clinics,

lessons, game-matching and doublesand singles events. Mario Valle hasbeen the headpro and tennisdirector since1992. “I have a

great team whose strength is being ableto anticipate different situations thenhandling them perfectly,” he says.

“As our membership grows and ages,you have to do different, innovative pro-grams and formats,” says Mills, who’sbeen at The Polo Club for 25 years. “Thebest part about Polo has been how it’schanged and grown.” —Cynthia Sherman

Tom Parry’s career started when hecouldn’t find anyone in his smallnorthern Minnesota town to string a

Wilson T2000. “There was an older guy near-by who used to string,” says Parry, who was16 at the time. “He gave it a try. I was fasci-nated and asked if he could teach me how.”During college, Parry strung at a local

club, then started stringing for Babolat at proevents. He’s owned a tennis shop, revampedthe service center at the Nick Bollettieri Ten-nis Academy, worked for Wilson, went onthe road with Pete Sampras, and designedracquets and took care of tour pros for Volkl.His association with the USRSA goes back 30 years. In fact, hehelped develop the USRSA’s Master Racquet Technician test.Parry joined Pacific in 2007 as part of the global manage-

ment team, with diverse responsibilities. His experience atother racquet companies was helpful when Pacific recentlyacquired Fischer racquet technology and in launching Pacific’sown frames.Parry also is in charge of Pacific’s player services, including

running the extreme-ly active stringingteam at pro events(and often sharingstringing info with theUSRSA). And as oneof the world’s best,Parry is RSI’s 2010Stringer of the Year.“Tom is one of the

most consistentstringers out there,”says Roger Peters-man, senior category

manager for Head. “His knowledge ofcustomizing is second to none.”“He’s one of the most respected

stringers in the world, and he continues to be generous with histime and knowledge,” says David Bone, executive director ofthe USRSA (and co-publisher of RSI). “Tom makes time for any-one who shares his hunger for learning and improving theirskills." —Peter Francesconi

� Exceptional staff will makeeveryone feel special.

� Make sure you have greatprogramming that caters tothe needs of both socialand competitive players.

� Listen to your members.Your goals should exceedtheir expectations.

� Educate consumers onstrings and grips; they’renot getting this informationfrom other sources.

� Look at what your cus-tomers want, not what youwant, then try to limitthings to a few vendorsinstead of throwing dartsat every brand out there.

� It’s about consistency.“Don’t be creative and say,‘I think I’ll do it this waythis time.’”

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS


some tennis court construc-tion companies started outas general contractors or

drifted in from other trades. ButPro-Sport Construction Inc. ofDevon, Pa., has always been there.That’s because, when other 15-

year-old kids were cutting grass orbagging groceries, Mark Broganwas learning to build tennis courts.He worked for a specialty sportscontractor, then for a family tennis court business.Along the way, he picked up knowledge about howhe wanted to do business.As a Super-B champion squash player and a

golfer, he was already aware of the importance ofgood sports facilities. It wasn't any surprise whenhe founded Pro-Sport Construction in 1995 thatthe company built not only all types of tennis courtsurfaces, but sport courts, air structures, puttinggreens and more. “We tell people to diversify andexpand their businesses so that they'll survive dur-

ing the tough times,” he says.Now, the team at Pro-Sport

has a combined 75 years ofsports-specific experience, andBrogan himself still personallyoversees every project. Broganserves as the Tennis DivisionPresident of the American SportsBuilders Association, is a commit-tee member of the USTA Awardsprogram, and has been a Certi-

fied Tennis Court Builder (CTCB) since 1996. Andhis company is RSI’s 2010 Builder/Contractor ofthe Year.“When you talk to someone in the industry

about Mark Brogan, you’ll get a smile," says FredStringfellow, executive vice president of the ASBA.“His sense of humor is as much a hallmark as Pro-Sport's excellent construction. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has worked withMark who doesn’t genuinely enjoy him.”

—Mary Helen Sprecher

In many ways, it’s surprising RickWalsh wasn’t in the tennis industryearlier in his career. The former

junior standout and small-college tenniscoach—and avid tournament and recplayer—spent nearly 20 years in theinsurance industry before he wised up.Walsh, of Kansas City, Kan., joined

Babolat nearly three years ago as a repfor the Missouri Valley region, plusArkansas. “I have a lot of passion for thegame,” he says. “I’ve been a player allmy life, so it was a relatively easy tran-sition because I was familiar with thegame, equipment and the territory.”“All of Rick’s dealers really like him,

and he goes far and away to service dealers and customers—he’s always there for them,” says Mickey Maule, Babolat’snational sales manager. Walsh not only gets involved at thegrassroots and provides excellent service, he moves product,too. That’s why he is RSI’s Sales Rep of the Year.“I’ve known Rick a long time,” says John Tidrick of the

retail store Tennis-Set.com in Lenexa, Kan.“We’re fortunate tohave him. He’s a won-derful rep and is so con-scientious. He’s alwaysthere to help us withanything we need.”The Babolat brand

has been growingrecently, and Walshcredits his own successto the brand’s growth.“Everyone at Babolatwill admit we havegrowing pains,” says Walsh, who received

the company’s sales rep of the year award this past fall. “Butwe have a management team that is small enough to adjustand make quick decisions. And with our success now in sales,we can all continue to get more involved with grassrootsthings and build even more brand awareness.”

—Peter Francesconi

� Don’t try to oversell a pro-gram. Be aware that deal-ers have inventory risk,margins and customerexpectations.

� Understand your accounts’points of view. That way,you can better develop abusiness relationship.

� Listen to dealers, and takethe feedback back to yourmanagers.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

� Specialize, but don't limityourself. Pro-Sport's primaryfocus is tennis, but thecompany has also branchedout to other sports facilities.

� Keep the customers. Pro-Sport prides itself on long-term relationships with itsclients, and on working outstrategies to keep theirfacilities looking good.

� Get behind new player ini-tiatives. “QuickStart Tennisis going to be huge for ourindustry. It might not be animmediate benefit forbuilders, but I think it’sgoing to have a long-termeffect. People are definitelygoing to see the benefits."

TIPS FORSUCCESS


Robin Jones of Cary, N.C., is every-one’s dream volunteer and col-league. Her passion for helping to

grow the game is rooted deep at the locallevel, and it branches out through many areasof the USTA and the industry.“Robin is like a turbocharger in the devel-

opment of the USTA’s advocacy program,”says Barry Ford, the USTA’s director of out-reach and advocacy. “If she weren’t involvedin our advocacy efforts, all the things we’vebeen able to achieve would have taken muchlonger.” For all her efforts in spreading tennisacross the country, Jones is RSI’s Tennis Advocate of the Year.Jones was one of the original members of the Advocacy

Task Force developed in 2007. Currently, she’s on the USTANational Advocacy Committee, chair of the USTA SouthernAdvocacy Task Force, chair of the USTA North Carolina Advo-cacy Committee, a facilities consultant for the USTA, a consul-tant for the USTA National Military Outreach, and the foundingpresident of the Western Wake Tennis Association. She alsohas been instrumental in creating an advocacy handbook,

“Establishing a Suc-cessful Advocacy Pro-gram.”Working with com-

munities around thecountry, Jones helpsthem renovate facilitiesand build or line courtsfor QuickStart Tennis.She’s also been a dri-ving force behind theMilitary Outreach pro-gram. "The work I'vedone with USTA Mili-

tary Outreach has been extremelyrewarding,” she says. “Recently thekick-off of the Adopt-A-Unit programhas really felt like hard work has paidoff."Jones didn’t start playing tennis until she was 34. “I had an

immediate passion and love for the sport, which led me towant to create more opportunities for others to play.”

—Robin Bateman

Afew years ago, just before theeconomy went belly up, WoodySchneider decided to open up a

fourth tennis retail location in New YorkCity. Everything was in place to sign thepapers, then the economy crashed.But Woody decided, rather than letpeople go and pull back from thedeal, to “give it a go.”The 2,000-square-foot space, NYC

Racquet Sports on 35th Streetbetween Broadway and SeventhAvenue, is now the “flagship” store for Schneider and his part-ner, Joan Dziena. About 18 years ago, Schneider started GrandCentral Racquet as a small kiosk in a corridor of New York’sGrand Central Terminal. Then he expanded to a second storein Midtown Manhattan. Six years ago he added the pro shop atthe USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.“Growth in the tennis retail market is tough by anyone’s

definition,” says Greg Mason, Head/Penn’s vice president ofsales and marketing. “But Woody has been growing his busi-ness and expanding, and competing successfully.” So success-

fully, in fact, thatNYC RacquetSports—alongwith the threeother locations—are RSI’s 2010Pro/SpecialtyRetailer of theYear.“I still think of

myself as that 80-square-foot guy,” says Schneider, whocredits Dziena and her retail and market-ing talents with making expansion possi-ble. The four stores currently have about10 employees. “The employee part of mybusiness is my favorite thing. I still getcalls from people who worked for me 18 years ago.”“It really was a building-block process,” adds Dziena. “We

took some risks and had many challenges, and learned frommaking mistakes. Now, every month has been better than thelast.” —Peter Francesconi

� “I try to be myself,” saysSchneider. “If somethingdoesn’t seem fair to me, Ivoice my opinion. I thinkthe reps respect me forthat.”

� Maintain good relation-ships with companies andsales reps. “I definitely feelwe’re in this together,”says Schneider.

� Learn from your mistakes.“It’s how businessesgrow,” says Dziena.

� Volunteer for your localCTA—they always can usehelp organizing and coordi-nating programs, eventsand tournaments.

� If you don’t have a CTA, goto your local Parks andRecreation department.

� Help schoolchildren in yourarea to play tennis throughthe USTA’s Adopt-A-Schoolprogram(www.usta.com/schools).

� Learn more about theUSTA’s advocacy effort atwww.usta.com/thebigserve.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS


They're advocates for gettingkids into the game. They'repassionate about them having

fun. And they just might be Quick-Start's biggest fans.Butch Staples and Leah Friedman

are the head tennis pro and juniordevelopment director, respectively, atMidtown Tennis Club in Chicago. Theyteach children tennis starting at age 3,and their philosophy is simple: Getthem playing. Not just learning strokes and doing drills, butactually playing. And that means doing something counter-intuitive: taking a step back from the court."Sometimes pros like to keep feeding the ball so kids can

hit it," says Friedman, "but we've learned that if we'repatient, the kids will start working together, hitting back andforth. It becomes cooperative; they learn more and they havefun. Lessons should be kid-centered, not coach-centered.”"That's the magic of our programming," says Staples, "the

notion of children actually playing tennis at an early age."Midtown's junior tennis program has 500 players at various

levels. Beginnersstart with the QSTformat. Both Sta-ples and Fried-man have rapidimprovementamong juniors asa result of theirability to takecharge of theirown games.

"Butch and Leah put the fun intolearning and playing," says Kirk Ander-son, the USTA's Director of RecreationalCoaches and Programs. "Retention hasbeen outstanding and it's because kidsenjoy themselves.""I love that kids are out there laughing

and having fun," says Friedman. "Whentheir lesson is over, they're saying,'When can I come back?'"


When physical education guru Dr.Robert Pangrazi of Tempe, Ariz.,was contacted five years ago by

the USTA to revise its school tennis curriculum,he made it clear that he wouldn’t be focusingon the athletically gifted players. Instead, hisgoal is to encourage students of all levels andabilities to maintain an active lifestyle throughadulthood.Pangrazi’s eight-lesson curriculum is

designed for physical education teachers, pro-viding instruction for motivating and managinggroups of elementary and secondary schoolstudents with a focus on fun, developmentallyappropriate activities that build interest, and confidencethrough instant success. The USTA provides the training,resources, and kid-friendly equipment. And because Pan-grazi’s program, now two years old, has benefited millions ofstudents, he is RSI’s Grassroots Champion of the Year.“Bob has an energy and passion for life. People want to fol-

low his lead,” says Greg Mason, Head/Penn Racquet Sports’director of sales and marketing, who helped introduce the

USTA to Pangrazi. “His abil-ity to channel that energyinto programs has takenschool tennis to a higherlevel.”“Dr. Bob isn’t concerned

with competition or win-ning,” adds Jason Jamison,the USTA’s national schoolsmanager. “He uses physicaleducation to develop char-acter, to make kids betterpeople.”

“I can’t say enoughabout the USTA’s courage in goingabove and beyond in its commitment,”says Pangrazi, a renowned author,speaker and professor emeritus at Ari-zona State University. “They are trulygiving the gift of tennis as a lifetimesport that can be played enjoyably andrecreationally to the kids who need it most.” —Cindy Cantrell

� Commit to QST. "A goodprogram requires commit-ment and passion from theleaders,” Staples says. “Itall has to be there, fromthe top down."

� Make sure everyone's onboard. If kids are takinglessons using QuickStart,says Friedman, "you wantto make sure their parentspractice with them usingthe same equipment."

� Make everything age-appropriate. Not just thesize of the court and heightof the net, but the durationof events kids participatein. "Our competition for-mats for little kids lastmaybe two hours," saysStaples. “You want to stayfamily-friendly."

� Rather than lesson-basedinstruction in specific skills,the USTA School TennisCurriculum is designed tobe kid-friendly and fun,using modified racquets,foam balls and guidelinesfor creating a play area.

