201104 Racquet Sports Industry

April 2011Volume 39 Number 4 $5.00www.racquetsportsindustry.com

Hard-CourtAward WinnersHard-CourtAward WinnersAnnual Racquet Selection Guide� Plus, determining what frames to stock

Tennis Participation Survey

The High-Pressure WorldOf Tournament Stringing

Annual Racquet Selection Guide� Plus, determining what frames to stock

Tennis Participation Survey

The High-Pressure WorldOf Tournament Stringing

DEPARTMENTS

R S I A P R I L 2 0 1 1

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 USTA, First Lady team for“Let’s Move!” campaign

7 Slate proposed for nextUSPTA board

7 Lee Tennis develops 10Ulines for Har-Tru

8 ASBA seeks facilityaward nominations

8 PTR presents annualawards at Symposium

8 USPTA pros raise$5 million for charity

9 Babolat debuts newfootwear models

9 USTA Names CommunityTennis award winners

10 Peoplewatch

11 Agassi, Graf to serve as10U spokespersons

12 Nominate for TennisIndustry Hall of Fame

12 Quarterly sales data

12 Olympus to endUS Open sponsorship

14 Short Sets

4 Our Serve

7 Industry News

15 Letters

17 TIA News

20 Career Enhancement

22 Tennis Programming

44 Tips & Techniques

46 String Playtest: Yonex Poly Tour Pro 130

48 Your Serve, by Doug McPherson

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2011 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ContentsContents

Cover photo: Lynn University Tennis Facility

24 Play by PlayWhile the latest Participation Surveyshows a decline in players over last year,the overall trend is still increasing.

28 The Power of CollaborationTeaching pros don’t have all theanswers, and ‘sharing’ students canbring benefits for everyone.

31 Municipal MasterpiecesThese 8 award-winning outdoor hard-court facilities are great examples ofexcellent construction.

45 Pulling TogetherRon Rocchi, the man behind the innova-tive Wilson/Luxilon Stringing Team,shares what he’s learned in the world oftournament stringing.

RACQUET SELECTION GUIDE

35 What Frames Should You Stock?A top tennis retailing pro offers tips tohelp you determine what will sell inyour shop.

36 Racquet Selection MapOur exclusive guide enables you to findthe perfect frame for your customersquicky and easily.

FEATURES

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. April 2011, Volume 39,

Number 4 © 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.

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

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

‘Let’s Move!’ theNeedle on Frequent Play!

RSI is on Facebook. Become a fan and keep up with all thelatest news and information at facebook.com/rsimagazine.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2011

BNP Paribas Showdown … Tennis Night inAmerica… Youth Registration … Feb. 28was an important date in this game.

You probably heard about, and hopefully watched, the BNP Paribas Show-down, which featured an all-star night of champions, with John McEnroe, IvanLendl, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi playing in Madison Square Garden.That evening also was Tennis Night in America, a celebration of tennis thatcontinued through the month of March with Youth Registration events—thesport’s largest youth recruitment effort. For Youth Registration, facilities signup kids for junior tennis events, many offering 10 and Under Tennis, includ-ing Junior Team Tennis, tournaments, clinics and camps.

If you did watch the BNP Paribas Showdown, you probably saw a com-mercial with First Lady Michelle Obama. This is groundbreaking for tennis—the first lady, and her “Let’s Move!” campaign to encourage kids to get active,has teamed with the USTA to promote tennis as one way for children to beactive and get the daily exercise they need.

You’ll see versions of this public service announcement featuring the firstlady in many places—on the web, on TV, at tennis events and more. And itcouldn’t come at a more needed time in this industry. We all know that ten-nis provides plenty of activity—for both adults and kids—and the Let’s Move!initiative encourages kids to get at least 60 minutes of activity a day, certain-ly an easy task once we can get these kids playing tennis.

Why is this important? Because these 10-and-under kids are our biggestand best hope to boost the number of frequent players in this country. Andthat’s vital to your business, whether you’re a teaching pro, run a tennis facil-ity or own a pro shop, or are in one of the many other jobs in this industry.

The latest TIA/USTA Participation Survey (see page 24) shows that thenumber of frequent players in the U.S. has now dipped below 5 million for thefirst time since 2005 and is now relatively flat over the past seven years. Youcan possibly attribute this to a number of things—the economy, prolongedbad weather, an “aging” tennis population from the tennis boom of the1970s. But the fact is, we need frequent players to help every business in thisindustry.

And we need to look to kids for that future growth in the game, and for ourlong-term health as an industry.

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

Lee Develops10 Lines for Har-TruAs 10 and Under Tennis contin-ues to grow in the U.S., Har-Truhas developed the first set oftemporary and permanent linesspecifically for Har-Tru courts.The temporary lines for 36- and60-foot courts can be installedby one person in 5 to 7 min-utes, says the company. For per-manent installations, Har-Truhas a set of dark green lines,which blend in with the courtcolor.

The 36-foot temporary linescome in red, to match the redball used on 36-foot courts andto show up sharply against thecourt surface. The system comesin two pieces—an outside rec-tangle and an inside I. Thepieces are attached with Velcroand secured to the court with15 nails, which are included.The 60-foot temporary lines arein orange to match the orangeball used on 60-foot courts.There are no Velcro connec-tions; all intersections arestitched. The set includes 12nails.

Permanent lines for both sizecourts are made from Har-Tru’sHerringbone tape, coloredgreen, and are designed forcourts that are regularly usedfor both full-size and 60-footplay. These lines are nailed intothe surface similar to standardcourt lines. The set comes with180 feet of tape, enough forone 60-foot or one 36-footcourt. For more information,visit leetennis.com.

R S I A P R I L 2 0 1 1

April 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

USTA, First Lady Team For ‘Let’s Move!’ Campaign

The USTA has teamed up with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign to encour-age young people across the country to get active, try tennis and lead healthy lifestyles. Partof the collaboration includes a new public service announcement featuring the first lady pro-

moting the 10 and Under Tennis initiative.“It’s important for kids to get the hour of active play they need every day, and there are so

many fun things that each of us can do to be healthier,” said Michelle Obama. “Thanks to pro-grams like the USTA’s 10 and UnderTennis initiative, it’s easier than everfor kids to get active and have fun.And that’s a big part of what we’redoing with Let’s Move!, America’scampaign to raise a healthier gener-ation of kids.”

The public service announce-ment debuted on Feb. 28, duringESPN’s telecast of the BNP ParibasShowdown from Madison SquareGarden, featuring Pete Sampras,Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. Feb. 28 also was Tennis Night in America and YouthRegistration.

“Our new collaboration with the First Lady and ‘Let’s Move!’ will help us reach more familiesto teach them that tennis is easier to learn and access than ever before,” said Jon Vegosen, USTAChairman of the Board and President.

The PSA with the first lady also features Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, all of whom play therole of ballpersons for youngsters playing on smaller courts with smaller racquets and modifiedballs. The USTA plans to create 60-second and 30-second versions of the PSA.

Another component of the collaboration with Let’s Move! is the construction and renovationof 3,000 tennis courts across the country in 2011, ensuring that all will be lined for the QuickStartTennis play format. Also, the USTA will use its resources and programs to encourage 200,000 kidsto take the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA), which encourages young Americans to beactive 60 minutes a day, five days a week for six weeks in an eight-week period.

Slate Proposed for Next USPTA Board of Directors

Randy Mattingley tops the list from the USPTA’s national Nominating Com-mittee for president of the organization for 2011 to 2013. Othernames submitted by the Nominating Committee for the next

USPTA Board of Directors are:� First vice president—Jack Groppel� Vice presidents—Mark Fairchilds, Chuck Gill, Jim Loehr, Bunny Bruning, BillMountford

� Past president—Tom DaglisAdditional nominations may be made by the general membership and submitted in writing to

the CEO by 5 p.m., Central time, May 4. In order for a new candidate to be added to the ballot,he or she must be nominated by at least 120 members. Only one nominee per office will beadded to the slate.

PTR Recognizes State Members

At the PTR Symposium in February, several State Members of the Yearwere honored for their contributions to the PTR:

A P R I L 2 0 1 1IN

DU

ST

RY

NE

WS


ASBA Seeks Facility Award Nominations

The American Sports Builders Association is now accepting applica-tions for its annual awards program, which honors outstanding

design and construction in various types of athletic facilities, includingtennis courts. The deadline to submit applications is June 1.

All types of tennis facilities are eligible—public, private or residen-tial—and hard or soft courts. In addition, there are honors in the“Green” competition, for athletic facilities that used the most eco-friendly design, construction and operating techniques.

To be eligible for entry into the awards program, a facility must havebeen designed by, or built by, an ASBA member company. (If you arenot a member, go to www.sportsbuilders.org and click on "Join Us.")The ASBA member who designed or built the facility must be the oneto enter it in the awards program; facility owners who are interested inhaving their projects entered should get in touch with their builder ordesigner. Also in order to be eligible for this round of awards, projectssubmitted must have been completed within the current year or with-in the previous two calendar years (ending Dec. 31).

Presentation of award plaques will be at the ASBA Technical Meet-ing in December in Palm Springs, Calif.

AL - Tony OswaldCO - Christina WalkerDE - Bob BratcherFL - John MacDonaldGA - Daniel BreagHI - Madeleine DreithIL - Doug Cash

IN - Siobhan BelloliKS - Daryl GreenstreetMA - Phil ParrishMI - Adam FordMN - Patty EgartNJ - Ed RansomNY - Nic SabbatiniNC - Scott Mitchell

OH - Leonie TurackPA - Delaine MastRI - Rita MarsellaSC - Kim HalterSD - Jeff NelsonTX - Brian TenneryVA - Bob Calloway

PTR Presents Annual Awards

The PTR’s annual awards were present-ed in February during the 2011 PTR

International Tennis Symposium onHilton Head Island, S.C. The sympo-sium included 50-plus on-court and classroom pre-sentations for tennis teachers and coaches, a tennistrade show and tennis tournament. PTR award recip-ients included:� Master Professional: Doug Eng, Medford, Mass.� Professional of the Year: Butch Staples, Chicago� Clinician of the Year: Harlon Matthews, LocustGrove, Ga.

� Tester of the Year: Aaron Hutt, Denton, Md.� Humanitarian Award: Nancy Hoekstra, Home-wood, Ill.

� Volunteer of the Year: Ernest Quarles, Mitchelville,Md.

� Coach Jim Verdieck Touring Pro Coach of the Year:Torsten Peschke, Sarasota, Fla.

� Coach Jim Verdieck College Coach of the Year:Brad Pearce, Provo, Utah

� Coach Jim Verdieck High School Coach of the Year:Corbin Graves, Tallahassee, Fla.

� Male Player of the Year: Orlando Lourenco, Hix-son, Tenn.

� Female Player of the Year: Carolina Blouin,Raleigh, N.C.

� Public Facility of the Year: USTA Billie Jean KingNational Tennis Center, Flushing, N.Y.

� Private Facility of the Year: Shanghai RacquetClub, China

� Wheelchair Professional of the Year: Bryan Barten,Tucson

� Media Excellence: Federico Coppini, TennisWorldSA, South Africa

� PTR/USTA Community Service Award, Harold Con-way, Collegeville, Pa.

� PTR/TIA Commitment to the Industry: LanceAndersen, Boxborough, Mass.

(Front row) Lucy Garvin, Harlon Matthews, NancyHoekstra, Aaron Hutt, Butch Staples. (Back row) DanSantorum, Dr. Doug Eng, Jean Mills, Jonathan Vegosen,Adam Gard’ner, Ernest Quarles, Corbin Graves, BradPearce.

USPTA Pros Raise $5 Million for Charity

In 2010, USPTA teaching pros raised more than$5 million for charity through the associa-

tion’s Lessons for Life program. Since theprogram began in 1999, the USPTA andits members have raised more than $45 millionfor various charities.

Through Lessons for Life, the USPTA encour-ages its members to use tennis as a vehicle tohelp others through fundraisers and otheractivities in their communities. The fundraisers take many formsincluding tournaments, pro-ams, auctions, clinics and black-tie din-ners. Many of the fundraisers take place at country clubs and com-mercial clubs, where the majority of USPTA Professionals direct tennisoperations and programming. While Lessons for Life is officially cele-brated in October, events may be hosted any time during the year.

In 2009 an additional element was added to the program when theUSPTA and Rally for the Cure joined forces to raise awareness in thefight against breast cancer through tennis and Lessons for Life underthe broader “Tennis – for the health of it!” initiative.

April 2011 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9

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


USPTA Accepting Awards Nominations

The USPTA is now accepting nominations for its 2011National Awards Program, which seeks to recognize

USPTA members who are leaders through tennis. Deadlinefor nominations is July 1.

