Industry News

Information to help you run your business.

Midland, Mich., Named America’s ‘Best Tennis Town’

The town of Midland, Mich., was named the winner of the USTA’s “Best Tennis Town” search, the first-ever initiative designed to identify and reward American communities that best exemplify the passion, excitement, spirit and impact that tennis brings to the local level.

The announcement was made during a special ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open. As America’s “Best Tennis Town,” Midland — which garnered the most votes during the nationwide, online balloting period in July — will receive a $100,000 grant from the USTA to be used for community-wide tennis programming or facility enhancements.

The city of Ojai, Calif., the first runner-up, received a $50,000 community tennis grant for their local tennis programs, and second runner-up Independence, Mo., will receive a $25,000 grant.

“We do our best to exemplify the community spirit that is at the heart of the USTA’s mission,” said Mike Woody, executive director of the Midland Tennis Center, who received the trophy and $100,000 grant check on behalf of Midland.

Midland, with a population of 41,685, beat out a total of 56 cities in the competition. “We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of all of the entrants,” said Kurt Kamperman, the USTA’s chief executive of Community Tennis.

Head USA Appoints New CEO and New President

Head announced that Jeremy Sherwood, Executive Director Global Sales & Marketing, has been appointed as CEO of Head USA, with responsibility for Racquet Sport, Winter Sport and Diving Divisions. He succeeds Dave Haggerty, who has held the position for the past 11 years.

Haggerty will become chairman of Head USA and take on a more limited operational role in order to devote more time toward his volunteer tennis efforts, represent Head on the Tennis Industry Association board of directors, his pursuit of guest lecturing at the university level and spending more time with his family, the company said in a statement released in August. Haggerty is on the TIA’s executive committee and also is a member of the USTA’s board of directors.

Sherwood has been based in the United Kingdom since joining Head in 2001 as the UK Managing Director. In January 2008, Sherwood took over managing Head’s global network of subsidiaries and distributors. In his new role as CEO of Head USA, he will relocate to Phoenix, where he will combine his duties as executive director of Global Sales & Marketing with the day-to-day running of Head’s U.S. operations.

Prior to joining Head, he held positions with Benetton Sportsystems, Wilson Sporting Goods, Adidas and also owned his own sports distribution business in the U.K. Sherwood played professional squash for a number of years in the mid-1970s.

Head also announced the promotion of Kevin Kempin to president of Head/Penn Racquet Sports. Kempin has over 16 years of experience in the Head USA Racquet Division, most recently as VP of Sales and Marketing. He will continue to manage Head USA’s Racquet Sports and assist with Head’s global Racquet Sports efforts. Kempin has been in the racquet sports industry for more than 25 years.

“I’m confident that Jeremy and Kevin will show continued success in their new roles,” said Johan Eliasch, chairman and CEO of Head N.V. “Their dedication will help in the development and growth of the Head and Penn brands in the US.”

ASBA Tech Meeting in Savannah Dec. 5-7

The American Sports Builders Association’s annual Technical Meeting will be Dec. 5 to 7 at the Hyatt Regency in Savannah, Ga. The meeting will include state-of-the-art sessions on advanced technique in sports facility design, construction and materials, as well as other “how to” programs directed at those who want a more hands-on approach.

The agenda includes presentations on keeping overhead and labor costs down, tennis court lighting, clay courts, media and marketing, crossover business opportunities, moisture problems and more. The complete program is at sportsbuilders.org.

There also will be an exhibit hall to showcase the newest products and services, social events to facilitate networking, golf and tennis tournaments, presentations of industry awards, exams for those interested in the ASBA’s professional certification program, and more.

“The Technical Meeting is one of our most popular gatherings, and this year, it’s more valuable and important than ever,” said George Todd, CTCB, chairman of ASBA. “It can be useful to everyone from designers to builders to suppliers.” For more information, contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA (2722) or 410-730-9595, or e-mail info@sportsbuilders.org.

Deco Extends Contract With US Open

DecoTurf and the USTA have extended their 31-year contract, making Deco the official surface of the US Open through December 2014.

DecoTurf’s partnership with the US Open has included the multi-layer cushioned surface that is on all 34 outdoor courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including Arthur Ashe Stadium. DecoTurf also covers the 12 indoor courts in the new 245,000-square-foot USTA Indoor Training Center, which opened in November 2008. The surface is also constructed on courts that host the Olympus US Open Series leading up to the US Open.