� Provide a structured yetnurturing environment inwhich kids cooperate,respect one another andtreat each other as equals.

� Focusing on competingand winning risks alienat-ing the majority. Empha-size a good firstexperience, and the restwill take care of itself.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS


Tennis discovered Harlon Matthewson Cinco de Mayo 2001. A wheel-chair basketball player at the time,

Matthews had no interest in tennis. “Theytold me I’d have to hold the racquet butstill keep my chair moving. They told meI’d get blisters,” says Matthews. “I toldthem, ‘No thank you.’”But when Tennis Day arrived in Athens

Ga., Matthews gave tennis a try. And ten-nis changed his life. “I never felt that in 34years of my life,” he said. Matthews beganas a novice player but kept at it. Now, heis the Therapeutic Recreation Coordinatorand tennis coach in Henry County, Ga.Matthews didn’t stop there; he became

a member of the PTR and passed theinstructor test. “He’s amazing,” says JulieJilly, the PTR’s v.p. of operations. “He moved up from beginnerplayer to clinician. He’s very passionate about what tennis cando for people. Now, he teaches the teachers.”In addition, Matthews is a tournament director for the Gera-

nium FestivalWheelchair TennisTournament, whichrecently wasnamed USTASouthern Section’s2010 Tournamentof the Year.“The one thing

that makes Harlonsuch a successfulperson is his pas-sion, love for tennisand his unbeliev-able competitivenature despite hisdisability,” saysRick Davison, direc-

tor of competition for USTA Georgia.“He’s just one of those individuals whoinspires others to just do it and stop making excuses.”

—Robin Bateman

The words “municipal tennisfacility” generally don't bring tomind complexes with 60 lighted

courts, a pro shop, clubhouse and a hostof other amenities. Unless, of course,you're talking about the Copeland-CoxTennis Center (also known as theMobile Tennis Center), the world'slargest public tennis facility. In fact,says Scott Novak, director of tennis, thereaction of a first-time visitor is always amusing."We tell people they're playing on Court 60, and they say,

'Court 60?'” he laughs. "They're surprised when they find outhow big this is." The 50-year-old facility started with fourcourts, but has grown in size and number of players. "It's closeto being full every night. In the afternoons, every high schoolin town plays here, and in the mornings, leagues take up atleast two-thirds of the courts." It’s the activity and amazingfacilities that help to make Copeland-Cox T.C. RSI’s MunicipalFacility of the Year.The facility is on track to host 30 tournaments in 2011,

which Novaksays will be arecord. Equallyimpressivenumbers comeout of a cityeconomicimpact study:"In 2010, ourtournaments

were estimated to bring in more than$40 million," Novak says. "Next year, wehave six more tournaments, and we'reestimating more that $60 million.""It is the absolute best place to run a

tournament," says Holly Goddard, direc-tor of adult tennis at the USTA SouthernSection. "Not only do they have 60courts, but the staff goes above and beyond to give everyonethe best experience. They have it down to a science."


� Sports wheelchairs are dif-ferent from regular wheel-chairs, so people need tobe willing to move outsideof their comfort zone andtry something they’re notused to.

� Wheelchair tennis playersneed to keep their chairmoving at all times, simi-lar to able-bodied players,who need to keep theirfeet moving in order toget to the ball.

� Get wheelchair athletesand non-athletes out totennis events. Seeing whatothers are doing and howmuch fun tennis is caninspire reluctant people togive tennis a chance.

� Reach out to everyone."Diversify," says Novak."Look for a broad spectrumof players and make sureyou cater to them."

� Bring in the tournamentsand create an enjoyableevent for players and orga-nizers.

� Don't forget the high schoolcrowd. Even if they're notyet playing in leagues, theyhave the potential to comeback after college andbecome part of the adulttennis community.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS

Photo credit: Ron Cioffi/USTA Southern


Located in St. Louis’s For-est Park, one of thelargest municipal parks

in the country, Dwight DavisTennis Center is a beehive ofactivity—from grassroots to thepros.The 19 courts, including a

1,700-seat stadium, are home tothe St. Louis Aces of the World TeamTennis Pro League,but also play host to high school and college events, USTAdistrict and section events, leagues, major junior tourna-ments and many other events. In 2010, the DDTC hostedthe USTA US Open Wheelchair Tournament and theNational Public Parks Tennis Tournament. And it’s involvedwith philanthropic programs, including “Just Us,” a founda-tion that enables inner-city kids to learn tennis.Dwight F. Davis, a St. Louis parks commissioner and resi-

dent—and donor of the famed Davis Cup—spent his lifeworking to make tennis available to all. The DDTC, while ithas all the amenities of a private club, is indeed open to all,

with a range of programs for all ages and abilities.And for its ability to generate players and fans, andkeep them engaged, the Dwight Davis Tennis Cen-ter is RSI’s Public Park of the Year.The DDTC’s board of directors asked St. Louis

native Dan Apted to be the cen-ter’s director in 2004. “About10,000 people come throughthe center during the summerand there’s ahuge com-mitment bythe boardand the cen-

ter’s supporters,” says board member RickZaegel. “Dan loves tennis and has madethe facility extremely fan-friendly.”“The greatest part of the facility is that

it’s in magnificent Forest Park,” saysApted. “Nothing has a setting like DwightDavis.” —Cynthia Sherman

Sharon Greiner, president ofthe Southern Crescent Ten-nis Association in Georgia,

loves surrounding herself with pas-sionate people. “We are fortunate tohave a really good board of directorsand league coordinators who are allcommitted to growth and open tonew ideas that USTA is working hardto implement,” Greiner says. Commitment, dedication andgrowth are a few of the attributes that led us to pick SouthernCrescent as RSI’s CTA of the Year.For instance, to increase senior play SCTA introduced the

QuickStart Tennis play format—with foam balls, lower netsand shorter racquets—to novice seniors. “During an introduc-tory session,” Greiner says, “two ladies came to ‘just watch.’But they never sat down. And an 81-year-old woman pickedup a racquet for the first time after a 30 years.” The programwas such a success, classes were moved to a church gym toaccommodate the growing number of participants.Another program SCTA embraces is the Adopt-a-Unit ini-

tiative implemented by the USTA Advocacy Committee,

which connectsCTAs, districts andsections with thearmed forces tobring tennis to mil-itary personneland their families.The associationhad a ‘packing par-

ty’ at a restaurant in Peachtree City, saysGreiner. “We sent comfort items like candyand razors, while USTA national sent ten-nis equipment.”“During the past 18 months,” Greiner

says, “we’ve gone from running leagueprograms to expanding our footprint intennis in the surrounding counties.” The SCTA serves Fayette,Coweta, Henry, Clayton and Spalding counties.

“They’ve worked very hard on expanding outside thePeachtree City area,” says Dave Bain, director of leagues forUSTA Georgia. “And their participation numbers reflect this.”

—Robin Bateman

� A staff of dedicated peoplehelp ensure that events arewell-run.

� A facility has to be wel-coming for everyone, withexcellent amenities.

� It helps to have a beautifullocation that draws peoplein.

� Encourage leaders to domore. If they aren’t aware ofyour desired goals, they can’tcarry them out.

� Appoint passionate peopleto chair projects and com-mittees. It only takes onededicated, passionate personto accomplish huge tasks.

� Persuade all CTA membersto encourage their friendsand family to get involved inprojects.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS


Ron Woods has been in the tennisbusiness for 45 years—and aUSPTA member for 44 of those

years. In that time, he’s held key positionswithin the USPTA—including president,executive committee member and chair-man of various committees.But Woods, of Corpus Christi, Texas, also

has been involved beyond the USPTA, serv-ing on national USTA committees and withthe USTA Texas Section. And he givesback—raising money for the Tennis SuccessProgram, a nonprofit in Corpus Christi foryoungsters. He also has hosted a TennisAcross America event for the last 20 years,and he’s president of the Corpus Christi Tennis Association. Forall this and more, Woods is RSI’s 2010 USPTA Member of theYear.“I just love being around tennis people,” says Woods. “I’ve

met and been around highly successful and motivated individ-uals, and I’ve learned a lot.” Woods started playing tenniswhen he was 12. He played at the University of Houston, then

started his career as anassistant pro in 1965.He was the director oftennis at the CorpusChristi Country Clubfrom 1970 to 2001.In 1987, Woods was

named USPTA TexasPro of the Year, and in1994 he won the TexasProud Award. This pastfall, he became aUSPTA Master Pro,then received one ofthe organization’s high-

est honors, the Alex Gordon Award forUSPTA Professional of the Year.“Ron has always been too busy serving USPTA and his fel-

low pros to seek recognition for himself,” says USPTA CEO TimHeckler. “It’s extremely fitting that he received the avalancheof credit he was due at this year’s USPTA awards ceremony.”

—Peter Francesconi

Over the course of his 30-year career, Rod-ney Harmon has been recog-nized as a standout college

player, touring pro and coach. For hiswillingness to share his expertise whileremaining committed to lifelong learn-ing, he is RSI’s PTR Member of the Year.“From his outstanding college tennis

career that led to a successful run on theATP Tour to his transformation into oneof the top tennis coaches in the world,Rodney has made a significant contribu-tion to tennis,” says PTR CEO Dan Santo-rum.A member of the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis

Hall of Fame, Harmon made a mark with his all-court game atthe University of Tennessee and Southern Methodist Universi-ty. He reached the quarterfinals of the US Open men’s singlesin 1982 and turned pro the following year, earning a No. 56world ranking with wins over Guillermo Vilas, Brian Gottfriedand Tim Mayotte.After his playing days, Harmon was the men’s coach at the

University of Miami,the USTA’s directorof multiculturaldevelopment, direc-tor of men’s tennisfor USTA High Per-formance, and theU.S. men’s coach atthe 2008 Olympicsin Beijing. Today, heshares his experi-ence through theTennis Channel, asdirector of tennis atDeerwood Country

Club in Jacksonville, Fla., and as aspeaker at PTR events. He is also a longtime supporter of thePTR’s ACE program, which helps bring more diversity to thecoaching ranks.“It was through the PTR that I learned how to teach the fun-

damentals to adults and young players,” Harmon says. “I’m avery proud member of the PTR.” —Cindy Cantrell

� As a student, to get the mostout of a lesson, communicatewhat you want to accomplishand ask questions.

� Write down take-away pointsat the end of each practice,and review these notes priorto the next session.

� As a teaching pro, be pas-sionate and remain commit-ted to improving as a coach,just as your players strive forexcellence in their games.

� Learn from everyone (othercoaches, experts, etc.) andeverything (professionaldevelopment workshops,television commentary, etc.).

� To increase your chancesfor success, partner withothers who are successful.

� It’s important to go toindustry events and con-ferences to stay currentwith what’s going on, andto pick up ideas on mak-ing your programs suc-cessful.

� As a teaching pro, playingtournaments keeps you fitand gives you a sense ofwhat recreational playersare thinking.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS


Want to find Bill Wagstaff? He'sthe guy running down the hallafter that kid who didn't make

the school's baseball team. Or basketballteam. Or any team. Wagstaff has news forthat kid: He's wanted on the tennis team.Wagstaff's no-cut policy at Mead High

School in Spokane, Wash., has been allow-ing kids to learn the sport and play thegame for years. As a former scienceteacher, he sees athletics as anothermethod of education—"to teach kidslessons they wouldn't learn in the class-room."His work in coaching Mead's boys' varsity team, and the

middle school's boys' and girls' teams, has brought himrecognition, including the USTA's Starfish Award in 2010, pre-sented to selected coaches who run no-cut programs. He alsowon the 2009 USTA Pacific Northwest Section's OutstandingContribution to Community award, and the 2009 GreaterSpokane League Coach of the Year. "Bill’s reach goes beyondcoaching his teams," says Bill Leong, CEO of the USTA PNW.

Karen Greene, theUSTA's director of highschool tennis, saysWagstaff has "anuncanny understandingthat coaching meansnot only reaching out toan athlete's kinesthetictalent, but recognizingand understanding theentire student, pushingthem to be the best inthe classroom and onthe court."

And to Wagstaff, it's still all about theexperience. "The least-skilled kid on oneof my teams played in eight matches lastyear. I doubt the least-skilled kid on a highschool varsity football team played 8 min-utes. They can go out, play hard and havefun. I'll make sure they do."


The USTA Southern Section is big—with 181,000 members in ninestates, it is more than 20 percent

of the total USTA membership. And itdoes things in a big way, such as South-ern’s approach to 10-and-under tennis.“Southern is our leader in under-10

competition and has sanctioned far more10U events than any other section,” saysKirk Anderson, USTA director of Recre-ational Coaches and Programs.The section, adds its executive director, John Callen, has

“gotten ahead of the curve” with this age group, movingquickly to push 10U programs and tourneys. Southern alsoearmarked funds to help communities line and build shortercourts. “Hopefully, we’ll explode numbers on age 10 andunder and take what’s good and make it even better,” saysCallen.The 10U effort is just one reason why the section is so suc-

cessful. The nearly 300 volunteers, combined with staff, helpto run tournaments, leagues, school programs and muchmore. For all of this, Southern is RSI’s 2010 USTA Section of

the Year, the secondtime Southern haswon our award(2003).Leagues of every

type are big in South-ern, and the Tennison Campus programhas seen a growthspurt. The section also

is home to some of the largest facilities inthe U.S., so national and sectional tourna-ments abound. Also in 2010, the sectiongained a US Open Series pro event, theAtlanta Tennis Championships."Our section, state and community

volunteers and staff are dedicated andpassionate,” says Rex Maynard, the section’s president. “Icouldn't be happier with how Southern has helped grow thegame in the U.S. We've done it together, following my slogan,‘Work hard…grow tennis...have fun…finish strong!’”