Recipients will be honored during the annual awardsbreakfast at the USPTA World Conference Sept. 19-24 atSaddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla. All Profession-al-level USPTA members are eligible. The award categoriesinclude:� USPTA Stars—members who have dedicated years tovolunteering in grassroots tennis.

� USPTA Industry Excellence Award—The recipientreceives a $1,000 grant from the TIA and a Tennis Tutorball machine from Sports Tutor.

� Alex Gordon Award for Professional of the Year� Large- and Small-Facility Manager of the Year Award(open to nonmembers)

� College Coach of the Year and High School Coach of theYear

� Touring Coach of the Year� George Bacso Tester of the Year� USPTA Lessons for Life Award, Tennis Across AmericaAward and Diversity Award

Babolat Debuts New Footwear Models

Babolat recently unveiled its latestfootwear collection, featuring the

all-new, high-performance Propulseline and the new V-Pro line.

The new Propulse 3, with itsdominant red color, is Andy Rod-dick’s shoe, and features two newinnovations from Babolat: the “Kom-pressor System,” which absorbsshock when the heel hits the ground,and “Cell Shield,” a high-perform-ance upper made with cellular mate-rial to stand up to abrasion whileproviding comfort, says the company.

The Propulse 3 men’s version hasa suggested retail of $109. ThePropulse Lady 3 ($104) has a fit adapt-ed to a woman’s foot, says Babolat, and the PropulseJunior 3 ($59.95) offers support, grip and durability.

Babolat says its new V-Pro line was inspired by the Propulseshoe. It’s available in the V-Pro All Court and V-Pro Clay ($89), V-Pro Lady ($85) and V-Pro Junior ($49.95). For more information,visit www.babolat.com.

USTA Names Community Tennis Award Winners

The USTA honored eight award winners at its 2011 Commu-nity Tennis Development Workshop, held Feb. 11-13 at the

Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. The honorees wererecognized in a variety of categories for their dedication togrowing the game.� Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award: Touch of Tennis,Gwynedd Valley, Pa. The award recognizes a program or program leaderthat has demonstrated continued excellence, dedication and service intennis for an adaptive tennis community.

� Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award: Brenda Gilmore, Upper Marl-boro, Md., and Robert Bratcher, Wilmington, Del. The award honorsindividuals who perpetuate Kraft’s selfless mission to bring the sport oftennis to everyone who wants to play.

� Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Organizer of the Year Award:Julie Dick, Georgetown, Ky. The honor recognizes an individual whopositively influences children’s lives and substantially impacts theircommunity.

� National Community Tennis Association of the Year Award: WashingtonTennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), Washington, D.C. The awardhonors a CTA for outstanding service in growing and developing thesport of tennis in its community.

� National Junior Tennis & Learning Chapters of the Year Awards:- New York Junior Tennis League ($500k and over), New York, N.Y.- Saint Paul Urban Tennis ($50k-500k), St. Paul, Minn.- Hartford R.A.L.L.Y (less than $50k), Hartford, Conn.

The USTA bestows the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chaptersof the Year Awards to chapters and programs at three different budgetlevels to reward those organizations that are able to do more with less.

CareersInTennisSite Tops 1,000 Listings

Careers In Tennis, a free service to both job-seekersand employers that was launched in late 2009 by

the Tennis Industry Association, has now surpassedmore than 1,000 job-board listings on its central por-tal, www.CareersInTennis.com. The site, the TIAreported in February, is one of the largest “clearing-houses” for connecting individuals to informationand education on tennis industry careers.

“Our goal is to create greater awareness for thetennis industry and assist with placement of quali-ty talent to provide the future workforce and lead-ers of our sport,” says TIA Executive Director, Jolynde Boer. “There are a multitude of opportunitiesavailable in tennis.”

“Through the first two months of 2011, we’veseen the number of jobs being pulled to the jobboard jump from around 700 to more than 1,000active listings,” says Ryan Melton, the TIA's CareersIn Tennis manager. As of late February, the site hadmore than 500 registered job-seekers, 1,000-plustennis industry jobs, and over 7,000 job views.

In addition to posting jobs for free, tennis com-panies can search candidates who are registeredon www.CareersInTennis.com and even take appli-cations directly through the site. For info, visit thesite or contact Melton at (843) 686-3036 x.226 [email protected].

A P R I L 2 0 1 1IN

DU

ST

RY

NE

WS


• The Stratford Academy in Macon, Ga., recently named its tenniscourts in honor of 1979 graduate Jaime Kaplan, the high school’scoach and a former tour player. Kaplan, a tennis icon in Georgiawho recently battled leukemia, was caught by surprise when theJaime Kaplan Tennis Center was unveiled at a ceremony on Feb.24.

• Head/Penn racquetball player Jackie Paraiso won her 18th and19th USA Racquetball national doubles titles in February, andHead/Penn team members Rocky Carson and Jack Huczek won arecord sixth national doubles championship.

• Bob Bryant is the new sales and marketing director for theUSTA Southern Section, and he also will take over as tournamentdirector of the Atlanta Tennis Championships, which will beplayed in July. Bryant replaces Bill Oakes, who left the SouthernSection to go to Wake Forest University as assistant athletic direc-

tor and tournament director of the Winston-Salem Open. Mostrecently, Bryant spent five years at Turner Broadcasting and theCartoon Network, mostly as vice president of Off-Channel Com-merce, including managing Cartoon Network Smash Tennis.

• Nicolas Almagro, playing with a Dunlop Biomimetic 500 Tour,captured his 200th career win in February and his ninth ATPWorld Tour title when he beat Juan Ignacio Chela in the final inBuenos Aires.

• Sylvain Guichard has been hired as a USTA National Coach forWomen’s Tennis. Guichard will facilitate coaching and trainingprograms while working with players in the USTA Player Develop-ment program and will be based at the USTA Training Center-Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla.

• TV commentator and former pro tour player Cliff Drysdale plansto wed Dianna Belmonte in April.

P E O P L E W AT C H

Nominate For USTA Facility Awards

Do you know an outstanding tennis facility in your area, one that you feel should be recognized for its contributions to tennis inyour community? Nominate them for a 2011 USTA Outstanding Facility Award.Nominations are now being accepted for the 30th Annual USTA Outstanding Facility Award program, administered by the

USTA and the USTA Technical Committee. Go to www.usta.com/facilityawards for more information and for an applica-tion/nomination form. All nominations are due in the USTA National office by June 29.

Agassi, Graf to Serve as Spokespersons For 10 and Under Tennis

At the recent USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop in Arlington, Va., the USTA’s chief executive of Community Ten-nis, Kurt Kamperman, outlined key strategies to promote 10 and Under Tennis, and announced that Andre Agassi and Stefanie

Graf will serve as spokespersons for the initiative. The tennis power couple will appear in marketing and advertising for 10U ten-nis, promoting starting kids in tennis on shorter courts, with modified equipment and scoring.

“This is the biggest consumer push we’ve ever had in tennis,” Kamperman told the more than 600 workshop attendees. Heoutlined top strategies for growing 10 and Under Tennis and increasing participation in the U.S. among youngsters:

1. Increase the number of adults trained to deliver 10 and UnderTennis. The goal, says Kamperman, is to have more sites andpeople hosting 10U training for teaching professionals andparents. If a site or organization can get a minimum of 20 peo-ple to sign up for a 10U training workshop, the USTA will senda trainer for free. “We’re going to need an army of pros andparent helpers to deliver this game,” he notes.

2. Increase the number of courts with “blended lines.” Kam-perman says there needs to be more courts in the U.S. linedfor 36- and 60-foot courts. “We have a sizeable budget forthis. We can help facilities turn two courts into eight courts."USTA National grants and section grants are available foradding permanent lines to existing courts, which could payfor from 50 percent to 75 percent or more of the cost.

3. Redefine youth competition. The progression should befrom skills development programs to “Play Days” (for infor-mal competition), then to formal competition. Play Days,says Kamperman, are a critical component, not just for kids,but also to educate parents. “We need to expose parents and

kids to tennis in a softer way. Our tournaments need tochange dramatically. We need more local play,” says Kam-perman. He also adds that with 10U tennis, “It’s not a raceto full-size courts.”

4. Maximize the use of technology. The website 10andun-dertennis.com has been relaunched. Facilities can registeron the site so consumers can find their programs. "This sitehas great tools for pros and information for parents, with lotsof great videos that will help people see what 10 and UnderTennis is all about," Kamperman says.

5. Drive provider and consumer awareness. “We need a distri-bution base, so we need teaching pros and facilities to regis-ter their programs,” Kamperman says. Tennis providers willget a kit with a DVD, among other things, to help spread theword and get parents and kids involved. On the consumerside, in addition to having Agassi and Graf serve as 10 andUnder Tennis spokespersons, starting in June the USTA willstart the “SmashZone Mobile Tour,” traveling to sites aroundthe country bringing tennis to kids and their parents.




A P R I L 2 0 1 1IN

DU

ST

RY

NE

WS

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

Best-Sellers1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)2. Babolat Pure Drive GT (MP)3.Wilson BLX Six.One 95 16 x 18 (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 - December, 2010 vs. 2009Units 2010 719,943

2009 724,225% change v. '09 -1%

Dollars 2010 $102,216,0002009 $100,664,000% change v. '09 2%

Price 2010 $141.982009 $139.00% change v. '09 2%

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

1. Prince T222. Adidas Barricade V3. Adidas Barricade 6.04. Nike CourtBallistec 2.35. Nike Air Breathe Free

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

Babolat Serves Up Roland Garros Gear

As part of its partnership with Roland Garros, Babolat has developed an officialRoland Garros range of tennis equipment, including racquets, bags and acces-

sories in the colors of the French Open, available inMay.

The Aeropro Drive French Open ($199, 100 sq.in., 10.6 oz.) is the frame of French Open champi-on Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and is forbaseline players looking for power and control, saysthe company. There is also a junior line featuringthe Aeropro Drive Junior French Open frame ($104,100 sq. in., 8.6 oz.). A matching bag is available forsix or 12 racquets.

The E Sense Comp French Open racquet ($99,100 sq. in., 9.5 oz.) is lightweight and offers goodmaneuverability, says Babolat. There is also theRoland Garros Club Bag and Club Backpack to carryframes.

Strings in the Roland Garros line include theXCEL French Open available in black. Forgrips, there’s the VS Grip French Open.And two dampeners are available, theCustom Damp, which is customizable,and the fun Loony Damp FrenchOpen. Babolat also offers the FrenchOpen All Court ball, for all surfaces and

player types. For info, visit babolat.com.

Nominate for the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame

Nominations are now being accepted for the 4th Annual Tennis Industry Hall ofFame award, which recognizes those individuals who have made a significant

impact on and contribution to the sport, from the 1960s to the present. The finalinductees will be honored in New York City, just before the start of the US Open dur-ing the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference at the 5thAnnual TIA Tennis Forum.

Nominations, which are due by June 30, 2011,can be made in four categories—inventors, founders,innovators and contributors—by visitingwww.TennisIndustry.org/HOF.

The Tennis Industry Hall of Fame was created in2008. The first two inductees were Dennis Van der Meer and the late Howard Head.In 2009, Alan Schwartz was the sole inductee, followed in 2010 by Billie Jean King.There is a Tennis Industry Hall of Fame section, including plaques on permanent dis-play, at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

Olympus to End US Open SponsorshipThis year will apparently be the last year for Olympus as a USTA sponsor of the USOpen and the US Open Series of summer tournaments. Although the two sides set-

tled their lawsuit over the sponsorship deal for 2011, the contract, which was renewedin 2007 to run through 2013, allows Olympus to opt out of the last two years of thedeal, which the company has decided to do.

The USTA says it had sued Olympus for $11.65 million when the camera compa-ny tried to get out of its sponsorship agreement for 2011, a year earlier than the con-tract allowed. Olympus and the USTA have been partners since 2003.




Biggest Loser WinnerParticipates in CardioTennis Kids Session

Patrick House, the winner of Sea-son 10 on NBC’s “The Biggest

Loser,” took part in a Cardio TennisKids presentation on Feb. 24 at theProfessional Tennis Registry Sympo-sium on Hilton Head Island, S.C. Car-dio Tennis (www.cardiotennis .com),a program managed by the TennisIndustry Association, was one of theactivities that Biggest Loser contest-ants participated in, with surpriseguest Anna Kournikova, now thenew spokesperson for Cardio Tennis.

After going through Cardio Tennison the show, House, who played ten-nis as a junior, said he “fell back inlove with tennis” and plans to getback into the game. At the start ofThe Biggest Loser season, Houseweighed 400 pounds. He shed 181pounds by the end of the season.