“We are thrilled to extend our contract with DecoTurf for six years,” said Jim Curley, Chief Professional Tournaments Officer, USTA. “The US Open and DecoTurf are a natural partnership, providing the most recognized court surface at one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments.”

12 Tennis Facilities Honored By USTA

Twelve tennis facilities were honored recently with 2009 Outstanding Facility Awards, which were presented at the USTA Semi-Annual Meeting held in New York City during the US Open. USTA President Lucy Garvin, along with USTA Technical Committee chairwoman Peggy Beard and awards co-chair Alex Levitsky, presented the honors.

The winning facilities are:

Educational Institutions — Blythe Calfee Tennis Center, Willis, Texas; Cullman-Heyman Indoor Tennis Center, Yale Univ., New Haven, Conn.; Oshkosh North High School, Oshkosh, Wis.; Washington State University Outdoor Tennis Facility, Pullman, Wash.
Private Facility — Courtside Raquet Club, Lebanon, N.J.; Green Spring Racquet Club, Lutherville, Md.; Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Reynolds Plantation Lake Club Tennis Center, Greensboro, Ga.; The Tennis Gardens at Longboat Key Club & Resort, Longboat Key, Fla.
Public Courts, Small Tennis Center (2-10 courts) — Glenview Tennis Club, Glenview, Ill.; Rancho Penasquitos Tennis Center, San Diego, Calif.; Seaview Park Tennis Facility, Palm Beach, Fla.

Recipients were selected based on criteria that includes overall layout and adaptation to the site, ease of maintenance, aesthetics, amenities, and programs supporting the USTA and the growth of tennis overall. To nominate a facility for the 2010 awards, email the USTA Technical Department at facilityawards@usta.com.

Half-Racquet Idea Promotes US Open Sponsor

One of the US Open’s largest sponsors, Mass Mutual, used half a tennis racquet to call attention to one of its insurance programs. The insurance company’s premise is that you can’t live on half a paycheck, and you can’t successfully play tennis with half a racquet.

Visitors to the Mass Mutual booth on the grounds of the Open got the opportunity to hit with the half racquet to try and make contact with balls lobbed to them on a mini-court.

The half racquet itself is the product of Master Racquet Technician Tony Taverna, who owns Perfect Racquet, the largest tennis retailing shop in New England. “It was challenging and exciting coming up with the prototype and stringing for half a racquet,” he says. — Cynthia Sherman

New Ashaway Technology for Badminton Strings

ZyWeaVe technology allows Ashaway to produce a string that is 25 percent lighter than standard 0.70mm badminton strings. The company plans to introduce a new line of strings using the new technology under the brand name ZyMax. For more information, call 800-556-7260, email sales@ashawayusa.com or visit ashawayusa.com.

USTA Reports Record-Setting Open

The USTA says the 2009 US Open was experienced by more fans on-site, on television and online than ever before.

A new all-time attendance record of 721,059 fans topped last year’s record of 720,227.
The first week of the tournament set five separate attendance records including top attended Opening Day session, top single session record, and a record first-week attendance of 423,427.
Unique visitors to USOpen.org, from more than 200 countries, exceeded 13.5 million, a 47% increase over last year’s previous record.
Total visits to USOpen.org topped 63 million, far surpassing last year’s record of 39 million visits.
Total page views increased from 222 million in 2008 to more than 392 million in 2009.
On-Demand Video, which includes match highlights, press conferences and feature programming, was accessed more than 5.6 million times, a 58% increase over last year.
There were nearly 14 million activated live streams on USOpen.org.
More than 2.5 million hours of live streaming were viewed.
157 matches were streamed live.
With three domestic TV broadcasters (CBS, ESPN2, Tennis Channel), total television hours of the US Open were the most in history.

USPTA Announces New National Board

The USPTA installed its new national board of directors in September at the USPTA World Conference on Tennis, held at the Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa on Marco Island, Fla. The new board will serve until September 2011. Officers include a new president, vice presidents and secretary-treasurer.