—Cynthia Sherman

� Stop worrying aboutwin/loss. "Sometimes welose sight of the benefitsbecause we focus on whatwe can put in our trophycase,” says Wagstaff.

� Let players know what's outthere for them. Wagstaffwill tell graduating high-school seniors about theUSTA’s Tennis on Campusprogram to keep them inthe game.

� Remember that tennis ismore than a game with ascore. Wagstaff runs intra-mural leagues on his owntime to keep kids playing,hosts barbeques when otherteams come to play, andeven plays in tournamentswith kids if they can’t find apartner their own age.

� It takes great volunteersand staff at the section,state and communitylevels.

� Emphasize a strong com-mitment to junior tennis,along with junior tourna-ments and league play. Itall will help increase thenumber of players.

� Have an abundance ofadult leagues and tourna-ments, to keep playersengaged and excited aboutthe game.

TIPS FORSUCCESS

TIPS FORSUCCESS

photo credit: Ron Cioffi/USTA Southern


RACQUETS

Counterfeit racquets are becoming more prevalent, and causingheadaches for manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

just won’t feel right so the player will end up junking it. Thenthey’ll have to buy a new, legitimate racquet in the end.”

Bruce Cook, a former online racquet seller, believes that auc-tion sites should have specialists vet listings before they are post-ed. "I feel like more has to be done," he says.

According to Mike May, director of communications for theSporting Goods Manufacturers Association, counterfeiting racquetsgoes all the way back to the sport's first big boom. "We have aphoto taken in the 1970s of our president, Howard Bruns,” Maysays. “He had been shopping in Taiwan, and he found a racquet inthis fly-by-night retail stand. The racquet face had the big W on it,but when you looked at the logo, it said Wilsom." He laughs. "Wil-som. We still have that photo hanging in our office as a reminderof what's going on out there."

In some instances, it takes a trained eye to see the differencesbetween a counterfeit racquet and the genuine item. “To anunknowing consumer, the cosmetics on a frame may look so goodthey can’t tell it apart from the real thing,” says Gordon Boggis ofPrince Sports.

Consumers should only purchase a racquet from an autho-rized, reputable tennis retailer. Also, avoid online sites or sellersbased out of China. “If someone is trying to sell you a racquet atan incredibly low price, there’s a good chance it’s a counterfeitframe,” adds Muir. “It’s an illegal activity and we need the tennisconsumer to be aware of this growing problem. Only buy fromreputable dealers and websites.”

But retailers say that customers often view efforts to promotebrick-and-mortar operations as an attempt to make them paymore. A dealer with a web presence, or one offering a number ofauctions on a well-known site, can give a would-be buyer a falsesense of security.

Building a Better CounterfeitAccording to Paul Davis, owner of Princeton Sports, a retailer withtwo stores in the Maryland area, counterfeiters' skill is evolving tothe point that bad merchandise can be difficult to spot, even bythose who work in the industry. "We sent out a demo racquet theother day, and when it came back, it wasn't playing well. I sent itto the manufacturer for a replacement and they called to tell me itwasn't a real one," says Davis. "Obviously the person we sent it tohad switched it for a counterfeit racquet, but the fact is that I could-n't tell the difference, and I work with them all the time. That'show bad this is."

Many counterfeit sports equipment operations originate over-

FAKED OUTFAKED OUTB Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R A N D P E T E R F R A N C E S C O N I

Think of it as the tennis industry's evil twin. With all the posi-tive things going on in tennis—programs to encourage play,a boost in 10-and-under tennis and tennis in the schools,

new technologies to help players improve—there's also a dark side.In this case, it's the proliferation of the counterfeit racquet business.

Knockoff racquets, built cheaply, painted to look like the origi-nals and often sold through online auctions or other sites at signif-icant discounts, are making their way into the consciousness ofretailers and manufacturers, and into the hands of players.

Jolyn de Boer, executive director of the Tennis Industry Associ-ation, estimates that worldwide, legitimate racquet manufacturersare losing $30 million a year because of the problem. “But it’s notjust manufacturers who suffer,” she adds. “Tennis retailers are los-ing hundreds or thousands of dollars in sales, and consumers aregetting an inferior product that may well turn them off to playingtennis. In a down economy, consumers often are looking for lower-priced bargains, and they may not be as diligent in researching aproduct or sales outlet.”

Because budget racquets have a low profit margin and are read-ily available, it's the more expensive high-end racquets that arecommonly copied and sold illegally. Stories abound, and generallyit follows this theme: Customers buy equipment online, then dis-cover they've been duped.

Too Good To Be True"The vast majority of counterfeit racquets are purchased throughInternet auction sites," says Steve Vorhaus of Rocky Mountain Rac-quet Specialists in Boulder, Colo. "And typically what happens ispeople will come in to us with a racquet they've bought that way,and they don't like the way it plays or they don't like the string onit, and they want it restrung, and we have to tell them it's a knock-off. But all they saw when they were buying it was the price. Every-one loves to brag about getting a deal."

The auction site eBay contains buyer- and seller-written guideson how to tell the difference between legitimate racquets andknockoffs. YouTube even has instructional clips showing side-by-side comparisons. But, say all the experts, the biggest red flag to aconsumer should be the asking price.

“If the deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is,” says JonMuir, worldwide general manager of Wilson Racquet Sports andpresident of the TIA. “Consumers may think they’re getting a gooddeal on a new or used racquet, but if the racquet they’re purchas-ing is counterfeit, chances are they’ll spend more in the long run. Ifthey’re avid players, the fake frame probably will break soon, or it


seas, where commerce is largelyunregulated, and where reprisalsfrom disgruntled customersaren't likely. Differences in cul-tural attitudes toward counter-feiting combined with low levelsof intellectual property rightsenforcement in certain countriesall contribute to the problem.China, in particular, is rife withcounterfeiting operations. Andwhile the proliferation of e-com-merce didn't give birth to themarket for counterfeit goods, ithas made it easier for unscrupu-lous dealers to broaden theirsales base.

“It’s relatively easy to set upshop in China and not be bothered by law enforcement,” de Boersays. Some estimates indicate that more than 20 percent of all goodson the Chinese market are counterfeit, and the production, distribu-tion and sale of fake products isgetting more sophisticated everyyear.

Because counterfeit racquetsare made cheaply, sellers canprice them significantly belowretail price, then throw in freeshipping worldwide. Many con-sumers find it impossible toresist.

“Customers often call askingus to match a great price they’vefound on the internet, oftenbelow our cost,” says Brad Blumeof the retailer TennisExpress inHouston. “When we check outthe website, we find the url hasonly been registered for twoweeks. Most authorized dealershave been in business for years."

Consumer DangersCounterfeit merchandise is noth-ing new, adds Vorhaus. "Guys intrench coats have been sellingRolex watches for $20 on streetcorners in New York for years.The problem is that this is asmaller industry, so it hits usharder."

But tennis racquets are onlypart of the problem. According toMay, the SGMA commonly seescounterfeited apparel such as T-shirts, hats and jerseys sold in con-nection with major sporting events like college bowl games, theOlympics and the Super Bowl. Davis says personnel in his storeshave noticed an increase in knockoff ski bindings attached to skis

that customers boughtonline. Counterfeit prod-ucts in all industries areestimated to account forup to 7 percent of globaltrade, costing legitimaterights-holders around theworld billions of dollarsannually.

It's not just about themoney, though. Counter-feit racquets can be dan-gerous for consumers touse, say manufacturers,who spend millions inresearch and developmentto find ways to dampenvibration that can affect

the arm and body when the racquet strikes the ball.“These knockoff racquets just aren’t going to work the same

way as the real frames,” notes Eric Babolat of Babolat. “The infe-rior product and con-struction can cause harmto a player, and can defi-nitely affect his or herenjoyment of the game.Also, the fake racquetwon’t have the durabilitythat legitimate manufac-turers build into theirproducts.”

The TIA, whose boardof directors includes rep-resentatives of the majorracquet manufacturers,has instituted a campaignto combat the growingcounterfeit business. TheTIA has set up a websitewhere retailers and con-sumers can report coun-terfeit frames andwebsites that appear tobe selling fake products.The site also provides tipsto help identify bogussites and equipment, andhas a list of reputablesites and dealers to buyfrom. (At tennisindus-try.org, click "RacquetAlert" at the top of thepage.)

“All of us in thisindustry are pulling together to bring awareness and to help shutdown this kind of illegal activity that hurts everyone—manufac-turers, retailers, consumers and players,” says de Boer. “We allhave a stake in cleaning up this kind of abuse.” �

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

G U I D E T O S T R I N G S

� Softer strings are to the left, stiffer strings to theright.

� Strings that lose more tension are at the top; thosethat lose less are at the bottom.

� All strings on the same vertical line should feelabout the same, no matter the tension.

� All strings at different locations on the same hori-zontal line will feel different from each other.

� Stringbed power increases to the left.� Player supplied power increases to the right.� Stringbed control increases to the right.� “Arm friendly” strings are to the left.� “Feedback” intensity (shock) increases to right.� Feel consistency over time tends to increase towardthe bottom.

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

he tennis string market in America continues to move in thesame counter-intuitive direction we identified in last year’s

String Selector. Even during a down economy, the string uni-verse is continuing to grow. Last year we reported that therewere over 700 strings on the market. This year, there are wellover 800 strings on the market to choose from. In last year’sString Selector, we talked about how it made sense for manufac-turers to continue investing in developing new strings becausestringing is usually the most profitable part of any shop and cus-tomers are restringing their existing racquets instead of buyingnew frames. But, there is another reason the string universe isgrowing so quickly. Technology for making different polyesterstrings in new constructions is opening the floodgates for morenew string in the polyester category (watch one of our upcomingissues for a story about how strings are made). Again, the biggestgrowth this year is in polyester strings. This trend is very similarto what happened when manufacturers started developing tech-nologies to make more complicated nylon strings. So, it’s entire-ly possible, that there could be as many polyester strings on themarket as nylon strings within the next few years. The questionthat is yet to be answered is whether these new polyester stringswill eliminate the need for so many nylon strings. We’ll just haveto watch the patterns of demand to see which material will ulti-mately win out. For the time being, it appears manufacturers aregoing to keep adding new polyester strings without significantlyreducing the number of nylon strings available. This all results inthe biggest list of strings we’ve ever published. Which makes ourString Selector more helpful than ever before.

T Our exclusive String Selector visually maps about 800 stringsbased on their tension loss and stiffness. This powerful tool canhelp you find other strings that play similarly to a client’s favoritestring or even help you find a string that outperforms yourclient’s current favorite.

Using the String Selector1. Start by finding the string your client currently uses in theappropriate list (we’ve broken the market down into four cate-gories: Nylon, Polyester, Natural Gut and Kevlar).2. Note the string’s stiffness and tension loss numbers, go to theappropriate map and find the dot located at these coordinates.� If your client is completely satisfied with their current stringand doesn’t want anything different from their next string,dots in the neighborhood (very close to their current string’sdot) will likely play similar.

� If your client is happy with how long their string plays well, butdoesn’t love the feel of their string, try something on the samevertical level, but farther to the right or left. Strings to the rightshould feel stiffer (or more crisp), while strings to the leftshould feel softer (or more comfortable)

� If your client is happy with how their string feels, but not withhow long it feels that way, try something in the same column,but higher or lower. Strings higher on the chart should soften(or loosen) up more quickly, while lower strings should holdtheir initial feel longer.

3. Once you’ve found a dot that seems interesting, note the coor-dinates and look them up in the table. �

BY DAV ID BONE

36 RRACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY January 2011 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Use our charts to find the perfect strings for your customers.Use our charts to find the perfect strings for your customers.

Nylon Polys Natural Gut Kevlar


Hybrids: To look up a hybrid combination, you must look up each string separately. If it is a pre-packaged hybrid, most packaging indicates the name of each string. There are a fewhybrids using strings that aren’t sold on their own. Those strings are included in our lists. They will be listed as the name of the hybrid with (main) or (cross) after the name. For exam-ple, Head Protector 16 (main) is the string used for the mains in Head’s Protector 16 string.

