News

Bordentown, NJ – May 29, 2008 -– Tennis players are continuously faced with equipment choices. When it comes to their feet, the right shoes can lead to better footwork, which leads to more wins. Over the past few seasons, Prince has brought to market some of the sport’s most popular, high-quality footwear and now has more models among the top 15 best-sellers than any other brand*. Now, after months of exhaustive design and validation trials among competitive players, Prince is launching O Series and in the process is taking footwear to a “hole” new level.

O Series builds on the success of the original M Series line by delivering improved Precision Tube technology which rounds the tubes for maximum energy return – providing quicker acceleration and improved footwork. This second generation Precision Tube technology also provides greater shock absorption for a smoother, more stable ride. O Series is available in two versions: the OV1 for a slightly firmer ride while optimizing ventilation and breathability and the OC1 with lighter gauge Precision Tubes for a softer, more cushiony ride.

“Prince continues to succeed in footwear by understanding what tennis players need,” said John Embree, President of Prince Americas. “Today, more players around the world are walking into tennis shops or looking online for Prince footwear. We are excited to introduce O Series as we look to bring the best quality products to players and continue to grow our footwear category.”

O Series saw immediate on court success when Nikolay Davydenko, who is extremely particular about his equipment, decided to lace up a pair of OV1’s for the Sony Ericsson Open after trying many other brands. Davydenko went on to capture the biggest title of his career – making for quite an on-court debut for the new line. More recently, at the start of this year’s French Open, approximately twenty ATP and WTA players took to the red clay of Roland Garros wearing O Series footwear.

Both the OV1 and the OC1, for men and women and the OC1 for juniors are now available in the United States wherever Prince tennis products are sold.

“Players should be careful about what equipment they put on their feet since the right footwear can not only make the on-court experience more enjoyable, but can be the difference between winning and losing,” said George Poulos, Senior Category Manager for Footwear at Prince. “Some players like to “feel the court” more than others. Some like a shoe with more ventilation. O Series provides options for players depending on personal preference. In the end, the shoe needs to fit perfectly, look great and enable players to achieve their best results.”

For more information on O Series, including an interactive feature highlighting O Series’ technologies log onto the award-winning www.princetennis.com.