President: Tom Daglis, director of tennis and fitness operations at the Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, Md.
First Vice President: Randy Mattingley, director of tennis at The Clubs of Kingwood in Kingwood, Texas.
Vice Presidents: Jack Groppel, Ph.D., vice chairman and co-founder of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla.; Mark Fairchilds, director of tennis at Modesto Fitness and Racket Club in Modesto, Calif.; Jim Loehr (new), Ed.D., chairman, CEO and co-founder of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla.; Bunny Bruning (new), tennis director of Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa, and teaching professional at 7 Flags Fitness & Racquet Club in Clive, Iowa.
Secretary-Treasurer: Chuck Gill (new), director of tennis at the Ibis Golf and Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Immediate Past President: Harry Gilbert, director of tennis at Ginn Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla.

The USPTA board manages the association’s affairs between meetings of the larger USPTA Executive Committee, which includes the board, three past national presidents, and elected leaders from each of the USPTA’s 17 domestic divisions. Board members are nominated by a committee composed of Executive Committee members.

Maine’s Greene Named USPTA Pro of the Year

Robert Greene Jr. of Rangeley, Maine, the director of tennis at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, N.H., received the USPTA’s Alex Gordon Award for the Professional of the Year. Greene has been a USPTA Professional 1 for more than 30 years.

Greene is a former USPTA New England Division president and served on the National Executive Committee from 1998 to 2001. He is also currently on the USPTA New England Division Testing Committee. In addition, he has been highly involved with the USTA. He has served as the chair of the USTA Olympic Tennis Committee since 2006. He has also served as president of the USTA New England Section and served on several committees.

USPTA Recognizes Standouts in the Tennis Profession

The USPTA honored outstanding tennis coaches, players, managers and volunteers during its annual national awards ceremony at the World Conference on Tennis.

USPTA Star: Shelly Susman of San Diego and Brian Egelhoff of Mequon, Wis. The award recognizes teaching pros who make an indelible mark on their communities.
USTA/USPTA Community Service Award: Tom Fey of Indian Wells, Calif.
USPTA Industry Excellence Award: Angelo Rossetti of Hamden, Conn., and Ettore Rossetti of Huntington, Conn. The award, sponsored by the TIA and supported by Tennis Tutor ball machines, recognizes business acumen and a charitable attitude.
Lessons for Life Individual Award: David Altshuler of Peabody, Mass.
Tennis Across America Individual Award: Jacques Faulise of North Kingstown, R.I.
Facility Manager of the Year Award: Michael Mahoney of Riverside, Ill., of Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago.

Other honorees are:

Touring Coach of the Year: Adrian Chirici, Roslyn, N.Y.
College Coach of the Year: Billy Chadwick, Oxford, Miss.
High School Coach of the Year: Lawrence Eyre, Fairfield, Iowa
Georgo Bacso Tester of the Year: Glen Howe, Tallahassee, Fla.

The following have been named Player of the Year in their respective divisions:

Cory Ross, Denver, Colo. — Men’s Open
Jeff F. Cohen, Longwood, Fla. — Men’s 35-and-over
Pat Serret, Alexandria, La. — Men’s 45-and-over
Cliff Price, Tulsa, Okla. — Men’s 55-and-over
Marina McCollom, West Des Moines, Iowa — Women’s Open
Robin Keener, Melbourne, Fla. — Women’s 35-and-over
Sheila Chiricosta, Avon Lake, Ohio — Women’s 45-and-over
Laura Thomson, Centennial, Colo. — Women’s 55-and-over

USPTA divisions receiving awards are:

USPTA Texas Division — Large Division of the Year
USPTA Southwest Division — Small Division of the Year
USPTA Southern Division — Newsletter of the Year
USPTA New England Division — Most Improved Division of the Year

USPTA Honors Top Education Participants

The USPTA honored Alan Cutler from Whittier, Calif., as the top credit-earner in USPTA’s Career Development Program. Cutler earned the most continuing education credits — an incredible 172 — in the 2008 program. He is a USPTA Master Pro and the director of tennis for Playtennisforlife.info. He also is a member of the National Advisory staff for Head/Penn.

Other top education participants for 2008 include: Ken DeHart, Doug Eng, Paul Garron, Mark Fairchilds, Jack Foster, Feisal Hassan, Skip Johnson, Stan Oley and Jeff Rothstein.

Education merit awards for 10 years of continuing-education participation went to Mark Faber and John Yandell.