Ashaway UltraKill 18 Nylon / Zyex 1.14 135 14.71Ashaway UltraNick 18 Nylon / Zyex 1.14 135 14.71Head Intellistring 16/17 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.28 136 15.14Head Intellitour 17 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.28 136 15.14Isospeed Platinum 16 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.27 138 16.62Ashaway UltraKill 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.24 140 14.26Ashaway UltraNick 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.24 140 14.26Ashaway Dynamite Soft 18 Nylon / Zyex 1.16 141 13.36Head Intellitour 16 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.33 143 14.77Head Perfect Power 17 Nylon 1.22 144 14.80Gamma Professional 18 Nylon / Zyex 1.22 144 15.15Ashaway Dynamite Soft 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.26 145 13.17Alpha Gut 2000 18 Nylon 1.21 146 14.67Ashaway PowerKill 17 Zyex / Nylon 1.24 147 13.72Gamma Asterisk 17 Nylon 1.26 150 13.98Isospeed Professional 17 Polyolefin 1.25 151 15.35Isospeed Professional 17 (Classic) Polyolefin 1.27 152 15.06Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.25 Nylon 1.25 153 12.13Ashaway PowerNick 18 Nylon / Zyex 1.16 154 12.88Isospeed Control 16 (Classic) Polyolefin 1.29 154 15.43Dunlop Dura Ace 17 Nylon 1.22 156 12.86Tecnifibre X One Biphase 18 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.20 157 11.47Isospeed Control 16 Polyolefin 1.27 158 15.61Dunlop X Life 1.22 Nylon 1.21 160 17.73Dunlop Precision 1.18 Nylon 1.17 161 15.17Ashaway SuperNick XL Pro 17 Nylon 1.26 162 14.06Babolat Xcel Power 17 Nylon 1.27 164 10.76Ashaway SuperNick XL Micro 18 Nylon 1.16 164 12.73Dunlop Explosive 1.18 Nylon 1.19 164 15.02Isospeed Platinum 16 (Main) Polyolefin / Nylon 1.32 165 12.46Ashaway SuperKill XL 17 Nylon 1.29 165 12.86Ashaway PowerKill Pro 16 Zyex / Nylon 1.36 165 13.21Toalson Bio Logic Soft 130 Nylon 1.31 165 20.88Ashaway SuperNick XL 17 Nylon 1.26 166 12.08Head Evolution Pro 16 Nylon 1.31 168 12.10Gamma Professional 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.29 168 12.37Dunlop Silk 17 Nylon 1.22 168 15.11Babolat Xcel 17 Nylon 1.26 169 10.72Tecnifibre TGV 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.27 169 14.69Head ETS 17 Nylon 1.25 170 14.00Dunlop Silk 16 Nylon 1.29 170 16.12Ashaway SuperNick XL Titanium 17 Nylon 1.24 171 12.32Forten Ti Blend 16 (Cross) Nylon 1.32 171 13.56Super String High Speed Viper V4 Nylon 1.24 171 14.37Gamma TNT2 Touch 17 Nylon 1.28 171 16.63Pacific PMX 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.24 172 12.30Gamma Asterisk Spin 16 Nylon 1.29 172 12.73Tecnifibre 305 18 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.15 172 13.96Ektelon Premier Power 18 Nylon 1.19 173 17.44Gamma Professional 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.33 174 13.28Prince Premier LT 18 Nylon 1.19 174 17.37Gamma Prodigy 17 Nylon 1.25 175 11.16Prince Premier w/Softflex 17 Nylon 1.25 175 11.97Alpha Axiom 16 Nylon 1.32 175 12.67Pacific Power Twist 16L Nylon 1.29 175 13.01Mantis Comfort Synthetic 16 Nylon 1.31 175 14.42Tecnifibre TGV 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.31 175 14.60Isospeed Energetic 16 Polypropylene/Polyester 1.29 175 18.76Babolat Xcel 16 Nylon 1.29 176 9.66Head Synthetic Gut PPS 18 Nylon 1.16 176 11.93Prince Premier w/Softflex 16 Nylon 1.31 176 11.97Head Intellitour 17 (Main) Nylon / Polyolefin 1.30 177 10.87Gearbox Multi Premium 18 Nylon 1.17 177 12.85Alpha Ultra Spin SC 16 Nylon 1.31 177 16.20Fischer Comfort 16 Nylon 1.33 177 17.44Head RIP Control 17 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.28 178 10.25Head Intellistring 16/17 (Main) Nylon / Polyolefin 1.32 178 10.91Gamma Professional Spin 16 Nylon 1.32 178 11.47Pro Kennex Pure 1 Liquid 17 Nylon 1.26 178 13.96

Ektelon Premier Power w/Softflex 17 Nylon 1.26 178 14.84Dunlop M Fil TS 18 Nylon 1.21 178 15.63Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament 17 Nylon 1.23 178 16.08Gamma Asterisk Tour 16 Nylon 1.31 178 19.95Pacific Power Twist 16 Nylon 1.35 179 11.78Gamma Asterisk 16 Nylon 1.29 179 12.15Tecnifibre 505 HPR 18 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.20 180 9.59Isospeed Energetic Plus 16 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.32 180 10.41Head FiberGel Power 17 Nylon 1.26 180 12.28Gamma Asterisk Tour 17 Nylon 1.27 180 12.53Wilson Shock Shield 16 Nylon 1.31 180 13.34Ektelon Premier Power w/Softflex 16 Nylon 1.29 180 14.84Pro Supex Nylon Kevlar Spiral 1.35 Nylon 1.33 180 16.49Wilson Hollow Core Pro 17 Nylon 1.24 180 16.95Prince Premier LT 17 Nylon 1.26 180 16.96Tecnifibre X One Biphase 18 (1.18) Nylon / Polyurethane 1.19 181 8.96Tecnifibre NRG2 18 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.17 181 9.86Head Intellitour 16 (Main) Nylon / Polyolefin 1.37 181 11.51Gamma Prodigy 16 Nylon 1.30 181 11.67Head FXP Power 17 Nylon 1.25 181 13.37Pacific PMX 16L Nylon 1.30 181 13.50Tecnifibre 305 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.25 181 15.04Klip Excellerator 18 Nylon 1.22 181 15.26Toalson Synthetic Soft 130 Nylon 1.32 182 12.98Head ETS 16 Nylon 1.32 182 13.16Babolat Xcel Power 16 Nylon 1.32 183 9.64Alpha Gut 2000 17 Nylon 1.29 183 11.46Klip Venom 17 Nylon 1.26 183 12.46Velociti Plus 16 Nylon 1.31 183 12.65Velociti Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.21 183 13.21Toalson Bio Logic Soft 125 Nylon 1.25 183 14.31Pacific PMX 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.33 184 10.80Head RIP Control 16 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.38 184 11.02Forten Tiegut 16 Nylon 1.32 184 12.08Dunlop Hexy Fiber 16 Nylon 1.36 184 12.99Tourna Quasi Gut 17 Nylon 1.29 184 14.40Yonex Tough Brid 125 17 (Cross) Nylon / Vectran 1.35 185 12.02Gearbox Multi Premium 17 Nylon 1.26 185 12.77Velociti Plus 17 Nylon 1.26 185 13.63Alpha Ultra Spin SC 15L Nylon 1.45 185 14.13Tecnifibre 505 Biphase 18 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.20 185 14.31Tourna Quasi Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 185 15.59Golden Set Dura Meld 17 Nylon 1.26 185 16.05Volkl Power Fiber II 17 Nylon 1.25 186 12.20Gamma Revelation 17 Nylon 1.26 186 13.08Head MegaBlast 17 Nylon 1.26 186 13.96Ektelon Lightning XX w/ Powerfoil 16 Nylon 1.32 187 11.01Alpha Gut 2000 16 Nylon 1.33 187 11.23Gamma Gut 2 16 Nylon 1.34 187 12.00Isospeed Energetic 17 Polyolefin / Nylon 1.19 187 14.64Prince Premier LT 16 Nylon 1.29 187 16.72Yonex Tour Super 880 Ti Soft 16L Nylon 1.28 188 9.77Silent Partner Filament Frenzy 16 Nylon 1.31 188 11.55Genesis Xplosion 17 Nylon 1.26 188 12.81Gamma Live Wire 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.24 188 13.74Pacific Space Power TX 17 Nylon 1.25 188 16.54Tecnifibre Multifeel 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.30 189 9.81Volkl Power Fiber II 18 Nylon 1.19 189 10.39Alpha Element 16 Nylon 1.32 189 10.89Pacific Futura TXT 16L Nylon 1.29 189 11.16Head FiberGel Power 16 Nylon 1.31 189 11.62Volkl Gripper 16 Nylon 1.30 189 11.98Head MegaBlast 16 Nylon 1.28 189 14.11Toalson Neo Natural Mugen 1.25 Nylon 1.27 189 14.48Golden Set Velvet 17 Nylon 1.27 189 15.59Wilson Hollow Core Pro 16 Nylon 1.33 189 15.63Tecnifibre NRG2 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.24 190 9.55Yonex Tour Super 850 16 Nylon 1.31 190 10.89Isospeed Hybrid Long Life 16 Nylon / Polyester 1.29 190 11.07

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

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

Nylon, Zyex, & Polyolefin (Sorted by Stiffness)


Continuedfollowingpage


Kirschbaum Touch Multifibre 1.25 Nylon 1.25 190 11.20Head Synthetic Gut PPS 17 Nylon 1.22 190 11.38Tourna Irradiated 17 Nylon 1.27 190 11.62Klip Kicker 17 Nylon 1.24 190 11.68Gamma Live Wire XP 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.32 190 12.04Babolat Addiction 17 Nylon 1.26 190 12.06Gosen OG Sheep Micro 18 Nylon 1.19 190 12.28Golden Set Maximal 17 Nylon 1.27 190 12.52Gamma Live Wire 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.31 190 12.87Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.30 Nylon 1.29 190 13.06Gamma TNT2 Touch 16 Nylon 1.30 190 14.86Ashaway Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 190 14.93Gamma TNT2 Rx 17 Nylon 1.26 191 10.96Gamma Live Wire XP 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.25 191 12.35Pacific Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 191 13.05Topspin Sence Seven 16 Nylon 1.33 191 13.29Volkl Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.27 191 13.58Tecnifibre 505 HPR 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.26 191 14.09Tecnifibre X One Biphase 16 (1.30) Nylon / Polyurethane 1.31 192 10.08Tecnifibre X One Biphase 17 (1.24) Nylon / Polyurethane 1.28 192 10.12Prince Lightning XX w/ Powerfoil 17 Nylon / Polyester 1.24 192 10.94PowerAngle Duo Color TNT 17 Nylon 1.20 192 12.01Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.35 Nylon 1.34 192 12.39Pro Supex Synthetic Gut 1.20 Nylon 1.19 192 12.55Gamma TNT2 Pro Plus 17L Nylon 1.25 192 12.74Kirschbaum Touch MultiFibre 1.30 Nylon 1.31 192 14.07Toalson Bio Logic 128 Nylon 1.28 192 14.97Mutual Power Semi Gut 16 Nylon 1.35 192 15.11Gosen Power Master 2 (1.00-1.43) Nylon 1.00-1.43 192 16.63Alpha Ultra Spin 15L Nylon 1.38 192 16.69Tecnifibre Multifeel 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.27 193 9.92Gosen OG Sheep Micro Super 17 Nylon 1.24 193 11.51Forten Omni Spin 15L Nylon 1.37 193 12.44Wilson NXT 17 Nylon 1.24 193 12.99Golden Set Optimum 17 Nylon 1.26 193 13.42Gosen Composite Master 2 (1.00-145) Nylon 1.00-145 193 13.87Golden Set Velvet 16 Nylon 1.31 193 15.43Klip Venom 16 Nylon 1.32 194 9.96Head FXP 17 Nylon / Polyester 1.25 194 10.59Prince Lightning XX 16 Nylon 1.29 194 10.76Volkl Power Fiber II 16 Nylon 1.30 194 11.20Yonex Tournament 80 Spin 15L Nylon / Vectran 1.35 194 11.33Silent Partner Ultimatum 18 Nylon 1.19 194 12.04Forten Sweet 17 Nylon 1.27 194 12.62Ashaway Liberty 16 Nylon 1.33 194 12.90Kirschbaum Hybrix Crosses 1.25 Nylon 1.26 194 13.72Alpha Claycourt Plus 16 Nylon 1.32 194 13.80Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.27 194 13.96Golden Set Torque 16 Nylon 1.30 194 14.15Wilson Hollow Core 16 Nylon 1.34 194 14.51Pacific Space Power TX 16 Nylon 1.32 194 16.65Alpha Gut 2000 15L Nylon 1.38 195 11.11Tourna SpinPlus 16 Nylon 1.32 195 11.14Gearbox Mono Premium 18 Nylon 1.17 195 11.18Klip Excellerator 16 Nylon 1.30 195 11.44Klip Excellerator 17 Nylon 1.30 195 11.66Gamma TNT2 Ruff 16 Nylon 1.52 195 11.95Golden Set Maximal 16 Nylon 1.29 195 12.29Genesis Xplosion 16 Nylon 1.31 195 12.77Tecnifibre 505 Biphase 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.26 195 13.32Alpha Comfort Plus 16 Nylon 1.31 195 13.74Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Spiral Flex 16 Nylon 1.28 195 14.80Prince Recoil 16 Nylon 1.30 195 15.95Mutual Power Power Match (Mains) Nylon 1.33 195 17.50Yonex Tour Super 850 Pro 16 Nylon 1.34 196 11.13Head Synthetic Gut PPS 16 Nylon 1.31 196 11.69Alpha Prodigy 16 Nylon 1.32 196 11.95Gosen AK Control 17 Nylon 1.26 196 11.96Pacific Space Power TX 16L Nylon 1.31 196 12.31Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament 16 Nylon 1.28 196 13.98Kirschbaum Synthetic Premium 1.25 Nylon 1.27 196 14.11Toalson Neo Natural Mugen 1.30 Nylon 1.30 196 14.64