“Tennis is a great game and Car-dio Tennis is a great program,”House told the audience of tennisteachers and coaches. “Cardio Ten-nis isn’t about keeping score, it’sabout having fun and getting exer-cise.” Also in attendance were 25fifth-grade students from the St.Francis School on Hilton HeadIsland, who helped the TIA’s CardioTennis team demonstrate the CardioTennis Kids program.

House, who said he’s always beeninvolved in mentoring kids and vol-unteering, now works for Mind-stream Academy in Bluffton, S.C., aboarding school for overweight teensthat helps them solve their weightproblems.

Matt Allen/TIA

A P R I L 2 0 1 1IN

DU

ST

RY

NE

WS


> The USPTA is hoping all USPTA proswill take part in the “One-Clinic Chal-lenge” for 2011 and run a free TennisAcross America one-hour clinic in theMonth of May. For more information andto register your event, contact RickBostrom at 800-USPTA-4U (877-8248) [email protected].

> In April, Lee Tennis, the maker of theHar-Tru surface, will change its name toHar Tru Sports, a Division of Luck Stone.

> The Madison Square Garden court forthe Feb. 28 BNP Paribas Showdown—fea-turing Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe andPete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi—had 60-foot blended lines on the traditional 78-foot regulation court. It was the first timeblended lines, for 10 and Under Tennis,were incorporated in a court used for aprofessional tennis match. Prior to the promatches, kids from the New York JuniorTennis League played on the 60-footblended line court using the QuickStartTennis play format. The BNP ParibasShowdown also featured the first-everdigital signage around the court perime-ter at a pro tennis event.

> SpiderTech, a Canadian-based devel-oper of pre-cut and ready to apply kinesi-ology tape, has signed Chinese tennischampion, and Australian Open finalist, LiNa to its Health and Wellness Team.

> The two World TeamTennis teamsbased in New York are consolidating intoone team. The New York Sportimes,based in New York City, and the New YorkBuzz franchise in Albany, are combining.The Sportimes will now play five matchesat its home base at Sportime Stadium atRandall’s Island in New York City, and willalso play two home matches in Albany.Also, the USTA Eastern Section has signedon as the Sportimes’ host sponsor.

S H O R T S E T S> Australian tennis star Fred Stolle, whosetennis career featured Grand Slam titles andDavis Cup victories, was presented a com-memorative ring from the International Ten-nis Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the DelrayBeach International Tennis Championshipsin February. The one-of-a-kind rings will bepresented to Hall of Famers at tennis eventsaround the world over the next several yearsto mark their achievement of Hall of Fameinduction. Stolle was inducted into the Hallof Fame in 1985.

> The U.S. won a record sixth Hopman Cuptitle in January when Bethanie Mattek-Sandsand John Isner beat Belgium's Justine Heninand Ruben Bemelmans in mixed doubles towin the tie, 2-1. Earlier, in singles, Mattek-Sands had lost to Henin and Isner had beatBemelmans. The Hopman Cup is an interna-tional team event started in 1989.

> The Sports Palace “Megasport” inMoscow will host its first tennis event whenItaly meets Russia in the Fed Cup semifinalApril 16-17. A hard court will be laid overwhat was originally built as an ice rink tohost the World Ice Hockey Championshipsand figure skating competitions.

> No. 1 Stanford captured a record 10thITA National Women’s Team Indoor title inFebruary when the Cardinal beat No. 2 Flori-da, 4-2.

> Tennis facilities at the Vanderbilt TennisClub—located inside New York City’s GrandCentral Terminal—are expected to be openin September. The full-size court and severalpractice alleys will be on the fourth and anewly-constructed fifth floor overlookingVanderbilt Hall. The main court boasts aview of Central Park South through a previ-ously shrouded, 15-foot-high, half-circlewindow.

> The 2011 USTA Tennis On Campus

Ashaway Renews RacquetBall Contract

Ashaway Racket Strings has renewed its agreement as the official string ofUSA Racquetball for another two years. Ashaway has been the USAR Offi-

cial String since 2004.“We are delighted to be able to continue our longstanding support for USAR

and the sport of racquetball,” says Steve Crandall, vice president of marketing for Ashaway. “As the only U.S. manufacturer ofracquet strings, Ashaway has sponsored many amateur and professional racquetball players of all ages and skill levels, includ-ing champions such as Jack Huczek.”

National Championships will be April 7-9at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C., and theToC Spring Invitational will be April 15-17at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson,Ariz. For more information, visitwww.tennisoncampus.com.

> PGA Tour Superstores is opening a50,000 square-foot store in GreenwoodVillage in the Denver area. The store isexpected to be open in May. It will be thecompany’s 11th location; there are storesin metro Atlanta, Dallas, Myrtle Beach,Phoenix and Naples, Fla.

> Peter Burwash International is nowmanaging the tennis programs at twoadditional properties: the Jumeirah ZabeelSaray beach resort in Dubai and the Silver-ado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif.

> Tennis Channel has extended its tele-cast rights agreements with the ITF andUSTA to remain the exclusive U.S. broad-caster of all Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hop-man Cup competition. The deals keepcoverage of the American Davis Cup teamon the network through 2013 and allother matches in the three internationalteam competitions through 2015.

> Championship Racquetball is a newbook by champion players Fran Davis andJason Mannino that covers drills, tactics,planning for competition, conditioning,psyching out the opponent, goal setting,and maintaining training and tournamentlogs. Visit HumanKinetics.com or call 800-747-4457.

> NCSA Athletic Recruiting, has launchedRMS, or Recruiting Management System,a free tool designed for college coaches.RMS gives coaches the ability to search,track, and manage every aspect of therecruitment process. Contact SamanthaCrafton at [email protected].

French Open to Remain at Roland Garros

French Tennis Federation officials voted in mid-February to keep the French Open atRoland Garros Stadium in Paris, rather than move the tournament to larger sites in

the suburbs. The plan is for the current site to be expanded and renovated.“Roland Garros has a strong and unique image and possesses global prestige due

to the city of Paris,” said FTF President Jean Gachassin.Roland Garros currently occupies 21 acres, by far the smallest Grand Slam in

terms of land, as the US Open sits on more than 34 acres and both Wimbledon andthe Australian Open sites are 47 acres. The FTF’s plan is to expand to about 33 acresby using land at nearby municipal courts and expanding into an adjacent publicbotanical gardens.


LettersI really enjoyed Jeff Lewis’s Your Serve (“Club Tennis at Its Finest”) in the Feb-ruary issue. It reminded me of playing with a general manager of a nuclearfacility that provided reactors for U.S. Navy submarines. When I would call hissecretary, who was a very efficient gatekeeper, she would way, “Dr. Natelson isin a very important meeting at the present time. Can I take a message?” WhenI would tell her it was just about a tennis match, she would then say, “I’ll putDr. Natelson through immediately.”

The beauty of tennis is that you can be playing with world-famous scien-tists, unemployed bricklayers, eye surgeons, and symphony trumpet players—the only thing that matters is, can he get his second serve in with pace, depthand placement!

By the way, Dr. Michael Natelson is now retired from the Bettis NuclearPower Laboratory, and we’re able to play lots of doubles together.

Jerry O’HaraMount Lebanon, Pa.

The Beauty of Tennis

We welcome your letters and comments. Please limit letters to 300 words maximum. Email them [email protected] or fax them to 760-536-1171.

Thank you for Greg Raven’s article on synthetic string construction in yourMarch issue. I worked for DuPont for 28 years, 13 of those in the polyester(Dacron) division. As I read the article, I could only imagine how difficult theactual written description of that process and its variables must have been.Well done. Dave Heilig

Chapel Hill, N.C.

String Article Draws Praise

I was very impressed with the March issue of RSI and the coverage of 10 andUnder Tennis. I was impressed with the number of QuickStart Tennis pro-grams you highlighted (“Tennis To Go”), from all over the country, which is atestament to the fact it works everywhere. I hope you will continue to keepus posted on all the news and innovative programs dealing with 10 andUnder—it’s an inspiration to us all.

Jean GreenwoodSalt Lake City, Utah

Vice Chair, USTA Community Tennis Association committee

10 and Under Coverage


Career Enhancement


ith this uncertain economicenvironment, many peo-ple—including tennis teach-

ing pros at clubs and facilities—areseeking additional income, aside fromtheir regular employment. Because ofexpanding competition and the tighten-ing of discretionary spending, pros canbe left scrambling to meet theirexpenses.

A natural fit for extra income, oftenoverlooked by the club pro, is to beemployed as a college or high schoolcoach. Most of these jobs are part time,with hours that may mesh well with apro’s current job. (Full-time positions atcolleges are rare—mainly at some Divi-sion 1 schools.) Athletic directors, whousually do not come from a tennisbackground, frequently will look at ten-nis clubs to fill the position for a quali-fied, knowledgeable coach.

At first glance, it may seem that thepay for these part-time positions arenot competitive and the job might notbe worth the commitment. Tennisoften is thought of as a minor sport atmany schools, so the coaches are paidaccordingly. But despite the low payand frequent ambivalence toward ten-nis, there can be many positives for apro as a head tennis coach, both finan-cially and career-wise.

First, you can generate extraincome from racquet stringing and proshop sales, including supplying teamuniforms. As coach, you’d have 10 to12 team members who would behappy to have their racquet mainte-nance handled by a trusted mentor.(Also, if you’re at a middle or highschool and run a No-Cut tennis pro-gram, you could have dozens of poten-tial customers for your goods andservices.) At colleges, budgets often willinclude money for these items, there-fore very little funds need to come outof the players’ pockets.

W

Take Advantage of Your Skills

Camps, Clinics,Lessons, EventsBy becoming involved with the school,other revenue-generation opportunities willpop up. You might have the chance todirect tennis camps for kids and adults atthe school, which could bring in significantincome and be an ongoing annual pro-gram. When I first started my summer ten-nis camp at a college, enrollment wasrelatively small. But it continued to growsignificantly each year. If you are alreadyworking as a coach at the school, work outa deal with the athletic director to run ten-nis camps.

Giving clinics and private lessons onschool courts is another benefit of workingthere. Again, arrangements need to beworked out with the institution, but offeringvarious types of programs can be a valu-able source of income. With discountsoffered to students and staff, plus the con-venience of location, these lessons shouldgo over well. You will be known as the “goto” person for tennis in the school or col-lege community.

The school might even ask the coach torun tennis classes to be included in theircurriculum. This could be part of the physed department or another area. Some col-leges might even want the coach to run anintramural tennis program.

Tournaments and other competitiveevents can also be offered on the schoolcourts to bring in revenue for the pro andthe school. Although the proceeds mightnot be significant, players will be using thefacilities, and perhaps be customers forother tennis programs at the school.

Benefits forClub and SchoolYour presence at the school will give tennishigher visibility, which means many schoolparticipants may end up taking lessons orplaying in leagues at your club or facility.So you could end up bringing in new mem-

bersandexposingthe club to anew market. Also,you might consider running aclinic for high school teams at the club.Included could be not only your team, butother local teams, with possibly free prac-tice time as well.

Another advantage of working withschool teams is that you may have avail-able to you potential instructors forcamps, lessons and other programs. Stu-dent-athletes may be looking for part-timeemployment and may be happy to workin a field in which they have considerableknowledge. (But as a coach, be aware ofall NCAA and high school guidelinesregarding hiring student-athletes.)

But perhaps the greatest benefit for ateaching pro who becomes a school coachis the enhanced reputation and credibilitythe position provides. By working in theschool as their coach, your name recogni-tion will increase substantially. Further-more, if your teams are successful, yourprominence will escalate as both a coachand a pro. The more your good name getsout there, the greater the possibilities offuture opportunities.

So, what might at first seem to be justa little extra income for a teaching procould very well turn into something muchmore, both financially and personally.Also, you might find you enjoy coachingyoungsters and being a positive influenceon their lives and tennis careers. Both jobscomplement each other, and in this diffi-cult economy, that is something rareindeed. �

Looking for extra income? If you’re a club pro, consideradding a school or college tennis coaching position.

Bruce Knittle is president of the sports con-sulting firm Knittle Sports Solutions(www.knittlesportssolutions.com). A formersports camp owner, he also was a collegehead coach and directed sports programsfor many years. He can be reached at [email protected].

B Y B R U C E K N I T T L E


T E N N I S P R O G R A M M I N G

vate-lesson revenue during dead time and also offer members alower court rate in conjunction with the lessons to create moreplay and/or lessons.

Dave SaxeLake Country Racquet ClubHartland, WISaxe has long been an advocate of “Tennis 1, 2, 3” for non-mem-bers, who receive eight one-hour lessons for $120. The cluboffers a total of three eight-lesson sessions, and these programshave become the backbone of Lake Country’s 2.0 to 2.5 USTALeague structure. Private lessons at this time have not workedwell, as Saxe found that those who can afford privates want totake them according to their schedule, not the club’s.

