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Bordentown, NJ — Prince, global tennis equipment leader and master of the physics and design of tennis weaponry, is proud to officially announce the extended equipment partnership with the current No. 2 ranked woman in the world, and top-ranked Russian player, Vera Zvonareva.

Zvonareva made the switch to her current weapon of choice, the Prince EXO3 Black, early last year and subsequently enjoyed the best year of her career. After picking up the racquet, she went on to reach her first-ever Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon and US Open) and shot up the rankings from No.7 to No. 2 — a career high.

As Zvonareva heads into the semifinals of her third straight Grand Slam quarterfinal this week at the Australian Open, she is well aware that EXO3 technology has played an integral role in her improved play.

“I picked up the EXO3 Black early last year and immediately knew it was something special. Hi-speed video shows that pros frequently hit the ball out of the direct center of the string bed, as do players at other levels. The sport at our level is played at such a fast pace and along the smallest margins and with less reaction time that it is unavoidable,” said Zvonareva. “For me, EXO3 technology allows me to do more with every ball, even those that I hit on the run or at full stretch – and those few shots can often be the difference between winning and losing. I have a lot more wins since picking up this technology.”

What is EXO3 Racquet Technology?

EXO3 is a high-tech, patented racquet design, which utilizes large holes and String Suspension Inserts to deliver a superior, effective hitting area compared to competitor racquets with the same head size. The strings in an EXO3 racquet are completely liberated from restrictive, response-strangling grommets, allowing the strings to respond more freely – even at the outer edges of the string plane for balls hit off-center. This technology delivers a larger, more consistent hitting area – at ANY head size – giving players at all levels the advantage of hitting better shots, more often because even balls hit off center feel and respond more as though they were hit in the center of the string bed.

Today, other top touring pros including John Isner, Marion Bartoli and Shahar Peer join Zvonareva in wielding the EXO3 Black at the game’s highest level. EXO3 technology is not only embraced by top ATP and WTA touring pros, but also by elite, next generation juniors globally. including both 2010 year-end world’s No. 1 ranked juniors Russian Daria Gavrilova and Colombian Juan Sebastian Gomez. Both rely on Prince EXO3 technology with Gavrilova arming herself with the EXO3 Black and Gomez with the EXO3 Rebel. In Europe alone, there are approximately eighty No. 1 ranked juniors in their respective countries and age groups dominating with EXO3 racquet technology.

This year, fans will see players on tour using EXO3 racquets from one of three families: The EXO3 Black, the EXO3 Rebel (Mike and Bob Bryan, Gael Monfils, etc.) and the new EXO3 Tour (David Ferrer, Sam Querrey, Juan Carlos Ferrero, etc.)

Zvonareva continued, “I trust the dedicated engineering team at Prince completely and it inspires confidence on the court to know that there is a team off the court working just as hard to deliver products grounded in scientific research and providing a real, visible competitive edge. To know that nearly every player who has made the switch to this technology has either reached their highest career ranking or won their biggest career title is impressive proof. Prince has my back, and that is a good feeling to have as a player.”

Fans can listen to Zvonareva and other ATP and WTA touring pros such as David Ferrer, Mike & Bob Bryan, Gael Monfils, and Marion Bartoli discuss the benefits of EXO3 racquet technology via a new video from Prince, located at youtube.com/princetennis1

In addition, consumers can learn more about the various EXO3 models within the 2011 performance racquet line by visiting princetennis.com and even use a digital racquet selector to determine the ideal EXO3 racquet for their individual skill level and style of play.

“We are extremely excited to have Vera as an athlete ambassador for the brand and our patented, proven racquet technology,” said Zach Perles, Vice President of Global Communications for Prince. “We will continue to work to provide Vera, and all players, with 360° support and arm them with proven, futuristic and forward-thinking technologies which deliver genuine performance benefits that help them achieve their goals. Vera is a passionate, hard-working and intelligent athlete who sets a strong example for future champions.”

Terms of the partnership were finalized late last year 2010.

About Prince Sports, Inc. Prince Sports, Inc, based in New Jersey, is a leading racquet sports company whose goal is to help every tennis player, at every level, take their game to the next level by engineering products with visible technologies that deliver genuine performance benefits. The Company’s portfolio of brands includes Prince (tennis, squash and badminton), Ektelon (racquetball) and Viking (platform/paddle tennis). The Company has a history of innovation including inventing the first “oversize” and “longbody” racquets, the first “Natural Foot Shape” tennis shoe, the first “synthetic gut” string and the first electronic ball machine. Today, Prince markets leading technologies in racquets (EXO3), string (Beast XP), footwear (LightSpeed Technology) and apparel (Aerotech). It has operations on three continents with distribution in over 100 countries. For more information on players, products or programs please visit princesports.com.