Ashaway Liberty 15L Nylon 1.41 196 16.25Tecnifibre NRG2 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.31 197 8.05Forten Spin Gear Nylon 1.43 197 11.22Gamma Revelation 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.32 197 11.88Wilson Sensation 17 Nylon 1.25 197 11.91Alpha Hardcourt Synthetic 17 Nylon 1.26 197 13.58Kirschbaum Touch MultiFibre 1.35 Nylon 1.34 197 13.87Toalson Neo Natural Mugen 1.30 Spin Nylon 1.28 197 14.75E-Force Fluid 17 Nylon 1.26 197 15.66Wilson NXT 16 Nylon 1.30 198 10.69Yonex Tournament 50 16L Nylon 1.29 198 11.53Babolat Addiction 16 Nylon 1.31 198 11.79Ashaway Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 198 12.12Pacific Premium Power X 16L Nylon 1.29 198 12.74Golden Set Optimum 16 Nylon 1.31 198 12.85Velociti Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.30 198 12.88Forten Dynamix 18 Nylon 1.21 198 13.01Volkl Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.30 198 13.12Mutual Power Dura Plus BX 16 Nylon 1.31 198 14.11Mutual Power Titanium 900 16 Nylon 1.33 198 14.31Mutual Power Topspin 16 Nylon 1.36 198 14.38Alpha Power Cable 16 Nylon 1.32 198 15.10Gamma TNT2 Tour 17 Nylon 1.25 198 15.81Wilson NXT OS 16L Nylon 1.32 199 10.43Yonex Tough Brid 130 16 (Cross) Nylon / Vectran 1.40 199 11.90Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17 Nylon 1.24 199 12.35Prince Tournament Nylon 15L Nylon 1.40 199 13.19Gearbox Mono Premium 17 Nylon 1.26 199 14.64E-Force Oxygen 17 Nylon 1.25 199 15.35Alpha Synthetic Gut MXT 18 Nylon 1.16 199 16.15Topspin Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 199 16.58Wilson Strike Zone 17 Nylon 1.24 200 11.57Bow Brand Micro Tournament 17 Nylon 1.24 200 12.50Golden Set Torque 15L Nylon 1.36 200 13.30Kirschbaum Synthetic Gut Premium 1.30 Nylon 1.30 200 13.49E-Force Oxygen 16 Nylon 1.28 200 13.65Golden Set Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 200 13.95Pacific Powerline 17 Nylon 1.25 200 14.70Gosen Power Master 1 (1.09-1.45) Nylon 1.09-1.45 200 16.39Bow Brand t2000 15L Nylon 1.37 201 11.38Mutual Power Response 16 Nylon 1.32 201 12.46Forten Ti Blend 16 (Main) Nylon 1.34 201 12.57Silent Partner Ultimatum 17 Nylon 1.28 201 12.66Gosen Composite Master 1 (1.10-148) Nylon 1.10-148 201 13.67Kirschbaum Hybrix Crosses 1.30 Nylon 1.33 201 14.20Alpha Sensor Fibre 16 Nylon 1.35 202 11.02Gamma Challenger 17 Nylon 1.27 202 11.33Klip Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 202 12.87Pacific Powerline 16L Nylon 1.32 202 12.90Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Titan 17 Nylon 1.25 202 13.05Alpha Hardcourt Synthetic 16 Nylon 1.31 202 13.30Pacific Premium Power X 16 Nylon 1.33 202 13.67Tecnifibre Duramix HD 17 Nylon 1.27 202 15.37Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Wearguard 17 Nylon 1.26 203 9.15Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Wearguard 18 Nylon 1.21 203 9.68Gamma TNT2 Rx 16 Nylon 1.36 203 9.81Kirschbaum Touch Classic 1.30 Nylon 1.30 203 10.94Kirschbaum Touch Classic 1.25 Nylon 1.24 203 11.23Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 18 Nylon 1.20 203 11.51Wilson NXT Tour 17 Nylon 1.27 203 12.46Klip Screamer Titanium 16 Nylon / Titanium 1.30 203 12.54Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 Nylon 1.29 203 12.96Toalson Leona 66 15L Nylon 1.40 203 14.18Gearbox Mono Premium 16 Nylon 1.29 203 14.81Dunlop S Gut 17 Nylon 1.23 203 16.17Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.36 203 16.74Alpha Synthetic Gut MXT 16 Nylon 1.31 203 17.05Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Wearguard 16 Nylon 1.31 204 10.03Gosen OG Sheep Micro Super 16 Nylon 1.30 204 11.29Gosen AK Control 16 Nylon 1.29 204 11.31Tourna Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.22 204 11.31Tourna Irradiated 16 Nylon 1.33 204 11.44

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

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

Nylon, Zyex, & Polyolefin (Sorted by Stiffness) Cont.


Janaury 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 39www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Forten Sweet 15L Nylon 1.36 204 11.55Pacific Syntec 16L Nylon 1.32 204 12.37Klip Excellerator 15L Nylon 1.34 204 12.68Gosen Nanoblend 16 Nylon 1.24 204 12.97Mantis Power Synthetic 17 Nylon 1.23 204 13.03Silent Partner Head Spin 15L Nylon 1.38 204 13.18Silent Partner Titanium 16 Nylon 1.32 204 13.19Gosen OG Sheep Micro Spin 15L Nylon 1.35 205 10.25Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.28 205 10.30Forten Dynamix 17 Nylon 1.26 205 11.14Ashaway SuperKill 17 Nylon 1.24 205 13.23Fischer Tournament Pro 16 Nylon 1.36 205 13.54Tecnifibre Duramix HD 16 Nylon 1.31 205 15.50Alpha Quick Response 15L Nylon 1.38 205 18.94Bow Brand Ballistic 15L Nylon 1.35 206 10.59Velociti Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.35 206 10.83Silent Partner Ultimatum 16 Nylon 1.33 206 12.81Alpha Viper MXT 17 Nylon 1.25 206 12.97Wilson Strike Zone 16 Nylon 1.29 206 13.32Klip Scorcher 17 Nylon 1.27 206 13.51Golden Set Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 206 13.83Wilson NXT Control 16 Nylon 1.31 206 15.81Prince Lightning XX 17 Nylon 1.26 207 9.68Pro Supex Synthetic Gut 1.30 Nylon 1.30 207 11.27Pacific Futura TXT 16 Nylon 1.39 207 11.51Silent Partner Original Syn 16 Nylon 1.33 207 13.89E-Force Fluid 16 Nylon 1.29 207 15.43Alpha Tenacity 16 Nylon 1.26 207 20.84Dunlop S Gut Ti 17 Nylon 1.23 208 10.76Bow Brand Synthetic Gut XT 16 Nylon 1.33 208 10.85Forten Dynamix 16 Nylon 1.34 208 10.95Alpha All Player Nylon 15L Nylon 1.37 208 11.38Klip Blast 17 (Cross) Nylon 1.26 208 11.46Klip Scorcher 16 Nylon 1.31 208 12.83Toalson Cyber Nylon Tour 135 L.E.O. Nylon 1.37 208 16.54Wilson NXT Tour 18 Nylon 1.24 209 9.53Gamma TNT2 17 Nylon 1.27 209 9.85Prince Topspin Plus 16 Nylon 1.29 209 10.06Head FXP 16 Nylon / Polyester 1.34 209 10.83Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 15L Nylon 1.35 209 11.13Gamma Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 209 11.51Wilson Sensation 16 Nylon 1.32 209 11.55Toalson Synthetic 130 Spin Nylon 1.31 209 11.68Prince Topspin w/Duraflex 15L Nylon 1.30 209 11.92Gosen Tecgut Super Tec AK Pro 17 Nylon 1.24 209 11.97Topspin Nylon Pro 15L Nylon 1.41 209 12.35Klip Kicker 16 Nylon 1.32 209 12.55Mutual Power Super Power 16 Nylon 1.33 209 12.94Gamma TNT2 Tour 16 Nylon 1.31 209 14.49Dunlop S Gut 16 Nylon 1.35 209 15.06Toalson Cyber Nylon Tour 129 L.E.O. Nylon 1.28 209 16.36Gamma TNT2 16 Nylon 1.31 210 10.34Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 210 10.39Gosen Tecgut Remplir 16 Nylon 1.32 210 11.62Pacific DuraTech Flex 16 Nylon 1.29 210 11.91Bow Brand Tournament 16L Nylon 1.32 210 11.97Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 210 12.70Topspin Fibre Touch 16 Nylon 1.30 210 13.01Pro Supex FT Ruff 1.25 Nylon 1.23 210 13.74Alpha Power Cable MXT 15L Nylon 1.37 210 14.91Wilson NXT Max 16 Nylon 1.34 211 9.71Gosen Tecgut Super Tec AK Speed 16 Nylon 1.32 211 10.45Forten Competition Nylon 15L Nylon 1.41 211 10.89Mutual Power Spin 16 Nylon 1.32 211 11.05Klip Blast 16 (Cross) Nylon 1.32 211 11.62Wilson SXG 16 Nylon 1.33 211 11.84Babolat N.vy 17 Nylon 1.26 211 12.42Tourna Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 211 12.76Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Titan 16 Nylon 1.28 211 12.94Prince Lighting XX Spin 16 Nylon 1.30 212 10.30Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 17 Nylon 1.26 212 10.69Forten Sweet 16 Nylon 1.33 212 10.78Gosen OG Sheep Micro Super JC 16 Nylon 1.30 212 11.05Gosen Tecgut Super Tec AK Pro 16 Nylon 1.34 212 11.64

Alpha Viper MXT 16 Nylon 1.29 212 12.35Carnelian Synthetic Gut 16L Nylon 1.32 212 12.92Golden Set Classic 16 Nylon 1.31 212 13.43Pacific Powerline 16 Nylon 1.36 213 11.49RAB Endura Classic 16 (Cross) Nylon 1.32 213 11.62Prince Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 16 Nylon 1.30 213 12.04Prince Synthetic Gut Original 17 Nylon 1.24 214 10.59Klip Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.33 214 10.98Gamma TNT2 18 Nylon 1.18 214 11.05Ektelon Synthetic Gut w/Duraflex 16 Nylon 1.31 214 12.24Pacific Dura Tech 16L Nylon / Aramid 1.27 214 13.12Kirschbaum Synthetic Gut 1.30 Nylon 1.32 214 13.25Klip Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.37 214 13.76Babolat Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 214 13.90Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Wearguard 15L Nylon 1.38 215 11.18Gamma Ruff 16 Nylon 1.48 215 11.33Tourna Nylon 16 Nylon 1.32 215 12.33Pro Supex FT Ruff 1.30 Nylon 1.27 215 13.49Pacific Syntec 16 Nylon 1.37 216 12.15Babolat N.vy 16 Nylon 1.29 216 12.19Pacific Dura Tech 16 Nylon / Aramid 1.32 216 12.85Kirschbaum Synthetic Gut 1.35 Nylon 1.36 216 12.88Alpha Sphere 16 Nylon 1.31 216 14.88Gamma Dura Spin w/ Wearguard 16 Nylon 1.37 217 8.95Gosen Nanocubic 16 Nylon 1.32 217 10.81Gamma Challenger 16 Nylon 1.32 217 10.95Prince Synthetic Gut Original 16 Nylon 1.30 217 11.67Toalson Silencer 17 Nylon 1.26 217 13.96E-Force Platinum 17 Nylon 1.26 217 14.42Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.30 218 9.86Gamma TNT2 15L Nylon 1.33 218 10.69Gosen OG Sheep Proform Tuff 15L Nylon 1.38 218 11.16Bow Brand Super Pro 15L Nylon 1.43 218 11.42Bow Brand Calibre 15L Nylon 1.36 218 12.28Wilson NXT Tour 16 Nylon 1.31 219 8.98Gamma Marathon DPC 15L Nylon 1.44 219 10.80Head Master 15L Nylon 1.39 219 11.58Gosen OG Sheep Rectangle Z 16 Nylon 1.36 219 12.79Ashaway SuperKill II 16 Nylon 1.31 219 13.16Golden Set Classic 15L Nylon 1.35 219 13.63Head Master 16L Nylon 1.31 221 9.57Gamma Synthetic Gut 18 Nylon 1.22 221 10.14Bow Brand Superspin 1.33 Nylon 1.43 222 11.29Toalson Synthetic Tournament 16 Nylon 1.32 222 11.88Toalson TOA Gold 17 Nylon 1.26 222 12.92Toalson Silencer 16 Nylon 1.32 222 14.04E-Force Platinum 16 Nylon 1.28 222 14.40Gamma Dura Spin 16 Nylon 1.39 223 8.93Gamma Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.37 224 11.42Fischer Pro Number One 16 Nylon 1.32 224 12.66Gosen X 3 15L (Cross) Nylon 1.36 224 13.12Babolat Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 224 13.32Gamma Advantage 15L Nylon 1.39 227 9.90Toalson TOA Gold 16 Nylon 1.30 227 13.16Toalson Synthetic Tournament 15L Nylon 1.39 228 11.65Wilson Red Alert 16 Nylon 1.31 231 11.55