Randy Stolpe/Rick VetterElite Clubs, Milwaukee, WIStolpe and Vetter have created some interesting options for theirfacilities. They ran a “Senior Camp” from noon to 2 p.m.,charged $20 per head and had 15 men and women on a constantbasis. Cardio Tennis, a strong performer in tennis clubs, is amainstay of their court time. They also had good success with a1-2:30 p.m. women’s league that allows nonworking moms topick up their children right on time after school.

Mike StarkeBinghamton Tennis CenterBinghamton, NYStark has found that private lessons, Cardio Tennis and “strokeof the week” clinics have done well during the noon to 3 p.m.time slot. He’s also found a good market in catering to studentsin his area who are home-schooled.

FILLING‘DEAD’COURTTIMEB Y D E N N Y S C H A C K T E R

Tennis facilities face many issues every day. One of the mostserious and costly is the inability to fill unused court time.Most experts in the industry will tell you that the most diffi-

cult time to fill is the period from noon to 3 p.m.For many years I worked as a territory manager for Wilson Rac-

quet Sports and saw, firsthand, the many difficulties decision-mak-ers face trying to maximize dollars. Recently, I canvassed facilitydirectors, teaching pros and club owners to hear their thoughts onthe successes and failures of filling that difficult 12-3 p.m. courttime.

One thing that nearly every facility manager or pro told me isthat the 10-and-under tennis initiative, using the QuickStart Tennisplay format with age-appropriate equipment and smaller courts, isa nice stimulus for unused court time. Here’s what else the profes-sionals said worked in their environment, and what came up short.

Mike GraffBaseline Tennis, suburban Detroit, MIBaseline Tennis offers a daytime-only membership, half-price courttime for walk-ins, and a senior round-robin twice a month at a verylow price, with prizes. Graff says the program itself loses money atthe get-go, but because players meet other players and have a pos-itive experience at the club, there is increased play and then play-ers mix in with other club offerings, so in the final analysis, the clubmakes out in the whole deal.

Ajay PantNational Tennis Director, Midtown/TCA ClubsMidtown offers a “Breakfast at the Club” or “Lunch at the Club,” fol-lowed by tennis to fill hours. He utilizes the courts as a rental oppor-tunity for colleges and high school programs. Pant has usedincentives such as higher pay for teaching pros to create more pri-

FILLING‘DEAD’COURTTIME


Jim HendrixThe Racquet Club, Columbus, OHHendrix also has successfully cultivated the home-school stu-dent market to help fill his club’s early afternoon court time.Something unique that Hendrix mentioned is that he workswith his club’s database and finds out who among the mem-bers works at home, then he brings those people to the clubduring the slow times.

Mark FaberLaurel Hill Swim & Tennis, Toledo, OHSeveral colleges rent courts from Laurel Hill Swim & Tennis,which helps during the slow parts of the day. Faber also hashad a degree of success with a lunchtime doubles program.Bringing in sandwiches from a local sub shop helps to builda nice relationship with local eateries, too.

John GambucciPleasant Valley Tennis ClubWest Bend, WIGambucci promotes a “floating singles” for women mem-bers. Since scheduling women’s events can be difficult, hetakes the total group, divides them up in parallel abilitiesand has them play a round robin within their group on theirown. The women schedule their own court time, but theclub tells them of available times and thus able to fill timesthat would be difficult to sell. Gambucci also has done thesame format with men’s singles and doubles. And the USTAhas Flex Leagues like this as well. With everyone’s busyschedules, this type of flexibility can be important for a club.

Tom ChorneyCherokee Golf & Tennis, Madison, WICherokee offered nonmembers a 10-week program for $280, with achoice of times weekdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Saturdaysand Sundays after 4:30 p.m. Cherokee has court times for one hour and15 minutes instead of the normal one hour. The players prepaid for the10 weeks of their choice but often wanted the same privileges as mem-bers, and these demands caused some consternation among the staff.But Chorney says the club grossed nearly $13,000 from the program!

A Final ThoughtYou might also try utilizing members who wish to promote their busi-nesses. In this way, tennis facilities can give back to their loyal mem-bers. If you cultivate the right atmosphere at your club, members willattend events that promote fellow members’ businesses. Then, they canpick up some court time afterwards. Personally, I would go to my facil-ity to hear about nutrition, personal training, current trends in travel,etc., and have interaction with tennis friends.

Good club owners pay it forward to their members and therebyensure excellent customer relations. �

Denny Schackter is a retired territory manager for Wilson Racquet Sportswho still does some tennis teaching. He’s an active volunteer for the USTAMidwest Section and a member of the national USTA Tennis on CampusCommittee. He directs his own company, Tennis Priorities (tennispriori-ties.com), to bring young people into the tennis teaching business. He canbe reached at [email protected].

Do you have ideas on how to use “dead court time” at your facili-ty? Send us what has worked or hasn’t worked for you. [email protected], put “dead court time” in the subject line.


While the latest Participation Survey shows a decline in playersover last year, the overall trend is still increasing.

PLAY BYPLAYPLAY BYPLAY

S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

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

The first thing you notice about the 2010 annual Tennis Par-ticipation Survey is a decline in total players and frequentplayers over the previous year.

At the beginning of 2010, the industry was celebrating 30.13million total players, the highest level since the TIA began a Par-ticipation Survey in 1988. But when you look at the chart for thisyear (below), it almost appears that the participation number isnow “correcting” itself. The 2010 figure for overall participationhas slipped to 27.81 million—but that still is the second highesttotal ever and is 1 million more players than in 2008.

And that is the positive news: The overall trend for tennisparticipation still is increasing. From 2003—when the first majorparticipation study was undertaken jointly by the TIA andUSTA—through 2010, overall tennis participation is up 15.7 per-cent (despite the 7.7 percent dip from 2009 to 2010).

Also, the participation rate—that is, the percentage of theoverall U.S. population that plays tennis—is on an overallupward trend since 2003. As the total population is now morethan 292 million, each increase of 1 percent represents an addi-tional 2.92 million players. In the 2010 survey, 9.51 percent ofthe U.S. population plays tennis, up from 8.74 percent in 2003.

In addition, data released in early March from the PhysicalActivity Council (PAC) shows that among traditional participationsports, tennis againtopped the list with ahuge 46% increasefrom 2000 to 2010,making it by far thefastest growing tradi-tional participationsport in the U.S. for thepast decade. The annu-al PAC study examinessports trends and par-ticipation for 117sports.

In the 2010 TIA/USTA Participation Survey, the decline intotal players from 2009 is disappointing. But industry officials

agree that the 10 and Under Tennis initiative being promoted byall sectors of the industry can boost participation numbers, asmore kids start to play the game, and as their parents rediscov-er tennis.

Also expected to contribute to an increase in participation isthe continued awareness of the health benefits that tennis pro-vides all players, regardless of age. In surveys of players, “healthand fitness” continues to be a top reason for playing tennis. Forinstance, Cardio Tennis is experiencing increased growth domes-tically and internationally, says the TIA.

And now, the USTA’s 10 and Under Tennis initiative has part-nered with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiativeto combat childhood obesity and give kids the 60 minutes ofdaily exercise they should have to stay healthy (see page 7).

Frequent Player ConcernsThe number of frequent players in the U.S.—those over age 6playing at least 21 times a year—is flat at best over the last sevenyears, dipping below 5 million for the first time since 2005 andbarely above the 2003 number. In fact, as a percentage of thetotal population, the frequent player participation rate is slightlybelow where it was in 2003.

“This does cause some concern, since frequent players arethe heart of the ten-nis market, spend-ing the most onequipment, lessons,court time andmore,” says TIAPresident Jon Muir.“We have to havemore people playingtennis more often tokeep this industrygrowing the way itshould.”

One big factor that appears to be affecting play, points outKurt Kamperman, the USTA’s chief executive of Community


While the latest Participation Survey shows a decline in playersover last year, the overall trend is still increasing.

Charts courtesy TIA


Tennis, is the severity and length of the currentdown economic cycle, as people put their con-cerns over their basic needs before recreationaltennis play. Another contributing factor mighthave been prolonged bad weather in key tennis-playing regions of the country.

But also, Kamperman adds, “We have to askourselves, are we starting to ‘age out’ in largernumbers? Are we losing players who took uptennis during the first tennis boom in the1970s?”

With frequent players relatively flat since2003, the growth in the sport’s participation hascome from the infrequent (one to three times ayear) and regular (four to 20 times a year) play-ers. Stepping up these groups into the frequentplayer category is a major goal of the TIA and theindustry.

The 10 and Under Tennis initiative is key. “Ifwe look at the best target to create frequent play-ers, it’s the same target that will have the bestlong-term affect on the industry, and that’sunder-10 players,” Kamperman says. “If we canget more kids into the game, not just in lessonsand clinics, but actually playing, it will have thebiggest long-term economic impact for thissport.”

The overall goal, as Muir has stated, is to see“10 million frequent players by 2020. With all ofour industry partners, we can achieve that goal.”

Ball Shipment DataHistorically, ball shipments have tracked withparticipation levels, and the latest data showsthat ball shipments dipped in the last two years,yet the overall trend from 2003 remains up 11percent, vs. up 15.7 percent for players.

The “balls per player” ratio has consistentlybeen around 5, but the low point in 2009 of 4.25confirms that the player increase in that year to30.13 million was among less frequent players,who bought fewer tennis balls, says the TIA.

A TIA Consumer study of more than 2,200frequent players shows a decline in tournamentplay and lessons, while recreational tennis andleague tennis increased. Industry officials agreethat the decline in tournament play and lessonsis “totally economic.” In the case of tourna-ments, for instance, players most likely wouldhave to spend on travel and hotels, whereasleague play generally is local, involving lessexpense.

Like everyone else in this economy, frequentplayers appear to have cut back on their spend-ing. “As an industry, we want these players tocontinue to make tennis their priority,” says TIAExecutive Director Jolyn de Boer. “And this sportoffers many reasons to do that.” �


Teaching pros don’t have all the answers, and ‘sharing’ studentscan bring benefits for everyone.

THE POWER OFCOLLABORATIONTHE POWER OFCOLLABORATION

T E N N I S T E A C H I N G

B Y R O D H E C K E L M A N

Student retention is the result of the teacher’s value to thestudent. Once a student realizes their progress has begun todiminish or has come to a halt, they will either stop taking

lessons or find another instructor.In the course of a person’s school life, they experience as

many as 50 teachers as they move from elementary, middleschool, high school and college. As a result, we are trained as stu-dents to transition from instructor to instructor. It is how we nat-urally progressed through our schooling, so it only seems logicalthat would be true in any other learned skill.

Unfortunately, some tennis teachers fail to recognize this pro-gression and believe that they can continue to advance a stu-dent’s game for an unlimited amount of time. Taking additionalcourses, reading and studying the game will help the instructor,but recognizing that you may have limitations is a valuable under-standing that helps the teacher become more flexible and, inturn, more capable of student retention.

As an example, there are a number of tennis teachers whoexcel in teaching the serve. Other instructors have a great handleon the net game, or doubles. It’s also possible that your lefty stu-dent might find some answers by working with a left-handed ten-nis pro.

The real question is, are you comfortable as an instructorpassing on your students to someone else for additional input?This is especially challenging with tennis pros who develop top-level players. The time invested to produce such a player is exten-sive and often includes a number of volunteered hours. Thesestudents represent both a major amount of time invested and alsorepresent a product of great pride.

For many teachers these accomplished players are a form ofadvertising and help produce additional students. They also con-tribute to elevating the reputation of a tennis pro. Those facts alonecan persuade a teacher to try to keep a student’s loyalty beyondreason. Giving up that investment may require more insight thatmay not be part of a tennis pro’s better business judgment.

Why Share Students?What are the benefits of sharing students? First, as mentioned itactually helps student retention. Instead of the instructor and stu-dent running into an impasse, arrangements are made andunderstandings of common goals are implemented.

Second, in the end, it’s better business. This is especially truefor clubs and organizations. If a student leaves a teacher, theyoften will also leave the club or facility. Moreover, they may findit uncomfortable to return to that facility, not wanting to crosspaths with their former pro.

These are a few of the financial motives involved, but what ofthe psychological reasons? According to sport psychology consul-tant and licensed family therapist Jeff Greenwald (see “EducateYourself More” at right), there are three factors that need to beunderstood to move toward a more collaborative, growth-orient-ed mentality:� Many pros are used to working alone and perceive their job asneeding no additional support.

� Many teaching pros, who have been players themselves, areused to finding answers on their own, so later in life, self-reliance and autonomy are traits they possess.

� Having another pro in the mix can be threatening—we all liketo feel good about what we do and see the results of our work.

