August 2010 Volume 38 Number 8 $5.00 www.racquetsportsindustry.com STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Professional Standards The changing landscape of pro tennis, and what it may mean New Stringing Machines for 2010 Community Tennis for Everyone Contents Contents RSI A U G 2 0 1 0 INDUSTRY NEWS FEATURES 7 Donnay racquets are 20 Tour Stringing for Everyone back in U.S. market Whether you aspire to string for top pro players or enjoy servicing your local 7 Jerome Pin to head customers, you can learn from what tour Babolat USA stringers experience. 24 Guide to Stringing Machines 7 Champions to meet in For 2010, eight new machines have come Madison Square Garden onto the market. Use our exclusive guide to see how they compare. 9 John Embree resigns 30 Tennis, Everyone? from Prince Americas Why tennis is important to your community—and how you can acquire 9 USPTA World Conference funding to build new or renovate your set for California existing courts. 32 Visual Aids 9 Lee to host Har-Tru All that time in the sun can damage your seminar in NYC eyes. We take a look at 8 tennis-specific sunglasses that can keep you seeing 9 ALM Sports is U.S. clearly. distributor for Polyfibre 10 Short Sets SPECIAL REPORT: STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 10 ASBA Technical Meeting set for Florida 27 Professional Standards 10 PTR to host Midwest In this first of two articles on pro tennis Coaches Conference in the U.S., we look at the changing landscape of tournament tennis, 11 Vic Braden launches sponsorship challenges and more. ‘Junior Tennis Ambassadors’ 12 PeopleWatch 14 USTA Midwest unveils ‘Play It Forward’ campaign 14 USTA Serves Awards $300,000 Cover photo by Bob Kenas DEPARTMENTS 17 TIA News 4 Our Serve 34 String Playtest: Luxilon Adrenaline 16L 7 Industry News 36 Tips and Techniques 11 Letters 38 Ask the Experts 15 Pioneers in Tennis: Peter Burwash 40 Your Serve, by Chris Oddo 2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY August 2010 www.racquetsportsindustry.com Our Serve Where’s Our Rallying Point? (Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry) Publishers think I missed something… or maybe I didn’t. David Bone Jeff Williams It’s hard to tell. What I think I missed is Nation- Editorial Director al Tennis Month. Peter Francesconi Do you know what month is National Tennis Month? Do your cus- Associate Editor tomers and members? Do tennis players in your community? More Greg Raven importantly, do non-players, kids, or students in your schools? I Design/Art Director If you were wondering, the month of May has, for many years, Kristine Thom been designated National Tennis Month by the USTA. I’ve been in this Contributing Editors industry for a long time, and I have to say, this has been one of the Robin Bateman most consistently under-served and under-utilized initiatives. Talk Cynthia Cantrell about something custom-made for promoting this sport. Joe Dinoffer Think about it—we have a whole month, supposedly designed to Liza Horan Greg Moran promote the sport to everyone. (And did you know this actually coin- Bob Patterson cides with National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, which since Cynthia Sherman 1983 has also been the month of May?) We need to use National Ten- Mary Helen Sprecher nis Month to truly promote this sport and its benefits to everyone in this country in a more cohesive manner. RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY Corporate Offices In putting together the May issue of RSI in late March/early April, 330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084 we contacted the USTA to see what was planned for NTM. They could- Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171 n’t tell us, mostly because plans, it seemed, hadn’t been finalized yet. Email: [email protected] And that’s the problem: Year after year, National Tennis Month seems Website: www.racquetTECH.com Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time to be simply an afterthought. Whether this is true or not, the percep- tion is there’s little pre-planning and virtually no promotion before Advertising Director May. John Hanna This is not just a USTA concern—this is something we all should 770-650-1102, x.125 address. We need to use National Tennis Month and the month of May [email protected] to really promote this sport—to all consumers, outside of the current Apparel Advertising tennis “family”—which means we need to plan the campaign and we Cynthia Sherman need to get the word out before May actually hits. 203-263-5243 NTM, for instance, is the perfect time to hammer home the health [email protected] message of tennis—something this industry as a whole has yet to get Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per its arms around successfully (altho ugh there are initiatives under way year: monthly January through August and com- bined issues in September/October and Novem- to help with the health messaging of tennis). And why not use NTM to ber/December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, 330 take advantage of the “Racket Up, America!” campaign and phrase Main St., Vista, CA 92084. Application to Mail at that the industry promoted a year ago? Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Vista, CA and Bottom line, if we’re going to have a National Tennis Month, we additional mailing offices. August 2010, Volume 38, Number 8 © 2010 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All need to do it right. We all need to support each other and rally behind rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and a solid month of well-publicized programs and promotions designed logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A. to get the word out about TENNIS and get more people playing, and Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circu- playing more often. 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. Peter Francesconi Editorial Director RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA 4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY August 2010 www.racquetsportsindustry.com RSI A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 INDUSTRYINDUSTRY NEWS NEWS INFORMATIONTOHELPYOURUNYOURBUSINESS Sampras, Agassi, Donnay Comes Back Into U.S. With 9 New Racquets Mac, Lendl to Meet onnay is back in the U.S. market. The racquet manufac- in MSG Event turer, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Two of the greatest rivalries in ten- Dannounced it is introducing a line of nine frames for the nis will resume at Madison Square U.S. called the X-Series. Garden when tennis legends Pete “We are excited for the Donnay brand to have a renewed Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEn- presence in the U.S.,” says Neil Morton, a spokesman for Don- roe and Ivan Lendl take to the court nay International. “We are looking forward to the Donnay brand in the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown being played once again at the highest level and used by the scheduled for Monday, Feb. 28, world’s top players.” 2011. Based on patented technology called “XeneCore,” the nine mod- els will be the X-Black 94, X-Black 99, X-Blue 94, X-Dark Red 94, X- Renewing classic rivalries of the Red 94, X-Red 99, X-Orange 99, X-Yellow 99, and X-White 99. 1980s and ‘90s, McEnroe and Lendl Distribution in the U.S. will be handled by Donnay USA Ltd., will compete in a one-set pro match based in New York. Initial distribution will be limited to the exclusive (first player to win eight games), fol- Donnay Centers, online at www.donnay.com, and through teaching lowed by a best-of-three-set match pros. A custom fitting process will be available on the website as well between Sampras and Agassi. The as a demonstration of the customization possibilities of each racquet. four all-time greats have won a “These racquets are geared toward established pla yers looking for the maximum combined 37 Grand Slam singles combination of power, control and technology,” says Roman Prokes, owner of RPNY Tennis titles and 295 ATP Tour events. and technical advisor to Donnay USA. “I have been going to Madison Donnay says the properties of XeneCore create a solid frame that results in the highest Square Garden since I was 8, and I strength to weight ratio in the industry, for better power, control and feel, and allowing for the have played some of my best tennis thinnest beam width on the market at 15mm. there,” McEnroe said. “I am very happy to have the chance to play Babolat Taps Jérôme Pin as Managing Director in U.S. Ivan Lendl again in The World’s abolat has selected Jérôme Pin as the new managing director of Babolat Most Famous Arena.” USA, overseeing the sales, marketing, logistics/supply chain and adminis- “To have the opportunity to play Btrative departments for the company’s operations based in Boulder, Colo. Pete at Madison Square Garden is “I am happy to be joining a strong, dynamic company,” says Pin. “Babolat thrilling,” added Agassi. “Playing in is fortunate to have a cohesive, motivated group of people in place—I will be front of the New York fans has adding my skills and energy to an already winning team.” always been exciting and I’m sure Before joining Babolat, Pin spent 13 years with the French lifestyle and Pete and I will give them something sportswear brand Lacoste, serving as director for Latin America in Brazil and to cheer about.” director for the Americas in Miami.