Short Sets

The USTA joined Newark, N.J., Mayor Corey Booker in September to reopen the renovated Jesse Allen Park, which now features tennis courts of three sizes, including full size courts (78’), and permanent 36’ and 60’ QuickStart Tennis courts. Jesse Allen Park becomes the first public park in the country to house permanent tennis courts of all three sizes, and the first park in New Jersey to utilize the QuickStart courts.
Reel Sticks, a self-measuring and self-storing singles stick system, recently launched a National Sponsorship Program designed to put Reel Sticks in top tennis facilities. Facilities will receive Reel Sticks with the sponsor brand free of charge as part of this program. For more information, visit reelsticks.com.
The “Bijou” Tennis Show, performed by Henri Elkins and Fernando Velasco, was invited to perform clinics and several performances during the 2009 China Open Tennis Tournament in Beijing, which was held in October.
TIA National Cardio Tennis Program Manager Michele Krause recently was in Vancouver, Canada, for a video shoot for the reality TV show “Bulging Brides.” Krause ran the bride to be and her bridesmaids through Cardio Tennis, in an effort to get the bride to fit back into her wedding dress.
The USTA’s 2010 Community Tennis Development Workshop will be Jan. 22-24 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego. The workshop is for community tennis leaders, tennis teachers, and many others involved in tennis. For more information, visit usta.com/ctdw.
Campbell Soup Company has extended its agreement as the title sponsor of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships played for the Van Alen Cup through 2012. The event is held in Newport, R.I.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced 10 recipients of the 2009 ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The winners received a weekend in New York City just before the US Open. The 2009 recipients are: Div. 1 — Blake Strode, Univ of Ark., and Dunja Antunovic, DePaul Univ.; Div. 2 — Vincent Nguyen, Univ. of Calif.-San Diego, and Ina Dan, Univ. of Calf.-San Diego; Div. 3 — Dustin Phillips, Univ. of Texas-Tyler, and Karina Pikhart, MIT; NAIA — Jonatan Berhane, Lewis & Clark State, and Sara Allison Winters, Martin Methodist; JuCo — Elliott Clark, Meridian CC, and Kelly Elizabeth Sterling, Meridian CC.
Longtime friends Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King are bringing their annual Advanta WTT Smash Hits charity night of tennis to Louisiana for the first time in the event’s 17-year history. Andy Roddick and other top players will compete on Dec. 8 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.
Arthur Ashe, the first African-American US Open men’s singles champion and one of tennis’ greatest ambassadors, was the 2009 inductee into the US Open Court of Champions. Former President Bill Clinton participated in the tribute to Ashe on Sept. 10.
The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort in Longboat Key, Fla., has suspended hotel operations indefinitely following a dispute between the condominium owner’s association and the resort’s management.
Are kids at your facility spending too much time in front of a computer screen? Try the US Open Tennis Coloring and Activity Book, with realistic images of pro players to color, crossword puzzles, word searches, trivia and more. The 64-page book is $11.95 and available at USOpen.org, amazon.com, and other retailers.
The Ultimate Experience Platform Tennis Instructional DVD is available for sale. The DVD was created by eight-time National Champion Dave Ohlmuller along with his wife Marina, Ray J Murphy and Matt Warner. It can be purchased online at theuedvd.com for $19.95 plus $5.05 for shipping and handling. Or call 847-513-3057 or email dohlmuller@comcast.net.
The USTA and Cincinnati’s Tennis for Charity will finance a $10 million dollar upgrade to the Lindner Family Tennis Center, site of Cincinnati’s Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s. The project calls for the construction of a 52,000 square-feet building to add space for players, media and fans.
The USTA is partnering with T&S Events to host its 2010 Australian Open wild card playoffs during the 2009 Infinite Energy Atlanta Challenge held at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Ga., Dec. 4-7. The event will feature an exhibition match on December 4, with the wild card playoffs commencing the next day. Through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, the two national tennis federations exchange wild cards for the 2010 Australian Open and 2009 US Open.
Tom Fey, director of tennis at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, has been named USTA Recreational Coaches Workshop Trainer of the Year, and the Southern Arizona Tennis Association is the Recreational Coaches Workshop Host Site of the Year award. Both recipients were recognized at the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference during the 2009 US Open.
John Craig of Santa Ana, Calif., is the grand-prize winner of the USPTA’s personal website contest. Craig’s site is at, johnscraig.usptapro.com.
Fetch Clothing is a new line of tenniswear by Christopher Louis, which crosses lifestyle with fitness. Fetch was inspired by the link between dogs and their owners, and their affinity for tennis balls and recreation. Louis created a line of polos and tops, terry tracksuits and mini pleated skirts in a variety of fabrications, colors and styles. Visit Fetchsport.com or call 310-980-4120.