From Teacher to TeacherSo how does a tennis pro, tennis director or club take on this chal-lenge of students working with other teachers? There are severaldifferent approaches that tennis programs can develop to make itmore convenient for students to work with different teachers.

If there are several pros working under the same manage-ment, common “command lines” are always helpful. These arecomments teachers use during drills or the feeding of balls thateach pro in the facility uses in common. With this in place, stu-dents sense a common connection and trust. From this start, it


Teaching pros don’t have all the answers, and ‘sharing’ studentscan bring benefits for everyone.


can allow the individuality of each teacher tofoster and provide alternative solutions to stu-dents. Forcing a group of teachers in a facility toall teach exactly the same way is a sure-fire wayto eventually force students to other locations toseek new solutions to their problems.

What also works well is to have teachersspecialize in certain areas. Some teachers willbecome doubles specialist, others are greatworking with service motions, and still othersare great with giving students very physicalworkouts. Whatever it may be, this makes iteasier and practical to have students move fromone teacher to another.

If there is only one teacher at a facility, theymay want to seek out others in their communi-ty who have a history working on certain areasof the game. You would be able to say to yourstudent, “Because you are becoming such astrong net player, maybe you should take a fewlessons from Derek who is a great serve-and-volley player.” Or, “Because you are coming upagainst some big servers, maybe it’s time towork on serve returns with Kathy over at theBeach Club because she has a big serve andcould really challenge you.” Providing thesealternatives shows that you are focused as ateacher in seeing the improvement of your stu-dent.

What if your student returns with news thatthey thought this new instructor was a greatnew source of instruction? If you really careabout your students and the business you arein, this should be good news. Your answer, “I'mso glad to hear that. What did they have to say?I’m very interested.” With that response, youstay part of the team and maintain a positiverelationship with that student. Both your repu-tation and the club you are representing willfare much better in the long run. Not only areyou more likely to retain that student for morelessons, but they are also inclined to recom-mend you to others; it’s a classic win/win sce-nario.

The power of collaboration can be fruitful inso many ways, an example is this very article,which emerged out of a collaborative relation-ship between two professionals in the game. �

Educate Yourself More,Seek Out Others to HelpIf we look at almost every other sport, particularly team sports, this collaborative par-adigm is the norm. No one coach alone is expected to manage every technical, tacti-cal, physical and mental component in an athlete’s development. In tennis, thereseems to be a lingering perception that one pro needs to do it all, although this doesseem to be shifting gradually.

On one hand, I think some pros are simply used to working alone and don’t thinkthey should be outsourcing aspects of their job. In many cases, I think it’s largely a per-ception issue where pros don’t view their job as needing additional support—whetherthat means a strength and conditioning expert, sport psychologist, nutritionist, orsomeone who specializes in the serve or net game. Of course, these components ofthe game are well integrated at most academies around the world.

If you look at the profile of tennis pros, naturally, many have been players them-selves. Psychologically, tennis players are forced to look within themselves to find theanswers to play highly competitive tennis. Other than college tennis, tennis is gener-ally not a team sport and players are used to becoming independent and resourceful.

When we extrapolate this to being a pro later in life it is not surprising that self-reliance and autonomy are traits that many pros possess. In other words, with a morelimited and fixed mindset (I must do it all), outsourcing the serve would be akin tothrowing in the towel and giving up. Of course, this is not accurate for many reasons.

Given that we are in the midst of a technological explosion where cutting-edgeresearch and information is now ubiquitous, I do think many pros are seeing the valuein not only educating themselves more but also seeking out others to help with differ-ent aspects of the game. It is shifting, which is evidenced in the continued interest inthe USTA High Performance program, for example, that provides more in-depth infor-mation on all aspects of the game. And the truth is that specialization is often nowexpected. Parents have become more knowledgeable consumers, albeit impatient aswell. The irony is that when parents and players believe their pro cares enough to sug-gest additional and complementary resources to improve their game, the relationshipstrengthens and a long-term connection is actually more likely.

I believe another psychological factor relates to what I call “ego management.” Weall like to feel good about what we do, believe in our abilities, and see the results of ourhard work. Having another specialist in the mix can be threatening and make themfeel that they are no longer the primary factor in the player’s development. In otherwords, now they have to share a stake of the pride they might have been getting inwatching their player improve.

For pros to admit that they may not have all the answers takes a level of confi-dence, curiosity to learn and an “other” vs. self-orientation. The reality is that good out-comes happen between player and pro and no one person is at fault if the developmentbecomes stalled. Rather than pros thinking, “I have to do this alone because I need tobe perceived as having all the answers,” pros would benefit from a positive reframe:“How can I help my player achieve in all aspects of the game? Who can help me takethis player to the next level?”

While pros ask players to commit to the developmental “process” and focus onlearning over results, it would be fruitful, I think, for more pros to model this “growthmindset” and recognize their strengths and limitations. Putting aside ego, opening one-self up to learning while continuing to emphasize the player’s growth would likely fos-ter a relationship that endures with even better results.

B Y J E F F G R E E N W A L D , M . F . T .

Jeff Greenwald, M.F.T., is a sport psychology consultant and author of “The Best Tennis ofYour Life” and Amazon's best-selling, double-cd audio, “Fearless Tennis.” Greenwald was for-merly ranked No. 1 in the world by the ITF and No. 1 in the U.S in the Men's 35 age division.

Rod Heckelman is the general manager at theMount Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur, Calif. A fre-quent presenter at industry events, Heckelmanwas named the USPTA’s “Manager of the Year” in2010. His “Facility Manager’s Manual” has beenexcerpted in RSI and is now available digitallythrough the Tennis Industry Association atGrowingTennis.com.

D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S

Is court construction coming back? Well, in this economy, it’s still hard to say, and at least inthe Northeast, the amount of money municipalities have to spend due to the harsh winter isexpected to negatively impact funds available for court projects. But when you look at our crop

of outdoor hard-court award winners in the Racquet Sports Industry/American Sports BuildersAssociation 2010 Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards, you get the sense that large munici-pal projects are still out there.

The latest winners, eight in all, are all new construction. Most of the projects are at least sixcourts, and in possibly another sign of the times, five have courts colored blue, similar to thecourts at the US Open and US Open Series tournament sites. Only two of this group used post-tensioned concrete, but many projects had to deal with site difficulties that required “terracing”the courts.

The 10 courts at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas are post-tensioned concrete,sloped to a central walkway between the court batteries. Lights were installed on two courts, butconduits and foundations were put in for the others; to prevent a tripping hazard and avoid rust,the contractor set the foundations for the future lights 6 inches below the top of the concrete,then capped it with concrete grout.

The Brewster Municipal Tennis Court Complex in Massachusetts includes four shorterQuickStart Tennis courts for 10 and Under Tennis. Construction on this heavily wooded site,which has an elevation change of 25 feet, required building significant retaining walls, removingmany large boulders and moving large amounts of earth. The innovative grading plan resulted infull ADA access without unsightly or complicated ramps.

In Novi, Mich., Catholic Central High School’s new courts are nestled into an existing clear-ing among 45 acres of trees, allowing for a beautiful backdrop for tennis. The site is surroundedby wetlands and woodlands, so it required more preparation so as not to impact the buffer zones.The eight courts at Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, Pa., are on a narrow tract of land,so they were arranged in four two-court batteries and terraced with 4- to6-foot-high retaining walls. The school district needed the new facility tobe able to compete in a new scholastic league they had just joined.

Holland Christian Schools in Michigan also needed totier its 12 courts, in three groups of four courts each (thecourts are in six batteries of two courts). Post-tensionedconcrete was used to overcome the heavy clay soil con-ditions. The blue courts at Lynn University in Florida are in two three-court bat-teries. The contractor had major time constraints, as the school insisted thecourts be completed and ready for play at the start of the new year (January2010).

The Packer Park Tennis Center, with 12 courts, is the first tennis facility ofits size in Colquitt County, Ga. The state had record amounts of rainfall duringconstruction, which delayed the project several times as the sub-base needed

time to dry out. At Oregon’s Silverton High School, the athletic director and tennis coaches wereconcerned about windy conditions that come up early in the evenings. To solve that problem, afull-length hitting wall was constructed on the west ends of the courts and halfway across thesouth end, to act as a wind buffer while providing a training area. —Peter Francesconi �

These 8 outdoor hard-court facilities are greatexamples of excellent construction.

For details on the 2011 Outstand-ing Facility-of-the-Year Awards,contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or [email protected],or visit www.sportsbuilders.org.

MUNICIPALMASTERPIECESMUNICIPALMASTERPIECES

Silverton High School Tennis FacilitySilverton, Ore.(Nominated by Atlas Track & Tennis, Tualatin, Ore.)No. of Courts: 4Surface: PlexipaveCourt Equipment: Douglas IndustriesLighting: LSI Courtsider LightingFencing: Atlas Track & Tennis


D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A C I L I T Y - O F - T H E - Y E A R A W A R D S


Bishop Gorman High SchoolLas Vegas, Nev.(Nominated by Renner Sports Surfaces, Denver, Co.)Specialty Contractor: Renner Sports SurfacesNo. of Courts: 10Surface: Renner Sports SurfacesNet Posts, Nets: Douglas IndustriesLights, Posts: LSI Courtsider Lighting

Brewster Municipal Tennis Court ComplexBrewster, Mass.(Nominated by Gale Associates Inc., Weymouth, Mass.)Architect/Engineer: Gale Associates Inc.General Contractor: R.A.D. Sports Inc.Specialty Contractor: Cape and Island Tennis & TrackNo. of Courts: 8 (4 standard, 4 QuickStart)Surface: Plexipave

Catholic Central High SchoolNovi, Mich.(Nominated by Grissim Metz Andriese Associates,

Northville, Mich.)Architect/Engineer: Richard Houdek, Grissim MetzAndriese AssociatesNo. of Courts: 8Surface: Plexipave


Lynn University Tennis FacilityBoca Raton, Fla(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)Specialty Contractor: Fast-Dry CourtsNo. of Courts: 6Surface: Nova SportsWindscreens: Aer-FloNets, Accessories: Fast-Dry CourtsFencing: Fast-Dry Courts

Garnet Valley High SchoolGlen Mills, Pa.(Nominated by ELA Sport, Lititz, Pa.)Architect/Engineer: ELA Sport/ELA Group Inc.General Contractor: Sportsline Inc.No. of Courts: 8Surface: PlexipaveNet Posts: J.A. CisselNets, Accessories: College Pacific


Holland Christian SchoolsHolland, Mich.(Nominated by URS Corp., Grand Rapids, Mich.)Architect/Engineer: URS Corp.Construction Manager: DVK ConstructionNo. of Courts: 12Surface: DecoTurfNets, Posts, Straps: Douglas IndustriesCaulk: NovaSports USA

Packer Park Tennis CenterMoultrie, Ga.(Nominated by Talbot Tennis, Marietta, Ga.)Specialty Contractor: Talbot TennisNo. of Courts: 12Surface: LaykoldFencing: Talbot Tennis

RACQUETS


Tips from a top tennisretailing pro can help findwhat will sell in your shop.BY T I F FANY GRAYSONN

WHAT FRAMESSHOULD YOUSTOCK?

WHAT FRAMESSHOULD YOUSTOCK?If racquets are the root of tennis, having the right rac-

quets in stock is certainly key to a successful tennisretail business. Selecting the right racquet assortment

for your shop can be a daunting task, and it is also amajor buying expense to any retailer or pro shop.

Although you can’t pull out a magic 8-ball and findthe miracle solution to “what sells,” you can follow afew simple guidelines to help you get started. Andyou can also use our Racquet Selection map startingon page 36 to help you find exactly what your cus-tomers need.

1. Know your budgetTake a look at your payment terms with each vendorbefore deciding how many racquets you can afford tostock in your shop.

2. Know your customer baseChoose racquets that coordinate with your cus-tomers. If you are in a country club that focuses ongame improvement, limit the number of heavy, con-trol frames that you purchase. At the same time, youshould offer some variety. Stock and sell racquetsthat will meet your customer’s needs and compli-ment the levels of play.

3. Be realisticregarding your service level

If you are a “one-man show” at your club or a storewith limited labor resources, you may want to con-sider simplifying your racquet selection. If your cus-tomer is often shopping unassisted, a simple tech-nology story is an easier story to tell. Lastly, if youhave a part-time person working in the shop whodoesn’t have the product knowledge to sell higher-priced technology, you may want to adjust yourassortment in the short term while you train yourstaff.

4. Keep your wall simpleKnow the space you have available for merchandis-ing your racquets and related accessories. Too many

brands or too many styles all hooked on the samepeg can be confusing to the customer. Simplify yourbrand and/or style assortment to meet your spacingrequirements.