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

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

Babolat Pro Hurricane 18 Polyester 1.21 187 22.29Dunlop Black Widow 17 Polyester 1.25 187 25.25Dunlop Black Widow 16 Polyester 1.30 192 25.03Head Sonic Pro 17 Polyester 1.23 199 23.09Genesis Heptonic 18 Polyester 1.16 200 22.49Pacific Poly Power 18 Polyester 1.09 201 21.17Polyfibre Poly Hightec 1.10 Polyester 1.09 206 23.68Isospeed Pulse 1.20 Polyester 1.23 209 21.78Super String Pure Control Orange Polyester 1.25 210 22.25Polyfibre Poly Hightec 1.15 Polyester 1.16 211 23.49Gamma Zo Tour 16 Polyester 1.32 214 20.73Head Sonic Pro 16 Polyester 1.31 214 22.18Isospeed Pulse 1.30 Polyester 1.30 214 23.74Gosen Polylon Comfort 17 Polyester 1.26 215 19.91Gosen Polylon Polyquest 17 Polyester 1.25 215 20.70Pro Supex Poly Power Soft 1.15 Polyester 1.13 216 19.69Yonex Poly Tour Pro 130 16 Polyester 1.31 216 20.94Tecnifibre X Code 17 Polyester 1.27 217 17.66Pacific Poly Power Pro 17 Polyester 1.21 218 21.78Genesis Heptonic 17 Polyester 1.22 218 22.38Kirschbaum Competition 1.20 Polyester 1.19 219 19.09Pro Supex Big Ace Micro 1.15 Polyester 1.20 219 19.34Isospeed Pyramid 16 Polyester 1.28 219 24.19Tecnifibre Black Code 18 Polyester 1.18 220 18.88Polyfibre HighTec Premium 1.20 Polyester 1.21 220 23.13Golden Set Poly 18 Polyester 1.15 221 20.66Poly Star Strike 16L Polyester 1.25 221 22.93Pacific X Force 18 Polyester 1.19 222 17.09Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 18 Polyester 1.19 222 18.89Pacific Poly Power Pro 16L Polyester 1.24 222 21.65Gosen Poly Master 2 (1.00-1.43) Polyester 1.00-1.43 222 22.45Tourna Big Hitter Blue 18 Polyester 1.21 223 18.32Klip K Boom 18 Polyester 1.19 223 18.88Isospeed Hybrid Control 16L Polyester 1.25 223 20.73Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.15 Polyester 1.16 224 18.92Tecnifibre Black Code 17 Polyester 1.27 225 18.03Topspin Cyber Blue 1.20 Polyester 1.22 225 18.17Pro Supex Big Ace 1.22 Polyester 1.21 225 18.68Gamma Zo Tour 17 Polyester 1.29 225 18.94Signum Pro Tornedo 1.17 Polyester 1.16 225 19.85Super String Terminato V1 Polyester 1.27 225 24.50Babolat Pro Hurricane 17 Polyester 1.25 226 16.83Luxilon Alu Power Fluoro 123 Polyester 1.25 226 17.64Toalson Cyber Blade Tour Thermaxe 123 Polyester 1.23 226 17.97Polyfibre Poly Hightec 1.20 Polyester 1.18 226 23.44Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.19 Polyester 1.19 227 16.67Kirschbaum P2 1.20 Polyester 1.18 227 18.10Pacific Poly Soft 16L Polyester 1.26 227 19.41Polyfibre TCS Rapid 1.20 Polyester 1.19 227 23.79Polyfibre Cobra 1.20 Polyester 1.21 227 24.43Tecnifibre X Code 16 Polyester 1.31 228 18.85Pro Supex Poly Master 1.25 Polyester 1.26 228 20.59Volkl Cyclone 17 Polyester 1.26 228 21.54Pacific Poly Soft Pro 16L Polyester 1.26 228 23.92Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.20 Polyester 1.18 229 18.19Tourna Big Hitter Blue 17 Polyester 1.26 229 18.21Silent Partner Roly Poly 17 Polyester 1.27 229 19.62Kirschbaum Touch Turbo 1.25 Polyester 1.25 229 21.41Boris Becker Bomber 17 Polyester 1.24 229 21.59Poly Star Strike 16 Polyester 1.29 229 22.82Polyfibre Viper 1.20 Polyester 1.21 229 24.43Polyfibre HighTec Premium 1.25 Polyester 1.24 230 24.01Polyfibre TCS 1.20 Polyester 1.19 230 24.16Polyfibre Cobra 1.25 Polyester 1.26 230 24.63Pacific Poly Soft 16 Polyester 1.29 231 19.16Gosen Poly Master 1 (1.02-1.46) Polyester 1.02-1.46 231 21.98Gamma Zo Twist 16 Polyester 1.28 231 22.71Topspin Titan Fibre 15L Polyester 1.39 232 12.65Luxilon Ace 112 Polyester 1.16 232 17.05Pro Supex Premier Ace 1.20 Polyester 1.22 232 18.05Pacific Poly Power 17 Polyester 1.18 232 19.95Signum Pro Plasma Pure 1.18 Polyester 1.19 232 20.09Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.19 Polyester 1.19 232 20.53Volkl V Pro 17 Polyester 1.24 232 20.80

Yonex Tough Brid 125 17 (Main) Polyester 1.24 232 20.95Poly Star Classic 17 Polyester 1.22 232 22.23Pacific Poly Soft Pro 16 Polyester 1.29 232 23.71Topspin Cyber Blue 1.25 Polyester 1.24 233 15.66Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.23 Polyester 1.25 233 17.48Pacific Poly Power Comp 16L Polyester 1.27 233 18.21Gamma Stinger (Main) Polyester 1.28 233 19.53Ashaway MonoGut 17 Polyester 1.22 233 20.20Pacific Poly Power Pro 16 Polyester 1.30 233 21.19Tourna Big Hitter Rough 17 Polyester 1.22 233 21.35Tourna Premium Poly 17 Polyester 1.27 233 21.80Isospeed Hybrid Spin 16 Polyester 1.30 233 24.08Isospeed Pyramid Spin 16 Polyester 1.30 233 24.50Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.15 Polyester 1.16 234 17.09Pro Supex Premier Ace 1.25 Polyester 1.24 234 17.57Klip K Boom 17 Polyester 1.23 234 17.99Pro Supex Big Ace 1.25 Polyester 1.25 234 19.16Kirschbaum Touch Turbo 1.275 Polyester 1.26 234 21.21Polyfibre TCS 1.25 Polyester 1.26 234 23.86Poly Star Energy 17 Polyester 1.22 234 25.45Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 17 Polyester 1.26 235 16.27Pro Supex Poly Control 1.25 Polyester 1.26 235 17.23Kirschbaum Competition 1.25 Polyester 1.28 235 19.07Luxilon Alu Power Spin 127 Polyester 1.29 235 19.25Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.20 Polyester 1.21 235 19.98Gamma Zo Tour Rough 16 Polyester 1.29 235 20.52Gosen Polylon Polyquest 16 Polyester 1.29 235 21.06Poly Star Classic 16 Polyester 1.28 235 22.14Kirschbaum Spiky Shark 17 Polyester 1.23 235 23.42Topspin Cyber Flash 1.20 Polyester 1.20 236 17.47Klip Optic Nerve 17 Polyester 1.23 236 17.49Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.25 Polyester 1.24 236 19.14RAB Endura Classic 16L (Main) Polyester 1.29 236 20.26Gosen Polylon Polybreak 18 Polyester 1.21 236 21.26Prince Tournament Poly 16 Polyester 1.29 236 24.17Polyfibre Viper 1.25 Polyester 1.24 236 24.66Poly Star Energy 16L Polyester 1.27 236 25.23Genesis Typhoon 16L Polyester 1.25 237 20.64Genesis Hexonic 18L Polyester 1.15 238 17.20Gosen Polylon Polybreak 17 Polyester 1.23 238 17.47Tourna Big Hitter Blue 16 Polyester 1.29 238 17.88Pro Supex Big Ace 1.28 Polyester 1.25 238 18.68Forten Pro Select 17 Polyester 1.20 238 18.92Volkl Cyclone 16 Polyester 1.32 238 20.07Alpha Vengence 17 Polyester 1.26 238 22.36Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 Polyester 1.19 239 15.65Wilson Enduro Pro 17 Polyester 1.25 239 15.77Gamma Zo Power 16L Polyester 1.20 239 17.29Signum Pro Tornedo 1.23 Polyester 1.25 239 19.16Tourna Premium Poly 16 Polyester 1.29 239 20.25Polyfibre HighTec Premium 1.30 Polyester 1.29 239 25.36Polyfibre Poly Hightec 1.25 Polyester 1.24 239 27.14Luxilon Timo 122 Polyester 1.20 240 14.07Topspin Cyber Flash 1.25 Polyester 1.23 240 15.54Pro Supex Premier Ace 1.30 Polyester 1.28 240 16.83Pro Supex Poly Control 1.30 Polyester 1.28 240 16.94Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.19 (Platinum Edition)Polyester 1.19 240 17.60361 Nation 361 Nation 17 Polyester 1.25 240 17.80Luxilon Alu Power Rough 125 Polyester 1.25 240 18.98Golden Set Hex Poly 18 Polyester 1.19 240 19.55Volkl V Pro 16 Polyester 1.29 240 21.02Luxilon M2 Pro 125 Polyester 1.26 240 21.70Polyfibre TCS Rapid 1.30 Polyester 1.29 240 24.45Polyfibre Cobra 1.30 Polyester 1.29 240 24.83Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 Polyester 1.31 241 13.61Gamma Zo Magic 16 Polyester 1.28 241 15.25Luxilon Timo 110 Polyester 1.15 241 16.91Tourna Big Hitter Silver 16 Polyester 1.29 241 17.62Signum Pro Hyperion 1.18 Polyester 1.20 241 20.51Prince Tournament Poly 17 Polyester 1.24 241 24.23Pacific Poly Power 15L Polyester 1.33 241 24.83Babolat Duralast 17 Polyester 1.26 241 25.07Klip Optic Nerve 16 Polyester 1.28 242 13.58Luxilon Alu Power 125 Polyester 1.23 242 17.13



Gosen Nanocubic 17 Polyester 1.26 242 17.33Tecnifibre Black Code 16 Polyester 1.31 242 18.08Ashaway MonoGut 16L Polyester 1.27 242 19.40Klip Hardcore 17 Polyester 1.24 243 17.05Luxilon XP 125 Polyester 1.25 243 17.78Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.25 Polyester 1.24 243 18.55Pro Supex Poly Power Soft 1.30 Polyester 1.32 243 18.76Kirschbaum Touch Turbo 1.30 Polyester 1.30 243 19.58Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.225 Polyester 1.23 243 19.74Topspin Cyber Whirl 1.24 Polyester 1.24 244 19.01Signum Pro Poly Speed Excl. 1.25 Polyester 1.27 244 19.56Babolat Ballistic Polymono 17 Polyester 1.25 244 20.89Alpha Vengence 16L Polyester 1.29 244 22.05Genesis Hexonic 18 Polyester 1.22 245 19.29Golden Set Hex Poly 17 Polyester 1.24 245 19.36Golden Set Poly 17 Polyester 1.23 245 21.56Signum Pro Plasma Hextreme 1.25 Polyester 1.25 246 16.23Topspin Cyber Blue 1.30 Polyester 1.31 246 20.38Polyfibre TCS 1.30 Polyester 1.29 246 24.74361 Nation 361 Nation 16 Polyester 1.32 247 17.68Dunlop Explosive Polyester 17 Polyester 1.26 247 18.00Kirschbaum Competition 1.30 Polyester 1.30 247 18.50Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.30 Polyester 1.27 247 18.61Tourna Big Hitter Rough 16 Polyester 1.27 247 19.58Golden Set Snake Bite 17 Polyester 1.24 247 20.90Yonex Tough Brid 130 16 (Main) Polyester 1.30 247 22.42Polyfibre Viper 1.30 Polyester 1.31 247 25.18RAB Monoflex 16 Polyester 1.26 248 17.95Signum Pro Plasma Pure 1.23 Polyester 1.24 248 18.17Golden Set Poly 16L Polyester 1.28 248 20.71Genesis Hexonic 16L Polyester 1.32 248 20.99Super String Viper V2 Polyester 1.25 248 24.56Luxilon Original 130 Polyester 1.28 249 17.11Signum Pro Hyperion 1.24 Polyester 1.26 249 17.84Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.28 Polyester 1.26 249 18.04Golden Set Hex Poly 16L Polyester 1.27 249 19.38Gosen Polylon 17 Polyester 1.24 249 19.52Gosen Polylon Jack Control 17 Polyester 1.24 249 19.54Prince Tour 17 Polyester 1.25 249 21.37Polyfibre Poly Hightec 1.30 Polyester 1.29 249 23.77Tecnifibre Polyspin 16L Polyester 1.28 249 24.48Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.25 (Platinum Edition)Polyester 1.26 250 16.98Luxilon Monotec Supersense 125 Polyester 1.26 250 19.21Signum Pro Poly Speed Excl. 1.30 Polyester 1.30 250 19.63Toalson Cyber Blade Tour Thermaxe 130 Polyester 1.29 250 22.21Alpha Gut 2000 Poly 16 (Main) Polyester 1.31 251 15.52Kirschbaum P2 1.225 Polyester 1.23 251 15.76Volkl V Pro 18 Polyester 1.20 251 17.13Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.20 Polyester 1.19 251 18.96Genesis Spin X 17 Polyester 1.25 251 19.56Kirschbaum Helix 16L Polyester 1.26 251 20.66Genesis Black Magic 17 Polyester 1.24 252 19.16Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.325 Polyester 1.33 252 20.75Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.25 Polyester 1.22 253 16.67Dunlop Explosive Polyester 16 Polyester 1.29 253 16.98Prince Poly Spin 3D 16L Polyester 1.27 253 23.39Babolat Duralast 16 Polyester 1.31 253 25.33Forten Flexion 16L Polyester 1.24 254 15.53Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.28 (Platinum Edition)Polyester 1.27 254 17.93Gosen Polylon Jack Control 16 Polyester 1.32 254 18.69Signum Pro Plasma Pure 1.28 Polyester 1.29 254 19.56Luxilon Adrenaline Rough 1.25 Polyester 1.29 254 19.83Gosen Polylon 16 Polyester 1.30 254 21.23Gamma Monoblast 16 Polyester 1.28 254 25.56Kirschbaum P2 1.275 Polyester 1.24 255 16.47Klip K Boom 16 Polyester 1.31 255 16.96Super String Bionic V9 Polyester 1.23 255 17.09Head UltraTour 17 Polyester 1.22 255 19.29Yonex Poly Tour 125 16 Polyester 1.24 255 19.78Poly Star Energy 16 Polyester 1.31 255 25.95Signum Pro Plasma Hextreme 1.30 Polyester 1.29 256 16.63Forten Flexion 16 Polyester 1.28 256 16.76Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 17 Polyester 1.25 256 17.58Forten Intimidator 16 Polyester 1.30 256 17.91Gosen Polylon Comfort 16 Polyester 1.30 256 19.65Luxilon M2 Plus 130 Polyester 1.31 256 19.93Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.20 Polyester 1.22 256 19.97Prince Tour 16 Polyester 1.28 256 21.57

Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.25 Polyester 1.26 256 22.02Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.225 Polyester 1.23 257 14.58Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.24 Polyester 1.24 257 14.91Kirschbaum P2 1.25 Polyester 1.25 257 15.48RAB Endura Flex 17 Polyester 1.21 257 16.34Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.275 Polyester 1.26 257 19.53Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.25 Polyester 1.25 257 19.55Signum Pro Poly Speed Excl. 1.35 Polyester 1.39 257 20.00Signum Pro Tornedo 1.29 Polyester 1.30 257 20.09Babolat Ballistic Polymono 16 Polyester 1.30 257 20.31Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 16 Polyester 1.28 258 14.90Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.29 Polyester 1.30 258 15.06Topspin Cyber Flash 1.30 Polyester 1.27 258 15.28Topspin Concept Pure 1.24 Polyester 1.24 258 16.67Klip Hardcore 16 Polyester 1.27 258 19.42Genesis Spin X 16 Polyester 1.31 258 20.73Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.275 Polyester 1.27 258 20.84Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.30 Polyester 1.27 258 22.09Gamma Zo Sweet 17 (Main) Polyester 1.22 259 15.75Ashaway Monofire XL 17 Polyester 1.26 259 17.13Mantis Power Polyester 17 Polyester 1.23 259 17.86Pro Supex Poly Power Soft 1.25 Polyester 1.27 259 18.57Prince Poly EXP 18 Polyester 1.21 259 20.88Wilson Enduro Pro 16 Polyester 1.30 260 14.33Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.28 Polyester 1.27 260 15.98Babolat Hurricane Feel 17 Polyester 1.26 260 16.40Signum Pro Hyperion 1.30 Polyester 1.31 260 18.61Kirschbaum Hybrix Spin Mains 1.25 Polyester 1.26 260 22.58Luxilon Timo 117 Polyester 1.20 261 16.29Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.30 Polyester 1.31 261 18.17Toalson Cyber Blade Tour Thermaxe 127 Polyester 1.27 261 18.99Luxilon Adrenaline 1.25 Polyester 1.23 261 19.40Genesis Black Magic 16 Polyester 1.28 261 21.35Pacific X Force 17 Polyester 1.25 262 13.47Kirschbaum Basic Poly 1.25 Polyester 1.24 262 16.89Yonex Poly Tour 130 16 Polyester 1.32 262 19.65Head UltraTour 16L Polyester 1.27 263 17.97Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.35 Polyester 1.37 263 19.36Super String Super Pro V3 Polyester 1.24 263 19.49Golden Set Snake Bite 16 Polyester 1.32 263 20.11Fischer Poly Pro 17 Polyester 1.27 263 21.06Pacific X Force 16L Polyester 1.32 264 14.33Topspin Cyber Flash 1.35 Polyester 1.23 264 15.44Leopard Plus Control 1.25 Polyester 1.26 264 18.04Kirschbaum Hybrix Power Mains 1.25 Polyester 1.25 265 17.06Pacific Poly Power 16 Polyester 1.29 265 17.16Topspin Cyber Whirl 1.27 Polyester 1.28 265 20.48Gamma Zo Ice Polyester 1.28 266 16.85Luxilon Original Rough 130 Polyester 1.28 266 19.21Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.30 Polyester 1.29 266 19.58Kirschbaum Hybrix Power Mains 1.30 Polyester 1.29 266 19.78Kirschbaum Hybrix Spin Mains 1.30 Polyester 1.30 267 22.23Topspin Cyber Red 1.24 Polyester 1.24 268 15.88Leopard D Stroyer 1.25 Polyester 1.26 268 18.28Topspin Cyber Black 1.23 Polyester 1.25 268 18.52Pacific Poly Force Xtreme 16L Polyester 1.27 268 19.39Kirschbaum Spiky Shark 16 Polyester 1.31 268 20.24Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.33 Polyester 1.34 270 14.26Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16 Polyester 1.28 270 16.61Pacific Poly Force 17 Polyester 1.25 270 17.58Prince Poly EXP 17 Polyester 1.24 270 21.66Babolat Hurricane Feel 16 Polyester 1.32 271 14.62Tourna Premium Poly 18 Polyester 1.21 271 15.39Mantis Comfort Polyester 16 Polyester 1.30 271 17.58Leopard D Stroyer 1.28 Polyester 1.30 272 18.35Leopard Plus Control 1.30 Polyester 1.31 272 19.16Kirschbaum P2 1.30 Polyester 1.30 273 15.74Topspin Concept Pure 1.29 Polyester 1.27 273 16.28Babolat RPM Blast 17 Polyester 1.26 273 17.13Toalson Ultimate Polyester 130 Polyester 1.35 273 21.59Toalson Rencon 125 Polyester 1.26 274 13.42Luxilon Savage 16 Polyester 1.27 274 18.57Pacific Poly Force Xtreme 15L Polyester 1.35 274 19.05Mutual Power Power Match (Crosses) Polyester 1.35 274 23.30Babolat Revenge 17 Polyester 1.26 277 19.32Prince Poly EXP 16 Polyester 1.28 277 21.48Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.34 Polyester 1.34 278 15.69Ashaway Monofire XL 16 Polyester 1.29 278 16.14


Continuedfollowingpage


Stiff- TensionCompany String Material Gauge ness Loss

(lb/in.) (lbs)

Gut (Sorted by Stiffness)

Pacific Powercraft 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.10 508 14.67Forten New Age 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.13 511 18.43Forten Aramid Composite 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.11 516 15.04Forten Ultra Thin Blend 18 Kevlar 1.12 545 15.12Forten Thin Blend 18/17 (Main) Kevlar 1.15 557 14.33Wilson Hyperlast Spin 19 (Main) Technora 1.21 562 13.72Head FXP Blend 17 (Main) Kevlar 1.24 574 15.73Forten Aramid Composite 17 Kevlar / Nylon 1.17 597 11.27Forten Aramid Gear 16L Kevlar 1.42 610 10.43Forten Aramid Composite 16 Kevlar / Nylon 1.28 619 9.55Silent Partner Gutsy Aramid 17 Kevlar 1.15 623 11.38Forten Aramid Gear 15 Kevlar 1.45 627 11.84Golden Set Dura Match (Main) Kevlar 1.14 634 17.33Alpha Tourna Blend 18 (Main) Kevlar 1.18 634 21.03Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 19 (Main) Kevlar 1.23 640 17.33Gamma Infinity 17 (Main) Kevlar 1.24 641 20.57Alpha Tourna Blend 17 (Main) Kevlar 1.24 647 20.64Alpha Tourna Blend 15 (Main) Kevlar 1.39 662 20.37Ashaway Kevlar 18 Kevlar 1.08 671 27.21Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.28 674 16.36Gosen Arammix Pro 18 Kevlar 1.09 697 17.03Wilson Hyperlast 15 (Main) Technora 1.41 709 13.15Prince Problend w/Duraflex 17 (Main) Kevlar 1.24 720 16.39Gamma Infinity 15L (Main) Kevlar 1.35 729 17.90Gamma Infinity 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.30 736 17.90Ashaway Kevlar 17 Kevlar 1.22 757 28.37Ashaway Kevlar 16 Kevlar 1.29 764 26.68Prince Problend w/Duraflex 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.30 981 15.88

Pacific Tough Gut 16L Natural Gut 1.28 83 7.52Tourna Natural Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.22 84 8.75Pacific Tough Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.26 88 6.75Pacific Prime Gut 16L (Bull Fiber) Natural Gut 1.28 90 8.62Pacific Classic Gut 16L Natural Gut 1.28 92 6.39Pacific Prime Gut 16L Natural Gut 1.30 92 6.86Pacific Tough Gut 17L Natural Gut 1.20 94 9.29Pacific Prime Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.28 97 5.75Pacific Tough Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.23 97 9.22Grand Slam Gut Ti. Power 16 (uncoated) Natural Gut 1.30 97 10.92Head Natural Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.25 99 8.73Pacific Classic Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.28 100 7.78Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 15L (coated) Natural Gut 1.36 100 8.58Wilson Natural 16 Natural Gut 1.31 102 8.43Babolat VS Team Thermogut 17 Natural Gut 1.26 102 8.45Prince Natural Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.23 102 8.49Pacific Prime Gut 16 (Bull Fiber) Natural Gut 1.32 103 8.05Wilson Natural 17 Natural Gut 1.26 103 8.13Pacific Tough Gut 15L Natural Gut 1.40 103 8.66Grand Slam Gut Black Knight Gut 16 (Coated) Natural Gut 1.32 103 11.91Klip Armour Pro 16 Natural Gut 1.30 105 7.43Klip Armour Pro 17 Natural Gut 1.28 105 7.70Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 17 (uncoated) Natural Gut 1.28 105 7.87Pacific Prime Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.22 105 8.45Klip Legend 16 Uncoated Natural Gut 1.28 106 8.11Pacific Classic Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.30 106 11.01Babolat VS Touch Thermogut 16 Natural Gut 1.30 107 8.31Pacific Tough Gut Imperial (Blue Spiral) 16Natural Gut 1.30 110 8.23Bow Brand Championship 16 Natural Gut 1.30 111 7.36Grand Slam Gut Ti. Power 16 (coated) Natural Gut 1.36 112 9.31Klip Legend 16 Natural Gut 1.28 113 8.77Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 16 (coated) Natural Gut 1.41 113 9.28Klip Legend 17 Natural Gut 1.27 113 9.31Prince Natural Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.31 114 8.49Babolat Tonic+ Thermogut Ball Feel Natural Gut 1.35 114 8.84Bow Brand Championship 15L Natural Gut 1.34 116 8.53Gamma Natural Gut Tour 16 Natural Gut 1.32 117 8.47Babolat VS Touch Thermogut 15L Natural Gut 1.35 118 8.68Volkl V Icon 17 Natural Gut 1.27 119 8.84Tourna Natural Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.30 119 9.06Gaucho Gold 16 Natural Gut 1.38 119 9.11Babolat Tonic+ Thermogut Longevity Natural Gut 1.38 119 9.26Volkl V Icon 16 Natural Gut 1.31 123 8.10Gaucho Red 15L Natural Gut 1.42 124 9.55Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 15L (uncoated) Natural Gut 1.48 129 11.22

Kevlar/Technora/Vectran


(lb/in.) (lbs)


(lb/in.) (lbs)

Polyester (Sorted by Stiffness) Cont.

Pacific Poly Force 16L Polyester 1.30 279 16.54Babolat RPM Blast 16 Polyester 1.31 280 17.37Kirschbaum Long Life 1.38 Polyester 1.40 281 20.71Toalson Rencon 130 Polyester 1.31 282 13.64Signum Pro Poly Speed Spin 1.28 Polyester 1.29 283 18.00Kirschbaum Helix 16 Polyester 1.30 287 16.86Signum Pro Poly Speed Spin 1.33 Polyester 1.32 289 18.34Prince Twisted 16L Polyester 1.28 298 18.91Babolat Revenge 16 Polyester 1.31 302 19.31

? Ask the Experts

THE 22/11 TECHNIQUEBACK IN THE DAY 60S AND 70S,the accepted stringing method forwood racquets was "22/11,"

where all mains and the bottom half ofthe crosses were strung with a 22-footpiece of string, and the top half of thecrosses was finished with an 11-footpiece. This was especially great for gutbecause it put less stress on the frameand pulling shorter cross strings did lessdamage to the string. Gut strings wereeven packaged in 22- and 11-foot pieces.Are you familiar with the 22/11 method,and do you think a variation of this pat-tern could be viable for racquets today?