Nine Earn USPTA Master Pro Designation

Nine tennis professionals recently earned recognition as USPTA Master Professionals. Only about 1 percent of USPTA’s more than 15,000 members worldwide have achieved the Master Pro designation.

Members must hold USPTA’s highest certification rating (Professional 1) for more than 10 years before becoming eligible for the Master Professional designation. Then, each must fulfill a broad spectrum of requirements, including making significant achievements in areas such as tennis teaching and coaching, business, education and volunteer work. The new Master Pros are:

Lorenzo Beltrame, Windermere, Fla.
Holly Chomyn, Naples, Fla.
Jim Davies, Nairobi, Kenya
Todd Ellenbecker, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Doug Eng, Medford, Mass.
Skip Johnson, Douglasville, Ga.
Ajay Pant, Overland Park, Kan.
Hans Romer, Yarmouth, Maine
Tommy Wade, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“Becoming a Master Professional requires meeting a variety of personal and professional challenges,” said USPTA CEO Tim Heckler. “Those who accomplish it acquire a set of skills that can set them apart in tennis operations and programming.”

Congratulations to these new certified stringers

New Certified Stringer

Kevin Cornwell, Hilo, HI

New Master Racquet Technicians

Matt Greaves, Toronto CANADA
Robert Whitsitt, Memphis, TN

Peoplewatch

Jodie Adams, director of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board in Missouri, was presented with the 2009 USTA President’s Award in New York during the US Open. The annual award recognizes individuals who have given unusual and extraordinary service to the sport of tennis in the pubic interest. “Jodie has been a major presence in our sport for more than three decades and one of the true driving forces behind the growth of the game,” said USTA President Lucy S. Garvin.
Jack Kramer died Sept. 12 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88. A player, promoter, innovator and TV commentator, Kramer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1968.
World TeamTennis has named tennis industry veteran Bill Mountford as senior vice president. Mountford, who will be based in WTT’s New York City headquarters, will oversee staff in several key areas of operations including marketing, communications, Recreational League and Pro League.
Juan Martin del Potro, with his [K] Six.One 95 racquet, defeated fellow Wilson player and world No. 1 Roger Federer to win the US Open title. Other Wilson players capturing titles at the Open are doubles champs Venus and Serena Willliams, both using [K]Blade Team frames. American Melanie Oudin, who plays with a Wilson [K]Blade Tour, beat three seeded players on her way to the singles quarterfinals.
The day before Serena Williams’ meltdown in the US Open semifinals, the p.r. company for “Success” magazine sent out a promo for its October issue: “Serena Williams takes the court against Kim Clijsters…what’s the secret to her Success? A shining example of someone who charts her own course, Serena achieves her goals her way.” Among her top five secrets to success is No. 2: “Be a good sport.”
Jordan Cox, 17, has a new contract with Babolat that will run through 2013. He currently plays with the Babolat Pure Storm Tour racquet and Babolat VS Natural Gut and Pro Hurricane Tour Hybrid strings.
John L. Thornton, a former player at Harvard University, was named the winner of the 2009 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Achievement Award, hosted by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and presented by Rolex Watch U.S.A. Thornton, who retired as president of Goldman Sachs Group in 2003, has served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., since that time.
Chase Buchanan of New Albany, Ohio, and Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., won the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s National Hard Court Championship singles titles in August and earned wild cards into the men’s and women’s main singles draws of the 2009 US Open. McHale lost in the second round to Maria Sharapova and Buchanan lost in the first round to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Former Olympic silver medalist and NCAA singles champion Tim Mayotte has been hired as a USTA National Coach. He will be based at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and will report to Jay Berger, director of Men’s Tennis, USTA Player Development.
Marina McCollom of West Des Moines, Iowa, won the women’s open division and Cory Ross of Littleton, Colo., claimed the men’s open title of the $30,000 USPTA International Championships, played during the USPTA’s World Conference on Tennis in September.
TennisLife UK has appointed Julian Bidlake as business development director.
Hector Hernandez of Easton, Pa., won the men’s open title and Marina McCollom of West Des Moines, Iowa, captured the women’s open title at the $5,000 USPTA Grass Court Championships in August.