5. Know your competitionIf your competitor down the road is known for carry-ing a specific brand or racquet, you may need toadjust your assortment. Also note competitor’s pricesand vendor pricing guidelines.

6. Partner with yourvendor representative

Your vendor representative will inform you of buyingprograms to optimize your spend. When you can,take advantage of these plans to increase your mar-gins and add to your assortment. Additionally, yourvendor representative can give you guidance on whatmight work for your shop based on your overallneeds.

7. Train your staffTake the time to train your employees. Your vendorrep will provide you the product knowledge neces-sary to understand the differences in manufacturersand technologies.

Every store or shop is different. Having the courage totake a risk or try something new is part of being a retail-er. Knowing what your boundaries are is part of being asmart retailer.

The game of tennis requires knowledge, skill,patience, and the ability to close out the point at theright time. Good retailers will apply the same logic—and hopefully still come out with a big win. �

Tiffany Grayson is the Division Merchant for PGA TourSuperstore based in Atlanta, Ga. With 11 stores nation-wide, she is responsible for all aspects of the businessrelated to tennis, including buying, merchandising, mar-keting, operations, and grassroots initiatives. Prior toPGA Tour Superstore, Grayson owned and operated herown tennis specialty stores located in the Atlanta area.


1. Power/Control (columns). (formula = lengthindex x headsize x flex x swingweight) ÷ 1000.Length index calculation: 27" = 1.0, 27.5" =1.05; 28" = 1.1, etc.2. Maneuverability (rows). RDC (BabolatRacquet Diagnostic Center) swingweight units.3. Racquet ID. The number in the grid corre-lates to the accompanying racquet list.4. Headsize. Midsize and midplus (≤104 sq.in.) have no indicator.Oversize (105 -117 sq. in.) = •. Superoversize(≥ 118 sq. in.) = :.5. Length. x = extended length. Standardlength (27") racquets have no indicator.6. Flex (RDC). a = < 60; b = 60-64; c = 65-69;d = 70-74; e = > 74. The higher the number,the stiffer the racquet.7. Company. Coded by number and color. Seeaccompanying racquet list on the followingpages.

8. Racquet Quadrants and the Center of theRacquet Universe. The center of the racquet uni-verse is located at the intersection of the two redlines. Approximately half the racquets lie to theright and left, and half above and below theselines. The lines divide the racquet universe into fourcolor-coded quadrants – clockwise from top left:(1) quick power, (2) quick control, (3) stable con-trol, (4) stable power. These characterizations pro-vide a general vocabulary for comparing racquets.9. Racquet Finder List. The racquet list accompa-nying the map identifies all the new racquets andgives additional information. For a complete list ofall current frames on the map, go toRacquetSportsIndustry.com. The map provides spe-cific (very narrow ranges, anyway) swingweight,flex and power statistics, and general size andlength characteristics. The racquet list specifies thelength and size and further specifies weight, bal-ance, and price.

How To Use It1. Ask questions. What are you looking forthat your current racquet does not provide?What do you like most and least about yourcurrent racquet? What are the strengths andweaknesses of your game?2. Locate current racquet on map. If the rac-quet is not in the list, take measurements.3. Locating potential racquets. Dependingon the answers to the above questions,draw an imaginary arrow (a wide or skinnyone) from your present racquet in thedesired direction for power and maneuver-ability.4. Narrowing the field. Shrink the choicesusing the length, headsize, and flex codes tomatch customer preferences.5. Selecting racquet demos. Once the choic-es are narrowed, locate the racquets bynumber in the racquet list.

RACQUET SELECTION MAP KEY

babolat

13 OverDrive 105 105 27.50 282 9.95 35.00 13.78 71 312 2442 $199

14 OverDrive 110 110 27.50 283 9.98 36.00 14.17 69 318 2534 $199

23 Pure Storm Team GT 100 27.00 304 10.72 34.00 13.39 64 317 2029 $179

26 XS 102 (Xtra Sweetpsot) 102 27.00 286 10.09 36.00 14.17 70 322 2299 $119

28 Y 105 (Smart Grip) 105 27.00 281 9.91 34.75 13.68 68 301 2149 $199

29 Y 109 (Smart Grip) 109 27.00 285 10.05 35.95 14.15 68 314 2327 $199

Boris Becker

35 Delta Core London 98 27.00 312 11.01 33.30 13.11 64 311 1951 $160

36 Delta Core Melbourne 98 27.00 339 11.96 32.20 12.68 66 317 2050 $180

New Racquets from April 2010 to March 2011Racquet Headsize Length Weight Weight Balance Balance Flex Swingweight Power Retail

(in2) (in.) (gm) (oz) (cm) (in.) (RDC) kg x cm2 Formula Price

BABOLAT 877-316-9435 • www.babolat.com

Our exclusive Racquet Selection Map enables you tohelp your customers choose the perfect racquet forthem quickly and easily, with the features and per-

formance they want.The map on the following page presents the entire per-

formance racquet universe on one grid that instantly locateseach racquet compared to every other in terms of power, con-trol, and maneuverability. Simply locate the specs of your cus-tomer’s current racquet on the map, then move outward inlarge or small increments in the direction of the customer’s pri-mary preference—relatively more or less power, control ormaneuverability. Once you’ve zoomed into an approximate

location on the grid, you can narrow down the racquet’s feelattributes by choosing from length, size, and flex specs codedinto the racquet number.

Next, look up the racquet(s) by number in the accompany-ing table. Note, though, that the table on these pages lists everynew performance racquet that came out in the last 12 months.If the racquet you find on the grid is not in one of these charts,you’ll find it online at www.racquetsportsindustry.com, wherewe have the complete list of every racquet that is currently onthe market, both the newest and the older models.

Your customer will now have a handful of “choice-cus-tomized” demos. And you’ll have a satisfied customer.

RACQUETSELECTIONMAP


RACQUETSELECTIONMAP

RACQUETS

BORIS BECKER 866-554-7872 • www.borisbecker.com


RSI’s annual Racquet Selection Map was compiled by Jonathan Wolfe and designed by Kristine Thom.


Racquet Headsize Length Weight Weight Balance Balance Flex Swingweight Power Retail(in2) (in.) (gm) (oz) (cm) (in.) (RDC) kg x cm2 Formula Price

Donnay

41 X Black 99 99 27.00 339 11.96 32.70 12.87 61 328 1981 $299

42 X Dark Red 94 94 27.00 330 11.64 32.50 12.80 63 314 1860 $279

43 X Orange 99 99 27.00 316 11.15 33.00 12.99 67 304 2016 $249

44 X Red 94 94 27.00 329 11.61 33.00 12.99 67 327 2059 $279

45 X Red 99 99 27.00 327 11.53 33.00 12.99 67 316 2096 $279

46 X White 99 99 27.00 300 10.58 33.40 13.15 68 292 1966 $249

47 X Yellow 99 99 27.00 304 10.72 33.75 13.29 65 303 1950 $279

Dunlop

49 Biomimetic 200 95 27.00 339 11.96 32.50 12.80 62 330 1944 $210

50 Biomimetic 200 Lite 95 27.00 328 11.57 32.10 12.64 61 312 1808 $199

51 Biomimetic 200 Plus 100 27.00 323 11.39 32.50 12.80 64 316 2022 $210

52 Biomimetic 300 98 27.00 304 10.72 33.25 13.09 65 305 1943 $200

53 Biomimetic 300 Tour 97 27.00 317 11.18 32.90 12.95 65 292 1841 $210

54 Biomimetic 500 100 27.00 287 10.12 34.15 13.44 67 298 1997 $199

55 Biomimetic 500 Tour 100 27.00 315 11.11 33.20 13.07 70 314 2198 $199

56 Biomimetic 500 Tour Plus 110 27.50 263 9.28 36.90 14.53 72 316 2628 $210

57 Biomimetic 600 102 27.00 297 10.48 33.80 13.31 73 312 2323 $200

58 Biomimetic 600 Lite 105 27.25 320 11.29 35.50 13.98 74 321 2557 $190

Gamma

67 CP 800 100 27.00 302 10.65 33.00 12.99 66 292 1927 $160

68 CP 900 100 27.00 329 11.61 33.00 12.99 71 345 2450 $180

69 CP 900 Team 100 27.00 281 9.91 32.50 12.80 67 284 1903 $140

Head

81 Youtek Extreme MP (Black Throat) 100 27.00 311 10.97 33.45 13.17 76 311 2364 $180

83 Youtek Extreme OS 107 27.00 303 10.69 34.10 13.43 72 307 2365 $180

84 Youtek Extreme Pro (Black Throat) 100 27.00 342 12.06 32.95 12.97 77 337 2595 $180

86 Youtek Five Star 107 27.25 280 9.88 37.20 14.65 74 329 2670 $200

87 Youtek Four Star 115 27.25 264 9.31 37.95 14.94 72 325 2758 $210

99 Youtek Seven Star 115 27.30 275 9.70 37.00 14.57 70 327 2711 $210

100 Youtek Six Star 107 27.25 274 9.67 37.00 14.57 71 317 2468 $200

101 Youtek Speed Elite (Black Throat) 100 27.00 292 10.30 34.40 13.54 67 310 2077 $179

103 Youtek Speed Lite (Black Throat) 102 27.00 276 9.74 35.00 13.78 69 292 2055 $199

107 Youtek Speed MP 300 100 27.00 310 10.93 33.50 13.19 59 308 1817 $199

108 Youtek Speed MP 315 (16x19) 100 27.00 328 11.57 32.00 12.60 67 321 2151 $199

109 Youtek Speed MP 315 (18x20) 100 27.00 327 11.53 32.50 12.80 67 310 2077 $199

111 Youtek Three Star (Black Throat) 115 27.75 260 9.17 37.90 14.92 71 315 2765 $200

112 Youtek Three Star (White in Throat) 115 27.75 260 9.17 38.40 15.12 72 322 2866 $200

Origine

113 Origine 103 27.25 302 10.65 32.90 12.95 57 319 1920 $135

Pacific

118 Speed Comp 107 27.00 300 10.58 33.80 13.31 67 297 2129 $150

119 X Feel Pro 90 Vacuum 90 27.00 343 12.10 32.00 12.60 61 328 1801 $240

120 X Feel Pro 95 95 27.00 334 11.78 32.10 12.64 65 311 1920 $279

121 X Feel Tour 100 27.00 311 10.97 33.40 13.15 64 307 1965 $210

123 X Force Comp 105 27.00 310 10.93 33.40 13.15 66 312 2162 $180

Prince

133 EXO3 Blue 110 (Black Throat) 110 27.25 289 10.19 35.00 13.78 70 322 2541 $229

136 EXO3 Hybrid Gold 107 107 27.00 269 9.49 37.40 14.72 67 323 2316 $159

137 EXO3 Hybrid Red 102 102 27.00 267 9.42 35.60 14.02 68 297 2060 $159

141 EXO3 Red 105 (Black Throat) 105 27.25 295 10.41 34.00 13.39 68 310 2269 $229

142 EXO3 Silver 115 115 27.50 270 9.52 36.95 14.55 69 317 2641 $229

143 EXO3 Tour 100 (16x18) 100 27.00 326 11.50 32.50 12.80 59 327 1929 $189

DUNLOP 800-768-4727 • www.dunlopsport.com

GAMMA 800-333-0337 • www.gammasports.com

HEAD 800-289-7366 • www.head.com

PACIFIC 941-795-1789 • www.pacific.com

New Racquets from April 2010 to March 2011 (Cont.)