THE 22/11 METHOD IS NOT usedthese days. The closest modern

variation is the 50/50 pattern, eventhough it doesn't use the same stringlengths. (USRSA members can find anexplanation of the 50/50 pattern in the

Digest On-line at usrsa.com.)Two problems with using the 22/11

technique these days are:1) Modern racquets typically don't

have tie-off holes anywhere near 3 and 9o'clock on the hoop, and unlike a woodracquet, it is more difficult to make tie-offholes any old place you want; and

2) This technique gives you two "tie-off strings" in the center of the racquet,which is where a lot of players hit theball. Because of the tension differences onthese two strings compared to other adja-cent strings, you're more likely to getuneven response from this area of thestringbed.

TECNIFIBRE FRAMESI’VE HEARD THAT TECNIFIBREhas discontinued (or is about todiscontinue) manufacturing and

selling tennis frames. Have you heardanything about this?

WE CONTACTED TECNIFIBREUSA, and Paul Kid responded:

“Tecnifibre is trying to find the indi-vidual or individuals who started this dis-ruptive rumor.

“Tecnifibre has Marcos Baghdatis,Janko Tipsarevic, Gisela Dulko, DenisIstomin, Devin Britton, Denis Kudla, Mar-ton Fucsovics (Wimbledon 2010 JuniorChampion), and Timea Babos (RolandGarros 2010 Junior Doubles Championand Wimbledon 2010 Junior DoublesChampion) using Tecnifibre tennis rac-quets. Also, we just introduced a newmodel (T-Fight 305 VO2 Max) to the USA.

“Tecnifibre is not discontinuing themanufacturing and selling of Tecnifibretennis racquets.”

15-GAUGE RPM BLASTBY ANY CHANCE DO YOU KNOWof anyone who carries BabolatRPM Blast in 15 gauge, preferably

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in 40-foot packages? I've got a cus-tomer who has accepted the BabolatRPM Blast 16 gauge at this point, butprefers to go back to a 15-gauge string.

THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BEa retail source for this here in

the United States. In fact, the onlysighting of this string we know of is inRafael Nadal’s racquet, although hisstring comes off of a reel. Sorry.

ADHESIVE-BACKEDPOWER PADS

SOME TIME AGO I PURCHASEDsome power pads that came ona strip, with an adhesive back-

ing. Now I can’t find them. Any ideawhere I can replenish my stock?

THE ONLY ADHESIVE-BACKEDpower pads we know of come

from Kimony in Japan. They are avail-able in the United States from Grand-SlamStringers.com.

MICROMETER SOURCEI AM LOOKING TO BUY Amicrometer. Do you knowwhere I can get one?

MICROMETERS ARE READILYavailable from sources all the

way from Harbor Freight Tools toGrainger. Depending on the make,model, and quality, expect to pay any-where from $30 for a set of three to$100+ for just one. Be aware that

micrometers typically have about a one-inchrange of measurement. If you need morerange of measurement and can put up withslightly less precision, consider a vernier, dial,or digital caliper. Expect to pay from $15 to$100 for a caliper. Keep in mind that microm-eters and calipers come with either SAE ormetric graduations.

WHITE STENCIL INKI’VE BEEN STRINGING A LOT OF blackstring on various racquets, and I cannot

find any white stencil ink. Any suggestionsas to what I might use that is readily available?

BABOLAT, UNIQUE, AND TECNIFI-BRE each offer white stencil ink. A

quick on-line search reveals that white sten-cil ink is available at Tennis Warehouse, Ten-nis Express, and Holabird Sports.

—Greg Raven �We welcome your questions. Please send them to RacquetSports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA, 92084; fax: 760-536-1171; email: [email protected].

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String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 1somewhat easier 6about as easy 17not quite as easy 10not nearly as easy 2

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 1somewhat better 10about as playable 10not quite as playable 15not nearly as playable 0

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 3somewhat better 18about as durable 13not quite as durable 1not nearly as durable 1

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.6Durability 3.9Power 3.4Control 3.7Comfort 3.5Touch/Feel 3.4Spin Potential 3.2Holding Tension (15th overall) 3.6Resistance to Movement 3.7

Tecnifibre calls X-Code the missing linkbetween premium synthetic multifila-ments and polyester monofilaments. Tec-nifibre accomplishes this using a uniquetechnology that integrates polyester andpolyurethane, using multifilament tech-nology, where the filaments are bundlesof polyester strands. Each bundle ofstrands is encased in Tecnifibre’s high-density polyurethane (PU HD). Multiplebundles are used to construct the stringitself, held together with PU HD. Finally,X-Code is coated with SPL (Silicium Pyro-gene Lubritec) for easier stringing, betterlongevity, and enhanced feel.

Tecnifibre recommends X-Code forplayers looking for the feeling and sound ofpolyester string without the disadvantageslinked to vibrations and fatigue.

X-Code is available in 16 (1.30 mm)and 17 (1.25 mm) in black and silver. It ispriced from $15 for sets of 40 feet, $225for 660-foot reels. For more information orto order, contact Tecnifibre at 888-TFTen-nis (888-838-3664), or visit tecnifibre.com.Be sure to read the conclusion for moreinformation about getting a free set to tryfor yourself.

IN THE LABWe tested the 16 gauge X-Code. The coilmeasured 40 feet. The diameter measured1.30-1.33 mm before stringing, and 1.26-1.27 mm after stringing. We recorded astringbed stiffness of 74 RDC units immedi-ately after stringing at 60 pounds in a Wil-son Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x 18 pattern) on aconstant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 69 RDC units, repre-senting a 7 percent tension loss. Our con-trol string, Prince Synthetic Gut OriginalGold 16, measured 78 RDC units immedi-ately after stringing and 71 RDC units after24 hours, representing a 9 percent tensionloss. In lab testing, Prince Synthetic GutOriginal has a stiffness of 217 and a ten-sion loss of 11.67 pounds, while TecnifibreX-Code 16 has a stiffness of 228 and a ten-sion loss of 18.85 pounds. X-Code added17 grams to the weight of our unstrungframe.

The string was tested for five weeksby 36 USRSA playtesters, with NTRPratings from 3.0 to 6.0. These areblind tests, with playtesters receivingunmarked strings in unmarked pack-ages. Average number of hoursplaytested was 32.

Out of the package, X-Codefeels flexible enough to be nylonrather than a poly-based string,with little to no coil memory. On this basisalone, it is one of the easiest polys to install.The surface does grab a little when pullingthe crosses across the mains, despite theSPL, and you need to pay extra attentionpulling knots to ensure that they aresnugged up tight. We had no problem with


blockedholes, though. Threeplaytesters mentioned problems withkinking, but we didn’t experience this.

No playtester broke his sample dur-ing stringing, six reported problems withcoil memory, one reported problemstying knots, and six reported frictionburn.

ON THE COURTConsistent with the amazingly low ten-sion loss we measured in our 24-hourovernight test, our playtesters rated X-Code 15th best of the 148 strings we’veplaytested for publication in TensionRetention. Beyond that, Tecnifibre scoredwell above average with our playtestteam in seven other categories: Durabili-ty, Resistance to Movement, Control,Playability, Comfort, Touch/Feel, andPower. These scores combined give Tec-nifibre X-Code an overall score that iswell above average.Four playtesters broke the sample

during playtesting, one each at six hours,eight hours, nine hours, and 13 hours.

CONCLUSIONHigh scores in eight categories indicatethat X-Code is a balanced string, mean-ing that Tecnifibre didn’t sacrifice onecharacteristic to gain another in makingX-Code. Still, some characteristics, suchas Durability, Resistance to Movement,and Control really grabbed ourplaytesters. For example, more than halfof our playtesters made it a point tomention the great control afforded by X-Code.

If you think that Tecnifibre X-Codemight be for you, fill out the coupon toget a free set to try. —Greg Raven �

Tecnifibre X-Code 16


TESTERS TALKFREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAM

Tecnifibre will send a free set of X-Code to the first 500 USRSA members who cutout (or copy) this coupon and send it to:

Offer expires 15 January 2011Offer only available to USRSA members in the US.

Name:USRSA Member number: Phone: Email:

If you print your email clearly, we will notify you when your sample will be sent.


USRSA, Attn: Tecnifibre String Offer, 330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084 or fax to 760-536-1171, or email the info below to [email protected]

“ Amazing control from all areas of thecourt. This string is a confidence booster.”5.0 male all court player using Wilson K SixOne Team strung at 56 pounds LO (LuxilonAlu Power Fluoro 17)

“ Outstanding control, comfort, andpower. Next to natural gut, this is as goodas it gets. This ain’t your daddy’spolyester.” 4.5 male serve and volleyerusing Babolat Pure Drive strung at 60pounds CP (Wilson NXT 16)

“ This string’s remarkable comfort ismatched only by its controlled power.”4.5 male all court player using BabolatAeroPro Drive strung at 61 pounds CP(Gamma Professional 17)

“ This poly lacks the typical boardyfeel. The blend of power and control willput your opponent on his heels.” 4.5male all court player using Volkl PowerBridge 1 strung at 55/53 pounds CP(Forten Dynamix 17)

feel. Spin potential is slightly lacking.” 5.0male all court player using Babolat Aero StormGT strung at 62 pounds LO (Babolat Pro Hurri-cane Tour 17)

“ The low power level and stiff responsemake lower tensions a good idea.” 4.5 malebaseliner with moderate spin using WilsonnPro strung at 63 pounds LO (Wilson Sensa-tion 16)

“ This string plays better after the first session.The response is stiffer than expected given how softit handles.” 6.0 male all court player using Wil-son K Tour strung at 57 pounds CP (Wilson NXT 17)

“ The mix of control, power, and comfort makesthis a rare polyester.” 4.0 male all court playerusing Wilson Power Hole strung at 58 pounds CP(Forten Sweet 16)

“ These strings provide a soft stringbed with great For the rest of the tester comments, visitwww.racquetsportsindustry.com.

In my career as a psychologist,sports psychology consultant andtennis teaching professional, I have

had the opportunity and good fortuneto interact with a great many talentedand successful tennis teaching profes-sionals. In numerous discussions,countless observations and someresearch, I have “distilled” what Ibelieve are some of the key behaviorsand attitudes that contributed to theirsuccess and will likely contribute toyours if you follow them.

While it is likely there are other“ingredients” that could be added tothe “mix for success,” followingthese seven habits should put you onthe right path toward a long and sat-isfying career as a tennis teachingprofessional.

1. VisionDeveloping a clear vision as to whatyou want to do in the short term (oneto three years), intermediate term(three to seven years ) and long term(10 years and beyond) helps guide yourchoices and decisions at critical timesin your career. It might be a life ofteaching, becoming a director or own-ing your own club. Knowing where youwant to end up will help you concen-trate on the skills and experiences youneed to develop and acquire to reachthose goals.

2. Lifelong LearningCompetence is not stagnant. Successfulteaching pros seek to constantlyimprove themselves, understand theirclientele and develop techniques andmethods that keep their studentshappy, motivated, coming back forlessons and clinics, and singing yourpraises to others. To stay current and

fresh, they attend professional clinics,workshops and conferences, read profes-sional publications and regularly reviewseveral favorite websites.

3. People SkillsSuccessful teaching pros are “likeable.”They are positive and encouraging in theirlessons and clinics and have the ability tomake the student feel “special” even whenthey are part of a group. They show inter-est in the personal lives of their studentswithout “prying” or being overly intrusive.They are good communicators who listencarefully to the needs of their students andhave excellent verbal skills both from ateaching standpoint and interpersonally.

4. Self-CareTeaching tennis is very physical and canbe hard on the body. Successful pros fol-low healthy practices to stay and remainfit and as injury-free as possible. Diet andnutrition, stretching, workouts, cross-train-ing, sun protection and access to healthproviders prevent health problems andmanage them quickly and effectivelywhen they do occur.

5. MentorsWhile tennis teachers often are the inde-pendent type, successful pros recognizethe value in learning from others who arewiser and more experienced. They devel-

Dr. Robert Heller is a psychologistand tennis teaching pro based inBoca Raton, Fla. He is the authorof the mental conditioning CD-ROM TENNISMIND and a fre-

quent conference presenter and contributorto tennis publications. Send comments andquestions to www.mentalskillstennis.com ore-mail [email protected].


‘Following these sevenhabits should put you onthe right path toward along and satisfying careeras a tennis teaching professional.’

op relationships with “senior” instructorsand often help out at events, becomeactive in the USPTA, PTR, USTA, TIA andother professional organizations and aregenuinely glad to devote their time andenergy.

6. EconomicsSuccessful pros recognize early on thedanger in letting their “expenses rise tomeet there income.” They work withaccountants, financial advisors and relatedprofessionals to create a viable financialplan that takes into account growing finan-cial needs like buying cars, houses, caringfor a growing family and retirement.

7. GratitudeTeaching pros are appreciative of theopportunity to share their love of tenniswith others and to work in a job thatallows them to be physical and not stuckin an office. This attitude of gratitudetranslates into even seasoned pros not tak-ing their job or their students/members forgranted. They continue to give 110 per-cent and teach with enthusiasm, energyand creativity even after many years in theprofession. �

We welcome your opinions. Please emailcomments to [email protected].

Your Serve


The 7 Habits of Successful Teaching ProsB Y D R . R O B E R T H E L L E R

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201101 Racquet Sports Industry