PTR Offers Adidas with Rocky Mountain Sports

The PTR has signed an agreement making Rocky Mountain Sports and its Adidas line the official apparel and shoes of PTR. Members will be able to purchase Adidas clothing with PTR insignia and Adidas shoes for approximately 40 percent off retail prices.

RMS has served the tennis community for more than 30 years and offers a full spectrum of products, including major tennis brands Adidas, Head, Wilson and others.

“Adidas was PTR’s apparel and shoe sponsor in the ‘80s, and we are excited to come full circle and offer this quality product line to our members again,” said Dan Santorum, PTR CEO. “Rocky Mountain Sports has been a solid fixture in the industry and is known for providing impeccable customer service, a trait that PTR values and that is the core of our philosophy.”

Fox Sports Net to Televise Outback Series Matches

Fox Sports Net and InsideOut Sports & Entertainment announced that the network will televise matches on the Outback Champions Series each Thursday night, through December 2009. The Series debuted nationally on Fox Sports Net on Oct. 1, with a match between two-time French and Australian Open champion Jim Courier and 2003 Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis in the semifinals of The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Legends Championships.

The three-month stretch of tournament coverage also includes select replays on weekends. It will feature action from Outback Champions Series events in Newport, R.I., Charlotte, N.C., and Surprise, Ariz. For full television listings, visit ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

Circle C Members Step Up to Help School

When a member of Circle C Tennis Club in Austin, Texas, learned that the Akins High School storage room had been vandalized and students’ tennis rackets were stolen, the club contacted the members asking for donations of used rackets. In less than five days, the club collected more than 40 racquets. Wilson Sporting Goods contributed strings and grips if frames needed to be repaired.

Make Money With Custom Stencils

RacquetArt manufactures and sells stock and custom tennis racquet stencils, so your customers can have their own distinctive stencil on their strings. In addition, the company sells a large selection of colored stencil ink. RacquetArt also can produce your customers’ initials as a stencil.

A special offer for racquet stringing professionals includes two stencils and two bottles of ink for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. Stencils are made from high-quality plastic that won’t wear out and can be used repeatedly. Each ink bottle can stencil up to 10 racquets.

Other offers are available. Visit racquetart.com or email info@racquetart.com.

Hinding Installs Rooftop Court in New York

The New York Sports Club in Brooklyn, N.Y., recently installed Hinding Tennis’ Cushion Extreme surface on the building’s roof. “I couldn’t believe the feel and comfort,” said tennis pro Michael Phillips, who researched court surfaces for the club. For information on Cushion Extreme, contact 203-410-6090 or visit hindingtennis.com.

Babolat Enhances Pure Storm Line, Extends Pure Drive Line

Babolat says its Pure Storm line has been enhanced with GT Technology, which the company says gives frames more responsiveness and power.

GT technology, says Babolat, is a customized performance booster with a hybrid material that combines braided carbon fibers and tungsten filaments, which is integrated throughout the racquet. This strengthens the frame to reduce torque, aiding in precision. Also, adding tungsten provides 10 percent more energy recovery for even more power, according to Babolat.

GT Technology can be found in all new Pure Storm models. Babolat is also launching a new co-polymer polyester monofilament string, called Revenge, for the Pure Storm frame.

Pure Storm Tour and Pure Storm Tour + are for expert players with a full swing and have a 98-sq.-in. head and weigh 11.3 ounces. Suggested retail price is $179.
Pure Storm, for expert players with a medium to full swing is 98 sq. in., 10.4 ounces and retails for $179.
Pure Storm Limited, for expert players with a full swing is 95 sq. in. and 11.3 ounces for $179.

Babolat also has extended the Pure Drive line of racquets with a new Pure Drive Lite and enhanced Pure Drive 107. Both have the new GT Technology with graphit tungsten.

Pure Drive Lite, for expert and advanced players with a medium to full swing, is 100 sq. in. and weighs 9.7 ounces. Suggested retail is $185.
Pure Drive 107, for the advanced player with a medium to full swing, is 107 sq. in., 9.9 ounces and also $185.

Visit babolat.com or call 877-316-9435.

Pure storm Tour

Pure Storm Tour +

Pure Storm

Pure Storm Limited

Pure Drive Lite

Pure Drive 107