DONNAY 800-264-0509 • www.donnayusa.com


ORIGINE 514-531-3453 • www.groupe-origine.com

PRINCE 800-2TENNIS • www.princetennis.com

Racquet Headsize Length Weight Weight Balance Balance Flex Swingweight Power Retail(in2) (in.) (gm) (oz) (cm) (in.) (RDC) kg x cm2 Formula Price

144 EXO3 Tour 100 (18x20) 100 27.00 327 11.53 32.10 12.64 55 321 1766 $189

145 EXO3 Tour Lite 100 100 27.00 270 9.52 36.40 14.33 61 312 1903 $149

147 EXO3 White Lite 100 100 27.00 286 10.09 35.00 13.78 65 325 2113 $179

Solinco

154 Pro 10 98 27.00 344 12.13 33.00 12.99 72 353 2491 $179

155 Pro 10 Xtend 98 27.25 343 12.10 33.10 13.03 70 334 2349 $179

156 Pro 7 98 27.00 300 10.58 34.15 13.44 70 307 2106 $179

157 Pro 8 98 27.00 317 11.18 32.70 12.87 69 311 2103 $179

Tecnifibre

159 T Fight 305 VO2 Max 95 27.00 318 11.22 34.00 13.39 73 326 2261 $200

Volkl

173 Organix 10 (295g) 100 27.00 313 11.04 33.00 12.99 64 312 1997 $190

174 Organix 10 (325g) 98 27.00 345 12.17 32.00 12.60 67 323 2121 $190

175 Organix 4 105 27.60 293 10.34 33.50 13.19 66 308 2263 $200

176 Organix 6 100 27.00 291 10.26 33.90 13.35 67 302 2023 $185

177 Organix 8 (300g) 100 27.00 310 10.93 33.20 13.07 69 320 2208 $185

183 Power Bridge 7 107 27.30 303 10.69 34.20 13.46 69 320 2433 $180

184 Power Bridge 8 (315g) 100 27.00 324 11.43 32.50 12.80 71 315 2237 $180

188 V1 Classic 102 27.00 313 11.04 33.50 13.19 68 320 2220 $180

Wilson

200 BLX Blade 98 98 27.00 320 11.29 34.00 13.39 66 336 2173 $220

201 BLX Blade Lite 100 27.00 268 9.45 34.50 13.58 68 305 2074 $210

202 BLX Blade Team 104 27.50 303 10.69 33.00 12.99 55 311 1868 $210

203 BLX Blade Tour 93 27.00 341 12.03 32.50 12.80 69 335 2150 $230

204 BLX Bold 100 27.00 285 10.05 34.50 13.58 52 303 1576 $130

205 BLX Cierzo Two 120 27.90 272 9.59 37.60 14.80 76 335 3330 $300

207 BLX Coral Reef 110 27.25 279 9.84 34.20 13.46 70 301 2376 $180

209 BLX Pro Lite 102 27.00 272 9.59 34.50 13.58 67 294 2009 $190

217 BLX Stratus Three 115 27.50 282 9.95 38.50 15.16 48 349 2023 $280

219 BLX Tempest Four 110 27.25 247 8.71 29.00 11.42 70 319 2518 $210

220 BLX Tidal Force 105 27.25 280 9.88 33.40 13.15 65 288 2015 $180

223 BLX Tour Limited 95 27.50 309 10.90 34.00 13.39 75 333 2491 $230

224 BLX Tour Lite 103 26.75 268 9.45 34.50 13.58 70 283 1989 $190

Yonex

231 Ezone 100 100 27.00 307 10.83 32.50 12.80 69 301 2077 $199

232 Ezone 107 107 27.00 292 10.30 34.00 13.39 69 335 2473 $199

233 Ezone Lite 100 27.00 289 10.19 33.20 13.07 66 289 1907 $199

234 RQiS 30 102 27.00 271 9.56 34.10 13.43 67 279 1907 $99

239 VCon X 18 100 27.00 297 10.48 35.50 13.98 64 311 1990 $209

TECNIFIBRE 877-332-0825 • www.tecnifibre.com

VOLKL 866-554-7872 • www.volkl-tennis.com

WILSON 800-272-6060 • www.wilson.com

YONEX 800-44-YONEX • www.yonexusa.com

SOLINCO 310-922-7775 • www.solincosports.com


The man behind the innovative Wilson/Luxilon Stringing Teamshares what he’s learned in the world of tournament stringing.

PULLINGTOGETHERPULLINGTOGETHERThe man behind the innovative Wilson/Luxilon Stringing Teamshares what he’s learned in the world of tournament stringing.

T H E S T R I N G E R ʼ S F I L E

Television and the internet have profoundly changed the way fans follow tennis. Multiple chan-nels and live video feeds, along with massive amounts of statistics, stream to our TVs, comput-ers and hand-held devices anywhere on the planet. Even so, many parts of professionaltournaments remain hidden from the public, even if you happen to be at the tournament site.

In the next few issues, RSI will take you behind the scenes at the complex art of racquetstringing at the tournament level. Our guide for this journey will be Ron Rocchi, RSI’s 2009Stringer of the Year and the Global Tour Equipment Manager at Wilson Sporting Goods.

In this first installment, Ron will introduce the Wilson/Luxilon Stringing Team and describehow, and why, it developed. In subsequent articles, he will talk about tournament stringingspecifics, introduce some of the highly skilled Stringing Team members, and discuss what hecalls “red flag areas,” including problems and how to solve them. Ron’s, and RSI’s, goal is toshare what he’s learned in a way that will help you improve your stringing business.



Before I started working with the Wilson/Luxilon StringingTeam, it seemed a simple thing: Have some stringers showup at the tournament so they can string racquets for the

players. How difficult could it really be? Over the last few years, myperspective has changed greatly.

The Wilson/Luxilon Stringing Team got its start in 2006 at theTennis Channel Open in Las Vegas. This was a unique event—thesmall draw of top players, casual atmosphere, and circus-like envi-ronment contributed to this special tournament. We knew all theplayers by name, and they felt comfortable in the stringing area,even though there was room for only three stringers. Playerswould chat with the stringers for a few minutes, and then go abouttheir day.

The service we provided was casual, similar to most tennis spe-cialty shops where a friendly relationship exists between the staffand its customers. Despite this relaxed environment, there wasnothing relaxed about the actual stringing, which as always had tobe flawless in both execution and delivery.

We soon found that the key to providing an excellent experi-ence for the players is to identify and understand all the movingparts, and then innovate to provide the best possible service. Top-level, world-class tournament stringing means that when a playerpicks up his racquets, they are exactly the way he wants them.

The Wilson/Luxilon Stringing Team is now the official stringingservice of the Australian Open, US Open and Sony Ericsson Open,as well as some smaller tournaments. At majors, we use 10 to 12stringers, each of whom has completed a rigorous training pro-gram and proven himself during previous qualification rounds.(We’ll talk about specifics of our training methods and stringingtechniques in future articles.)

The biggest difference in our approach to stringing at theseevents is that we’ve formed a true “team,” and that team conceptis part of our identity. Every stringer is working toward the com-mon goal of providing the best player service possible. Everyonecuts strings, helps each other stencil, picks string up off the floor,and takes ownership of what the team is doing.

This is not easy to set up. Racquet stringers by nature tend towork alone, doing things “their way.” The Wilson system is socomprehensive and detailed that every stringer uses the sameknots and duplicates the same techniques, right down to “bagging”completed racquets.

With this team concept, we’ve accomplished some amazingthings, such as stringing 378 racquets in one day—100 percentaccurately and mistake-free. Our team members come fromaround the globe and are some of the best stringers in the worldtoday.

World-class service and innovation starts at the front deskwhere players check in their racquets. No matter how good thestringers, if you do not have a great check-in process, bad thingswill happen. For example, when a player drops off racquets forstringing, he may want different tensions on the mains and cross-es, two racquets at one tension and one racquet at another ten-sion, or one racquet right away and the rest for pick up as close tomatch time as possible. The person who is taking in these racquetsmust get all that information correct and communicate it accu-rately to the stringer—and do this for hundreds of individual rac-quets each day.

Our approach is to minimize the time it takes for players todrop off and pick up racquets, while still getting all the informationwe need. To do this, we created proprietary computer software

B Y R O N R O C C H I

‘HOW HARD CANTHIS BE?’

‘HOW HARD CANTHIS BE?’


and integrated many facets of the operation. We have detailedrecords and a knowledgeable staff, and we encourage players tointeract with the stringers directly. This small yet critical touch isreassuring to players.

Preparing for the Big EventsIn contrast to the small size of the Tennis Channel Open, Wil-son/Luxilon recently complet-ed its third year as the officialstringer for the AustralianOpen. In my opinion, the size,location, infrastructure, costsand timing of the AustralianOpen make it the most diffi-cult tournament for stringingon the ATP/WTA calendar.

This year, the AustralianOpen started on Jan. 17 withthe finals on Jan. 30. Those ofus involved with stringingboarded airplanes on Jan. 2for Melbourne. Qualies startthe week before and we haveplayers practicing on thegrounds as early as Jan. 6.What most fans don’t know isthat a significant number ofplayers fly to Australia in mid-December to acclimate to theconditions and begin prepara-tion for the lead-up events.

We shipped our stringingequipment to Australia inearly December, which meantthat all critical decisions aboutequipment, supplies and inci-dentals had to be made well inadvance. In total, threemonths of work is needed tostring for this two-week tour-nament.

But well before we shipequipment to an event, a con-tract is negotiated betweenWilson and the tournament.In this contract, hundreds ofpoints and issues are clearly defined, right down to the time allot-ted for “on court” racquet stringing. (A racquet is called “on court”if it is being strung for a player who is currently in a match. It isthe highest priority for the stringer. For the Australian Open in2011, the average “on court” racquet was strung in just under 18minutes.)

Customizing the ‘Stringing Hut’One aspect that the tournament must provide is the space theAussies call the “stringing hut.” This is the area where we willstring and live in for almost a month. At the Australian Open, it hasto be built each year, and is removed from the site at the end of

the tournament. We have to monitor the construction to ensure itwill meet our needs. Our list is long and includes: secure lockablearea; air conditioning with temperature control; electrical supplyfor all the computers and stringing machines; internet access;solid, stable floor with individual electrical outlets for machines;plenty of lighting; a roof that does not leak; windows; privateaccess for the players; wheelchair access; manpower to install all

desks and racks for rac-quets; and so on. Typical-ly, the tournament hasplenty of other things to doin setting up an event, somaking certain it spendsenough time correctlycompleting our list, fromhalfway around the world,is no easy task.

At a major such as theAustralian Open, playersdrop off their racquets inwhat seems like tidalwaves, sometimes up to350 per day. We cut outabout 25 miles of stringduring the event, and theninstall another 25 miles ofstring to exacting tensions.Our days start early andfinish late, and the chal-lenge is to string each rac-quet exactly as requestedand on time.

The biggest challengeis to string utterly consis-tently. Even a veteranstringer has to focusintently to pull this off, ashe knows the player willcheck his work. In a typicalbusy day at a major, eachstringer will have 30 ormore racquets to com-plete, on top of findingtime to eat and rest. All ofthe work is performed in acrowded space, and the

pressure builds in a manner that is almost palpable. This type ofenvironment is the pinnacle of tournament stringing, and a rareexperience for even thebest of stringers. And yes,there have been caseswhere stringers were over-whelmed and crumbledunder the pressure. This isnot a pretty sight.

But for the Wilson/Luxilon crew, that’s where the “team”comes in—as we're able to support each other through the rough-est patches.�

Coming up:Specific techniques and procedures theWilson/Luxilon Stringing Team uses atmajor tournaments.


I tried a new set of batteries and stillnothing. Then I realized something: When Iremoved the screws that hold the batterycover to the housing, the inside of cham-fers had been painted along with the coveritself. On a hunch I grabbed my counter-sink and used it to scrape the paint off thecountersunk section, where the undersideof the screws touch the cover when thehousing is attached.On reassembling the scale, it worked

immediately. It’s a mystery how the cur-rent flowed around or through the paint onthe back cover originally, but once I estab-

CALIBRATOR BATTERYGROUNDINGI pulled out my UltraSport 50 handhelddigital scale the other day to calibrate mystringing machine, and it was dead. Ipopped the cover off the back so I couldreplace the batteries. When I did, I noticedthat there was some electrolysis damagebetween the outer battery and the batterycover, against which it grounds, whichseemed to explain why the unit was dead.I dressed the inside of the battery coveron a sanding block and some 400-gritwet-or-dry sandpaper, replaced the batter-ies, and reattached the rear cover.Nothing.At this point, it seemed as though the

corrosion from the battery failure hadspread inside the unit. I went on-line tosee what experiences others were havingwith this device, only to find that manyusers were unhappy with the service theyreceived returning the unit to the factory.

Tips & Techniques

lished a positive grounding path from thebattery to the housing, the unit workedflawlessly.Because the painted contact area

could compromise the ground path evenon a working scale, it’s a good idea toperform this modification before a prob-lem arises.5 sets of Head Sonic Pro 16 to:Greg Peek, Englewood, COEditor’s note: If you don’t have a counter-sink tool, the tip of a sufficiently-large drillbit should do the trick.

