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Stringer of the Year: Chuck Hakansson

By Bob Patterson

Chuck Hakansson has been stringing and customizing racquets in the Atlanta area for many years. The Master Racquet Technician owns Racquet Sports Services, but he also takes care of all the racquet needs of the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s teams (and also of visiting teams who have come to respect his work). But that’s not all — he has a successful business at the LifeTime Fitness pro shop working with many of the area’s top juniors. Plus, he manages a team of technicians providing stringing to 16 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.

In his spare time, he squeezes in a few pro events working for the Priority One team and running his own teams. In fact, Ron Yu of Priority One refers to Hakansson as the “godfather of stringing” because of his knowledge and experience. And it all makes Hakansson Tennis Industry’s 2013 Stringer of the Year.

“Chuck has always stayed on the cutting edge of what’s going on in the industry,” says Tim Strawn, MRT and TI’s 2007 Stringer of the Year. “He has serviced racquets at all levels. His long dedication to his craft speaks for itself.” — Bob Patterson

Tips For Success

• With a large staff, training is essential. Hakansson and his team all use the same knot and all start each string job the same way for consistency.
• No matter what venue or store Hakansson is in, he strives for total consistency.
• Regardless of the playing level, talk to the client to ascertain their needs and give them the best service possible.

See all articles by Bob Patterson

About the Author

Bob Patterson , the founder of the RacquetMAXX customization service, is a Master Racquet Technician with more than 20 years of experience. He was RSI's Stringer of the Year in 2005. He is Executive Director for the U.S. Racquet Stringers Association.

From the January 2014 issue
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