STRINGBED SHEARSThe old pruning shears I’d been usingwere shot, so I bought the Black andDecker CordlessPower Scissors afterreading about it inthe July issue. It doeswork great at cuttingout stringbeds, whenit works. It doesn’thandle all strings equally well, and itdoesn’t cut anything if the battery doesn’thave enough of a charge. I needed a newpair of “backup” shears, but finding any-thing except gardening shears with offsethandles is more difficult than it sounds.I found what I was seeking at Harbor

Freight Tools. They had not one but twodifferent pairs of scissors with offset han-dles. The ones in the photo with thegreen handles were dirt cheap ($3), andthe packaging promises they’ll last foreverand I’ll never need another pair. Despitethe apparently flimsy construction, theserrated jaw grabs and cuts the stringwell, and the blunt bottom jaw andrecessed top jaw seem to be great safetyfeatures.The other pair seems to be an odd

hybrid of pruning shear jaws with largelooped grips. Unlike gardening clippers,there is no return spring, so they stayclosed without locking. They’re comfort-able to use, feel substantial, and even sothey cost only $7.5 set of Wilson K-Gut Pro 16 Ted Ruthling, Santa Fe, NM


Readers’ Know-How in Action

STRINGMETER CALIBRATIONThe Stringmeter (stringmeter.com) appearsto be used by almost half of USRSA mem-bers as indicated by the “2002 Member Sur-vey.” The Stringmeter is a good, low-costinstrument that can be used to read tensionquite accurately. As with any testing instru-ment, though, it must be calibrated to beaccurate. A simple calibration can be doneif you use a constant-pull stringing machine.The whole process can be accomplished inless than a minute and is aimed at a specificstring and tension range. The procedure isas follows:a. Select about three feet of the type of

string you are going to be using.b. Clamp the end of the string opposite

the tension head.c. Adjust the tension setting to your ref-

erence tension and pull tension.

d. Move the other string clamp to a dis-tance of about 5 inches from the first clampand clamp the string. Attach the Stringme-ter, and slide the outer ring on the String-meter to read the same value of tension asthe reference tension setting indicated. Notethat as a matter of convenience an unstrungframe is shown to do this calibration, but isnot a requirement.5 sets of Dunlop Comfort Synthetic 16 to:Carl Love, Albany, OREditor’s note: This method assumes thatyour stringing machine is calibrated in sucha way that it pulls at the reference tensionsetting. If it isn’t, you are “calibrating” yourStringmeter to an uncalibrated setting. Also,if you note the “at rest” setting of the String-meter after performing this procedure, youwill be able to check that type of string atthat tension later on, even if you have subse-quently used your Stringmeter on other rac-quets in the meantime. —Greg Raven �


Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 by USRSA members,and appearing in this column, have all been gathered into a sin-gle volume of the Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Service Techniqueswhich is a benefit of USRSA membership. Submit tips to: GregRaven, USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084; or [email protected].


String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 7about as easy 18not quite as easy 9not nearly as easy 1

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 1somewhat better 6about as playable 12not quite as playable 11not nearly as playable 5

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 8somewhat better 13about as durable 12not quite as durable 2not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.2Durability 4.1Power 3.4Control 3.5Comfort 3.1Touch/Feel 3.1Spin Potential 3.3Holding Tension 3.4Resistance to Movement 3.7

Yonex Poly Tour Pro has a monofila-ment core, which is finished with highpolymer polyester. During manufactur-ing, it is stretched under controlledtemperature, making the string moreresilient to tension loss, and increasingdurability and consistency, while main-taining its energy transfer characteris-tic. The soft feel of the string makes itcomfortable to play with, and reducesvibration levels and duration.

Tour players Maria Kirilenko andRichard Berankis use the Poly Tour Pro125. Maria commented, “The Poly TourPro string allows me to trouble my oppo-nent with extreme spin. It helps me playwith great aggression.”

Yonex designed Poly Tour Pro for bighitters with an attacking, aggressive styleof play. This includes players looking fora softer-feeling poly that retains tensionand has added durability, and those look-ing for a spin-friendly string that allowsthem to rip the ball with confidence.

Poly Tour Pro is available in 16 gauge(1.30 mm) and 16L gauge (1.25 mm) inFlash Yellow only. It is priced from $8 forsets of 39 feet, and $100 for 200-meterreels. For more information or to order,contact Yonex at 800-44-YONEX, or visityonexusa.com. Be sure to read the con-clusion for more information about get-ting a free set to try for yourself.

IN THE LABWe tested the 16-gauge (1.30 mm) PolyTour Pro. The coil measured 40 feet. Thediameter measured 1.30-1.33 mm priorto stringing, and 1.26-1.27 mm and mmafter stringing. We recorded a stringbedstiffness of 76 RDC units immediatelyafter stringing at 60 pounds in a WilsonPro 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 9 percent tension loss. Our con-trol string, Prince Synthetic Gut OriginalGold 16, measured 78 RDC units imme-diately after stringing and 71 RDC unitsafter 24 hours, representing a 9 percenttension loss. In lab testing, Prince Syn-

thetic Gut Original has a stiffness of 217and a tension loss of 11.67 pounds, whileYonex Poly Tour Pro 130 has a stiffness of262 and a tension loss of 19.65 pounds.Poly Tour Pro 130 added 16 grams to theweight of our unstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeksby 35 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP rat-ings from 3.5 to 6.0. These are blind tests,with playtesters receiving unmarkedstrings in unmarked packages. Averagenumber of hours playtested was 22.5.

Yonex recommends a 5 to 10%reduction in reference tension comparedto nylon string, which is what we recom-mended to our playtesters.

No playtester broke samples during


stringing, eight reported problems withcoil memory, three reported problemstying knots, and two reported frictionburn.

ON THE COURTThe information Yonex sent us on PolyTour Pro emphasized its durability, andthe packaging has “DURABILITY” in blackcapital letters against a yellow backgroundfor maximum durability. Our playtestteam didn’t have access to any of thisinformation, but still pegged Poly TourPro as a durability string, rating it wellabove average in the Durability category.They also rated Poly Tour Pro well aboveaverage for Resistance to Movement — atraditional strength of poly strings. How-ever, they also rated it well above averagefor Power and Tension Retention, whichare nice attributes for a poly string. Fillingout the categories, the playtest team ratedPoly Tour Pro above average in everyother category, which indicates that it’s amore balanced string than its high durabil-ity rating would seem to indicate. Theresulting overall rating is also well aboveaverage.

CONCLUSIONThe members of our playtest team mustreally have gotten carried away with howgreat Yonex Poly Tour Pro 130 is oncourt, because not one of them evenmentioned the great color. They did men-tion the durability, of course, but they alsomentioned the comfort and feel of thePoly Tour Pro, which we don’t always seein playtests of poly strings.

If you think that Yonex Poly Tour Promight be for you, fill out the coupon toget a free set to try. —Greg Raven �

Yonex Poly Tour Pro 130


FREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAM

Yonex will send a free set of PolyTour Pro 130 to the first 500

USRSA members who cut out (orcopy) this coupon and send it to:

Offer expires 15 April 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: Yonex String Offer330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084

or fax to 760-536-1171, or email the info below to

[email protected]

“ No break-in required. Excellent con-trol. I will recommend this string to mycustomers.” 4.5 male all-court playerusing Head Youtek Radical OS strung at57 pounds LO (Luxilon M2 16)

“ This is a powerful polyester withexcellent control and comfort.” 4.0male baseliner with heavy spin usingWilson nPro strung at 52 pounds LO(Signum Pro Poly Plasma 18)

“ This is a tendon friendly polyesterthat feels closer to a nylon string.”5.0 male all-court player using HeadMicroGEL Extreme Pro strung at 49pounds LO (Prince Poly EXP 16)

“ Good combination of spin andpower. Easy on the arm, wrist, andshoulder.” 5.0 male all-court playerusing Wilson BLX Tour strung at 56pounds LO (Luxilon Alu Power Rough16L)

“ The extra spin gives my opponentfits.” 4.5 male all-court player usingWilson nTour strung at 55 pounds CP(Nylon/Polyester 16/16)

“ Good durability and control. Thefeel is impressive. This is worth stock-ing.” 4.5 male baseliner with moder-ate spin using Head Youtek Radical MPstrung at 56 pounds CP (Isospeed Pro-fessional 17)

“ Lower tensions yield comfort andplayability. Plays a bit boardy at first,but eventually settles in.” 4.5 maleall-court player using Babolat PureDrive Roddick strung at 55 pounds CP(Solinco Tour Bite 18)

“ This string might be playable in ahybrid, but it is too stiff as a full set-up.” 4.0 male using Wilson BLX SixOne Team strung at 54 pounds LO (Wil-son NXT 16)

For the rest of the tester comments, visitwww.racquetsportsindustry.com.

“ The power is on the low side. Non-poly players should consider loweringthe tension.” 4.5 male baseliner withheavy spin using Babolat Aero Storm GTstrung at 52 pounds LO (Babolat N.vy16)

“ Unlike some strings that are toospringy, this string has excellent playa-bility and control at ultra lowtensions.” 4.0 male all-court playerusing Wilson K Pro Tour strung at 32pounds CP (Golden Set Hex Poly 18)

“ This is recommended to polyesterusers in search of heavier spin and bet-ter tension maintenance.” 4.0 malebaseliner with heavy spin using BabolatPure Drive Roddick strung at 57 poundsLO (Luxilon Alu Power Fluoro 17)

TESTERS TALK

Looking back, it’s taken me a good30 years to appreciate just howimportant tennis has been to my

life, and I hope, will be for my kids, too.My story starts in Paris, Tenn., a town ofabout 8,000 people and six tennis courts,fortunately two blocks from the dysfunc-tional home where I grew up.

Dysfunctional? You decide. My fatherhanged himself eight months before Iwas born. That left my mother emotion-ally deflated—flat and unresponsive tolife’s daily duties, toward herself oremployment. I remember when thephone was cut off and when the utilitiesman came to cut off our electricity. A fewyears later, my brother, 10 years mysenior and whom I idolized (he had beencaptain of his high school football teamand class president and my only malerole model), developed schizophreniaand spent the rest of life in and out ofmental hospitals.

Where did all this leave me, a 10-year-old trying to make sense of peoplehe loved leaving him, with no control tostop them? For most days, in front of a20- by 15-foot pale green cinderblockwall with a white line painted 3 feet fromthe bottom and straight across. It wasthere I’d spend hours batting a dead, baldtennis ball with an old metal racquet I gotat a yard sale for 50 cents.

My first lesson from tennis was thatthe rhythmic thud of a tennis ball hittinga wall could be comforting. Therapy real-ly. I could always count on that wall. Iwould eventually learn that I could counton tennis, too.

In time I was able to keep the ball inplay long enough against the wall to getthe attention of older players, sometimesa threesome seeking a fourth. I remem-ber them clearly:

Curtis Jackson, a lean, clean-cut manin his 50s with jet black hair, a clunky butreliable backhand, and a fiery competi-tiveness. Don Huie, built like a linebacker,with a volcano-like temper, from which Ilearned two things: new cuss words andthat the right amount of force mixed withanger could break a racquet. Larry Arnett,a meticulous dresser who drove abanana-colored Cutlass and always hit aslice backhand.

And Charlie Marlow, an easygoing 50-something, well-mannered player whodisplayed a sophisticated etiquette andperspective. He took bad shots in stride.After missing an easy putaway, he’d just

brush it off. He knew a bad shot in tenniswas just that. I knew that early on, too.When I was 17, after a long three-setterunder the lights, Charlie gave me a beer.Acceptance from a man I admired. Yes,tennis was important.

Today, at 48, I’m the father of a 12-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy. As theygrew older I started using tennis, at thetwo public courts near our house, as away to have some fun with them and getsome exercise. But soon I began to thinkabout tennis in a way I never had—as ateaching tool. In fact today, as I'verenewed my love of the sport, I see it asthe perfect way to teach my kids aboutlife.

For me, tennis has become a much-needed tool because I’m basically a fatherwithout a map—I can’t rely on memories

Freelance writer Doug McPherson isan avid 4.5 tennis player in Centen-nial, Colo. He also says he can’t getenough of his kids.


‘Tennis has become away for me to share withmy kids the true valuesthey'll need in life.’

of a dad showing me how to be a dad. So ten-nis has become a way for me to share with mykids the true values they'll need in life. How topersevere (when you're behind, don't quit, tryharder). That becoming good at somethingtakes work (practice and patience make a dif-ference). That bad decisions sometimes havehorrible consequences (be choosy about whento try a drop shot). In life, as in tennis, it’s justyou out there (you’re responsible, make faircalls, work hard and do your best). And anoth-er key lesson: there's always a net on the court(and there's always a net in life; some thingsyou simply have to overcome, but you canhave a damn good time doing it).

I overcame a couple of “nets” as a child andtennis helped. During my teens, I could havetraveled down so many wrong roads, but ten-nis and some great father figures made all thedifference in my life. They never spoke of mytroubles at home, although I'm sure they knew.But they let me in. They made me feel I wasOK. They just showed up and played tenniswith me. I'll never forget them and their kind-ness. And I doubt my kids will ever forget thelessons they’re learning, either.

Who knew a sport so simple could be somagnificent, useful and beautiful? �

We welcome your opinions. Please email com-ments to [email protected].

Your Serve


Tennis Lessons

B Y D O U G M C P H E R S O N

For this father, the sport made all thedifference in his life—a lesson he’spassing on to his children.

Documents

201104 Racquet Sports Industry