www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com PARTICIPATION GROWTHIN2020 TENNIS PARTICIPATION INCREASED 22%IN2020

COURTESY USTA T and activitiesintheU.S. Surveys, monitors morethan120sports report, producedby Sports Marketing annual sportsparticipation sport in2019. ThePAC’s those whoreturned tothe a 40percentincreaseover who returned tothesportis the 3.82 millionAmericans players in2019. Additionally, percent increaseover new new tothegame—a44 players, 2.96millionwere Council (PAC). ing todatafromthePhysical Activity Surges in2020,Up44% U.S. Tennis Participation RESEARCH “We are thrilledthatsomany new Of thetotal numberof Industry OVER NEWPLAYERS IN2019 AN INCREASEOF44% NEAR 3MILLION NEW PLAYERS PICKEDUP A RACQUETIN2020 courts last year, accord- people saying theyhitthe 2020, with21.64million increased by 22percentin ennis participation Information tohelpyou runyour business Source: 2020PhysicalActivityCouncil’s Participation (PAC) Report. 4 MILLION PLAYED TENNIS MORE PEOPLE IN 2020THAN2019 trends andsuch significant growth inour vs. 2019. seen nearly40percentgrowth in2020, numbers areatestament tothehard Mike Dowse. “Thesenewparticipation says USTA CEOandExecutive Director challenging yearforsomany people,” sport—especially inwhatwas sucha and existing players camebacktothe “We areexcited toseethesepositive News the entry-level have category reported thatracquet sales in nis Industry Association in participation,theTen- distancing sport.” tennis astheidealsocial- that many peoplerecognize face challenges, it’s evident Even thoughwecontinueto ment ofaunitedindustry. work, passionandcommit- In addition to the increase In additiontotheincrease Of themore than21million 6.78 millionwere newand played tennislastyear, Americans sayingthey returning players. and fun. and fun. have accesstoprogrammingthatissafe ensure newandexisting tennisplayers ers andfacilitiesacrossthecountryto provide resourcestocertified provid- Coach, for both men and women. The Coach, forboth menandwomen. The grand prizewinners for America’s Top place April19toMay2determine the 5 women). to determinetheTop 10fi nalists (5men, Fan voting takes placethrough April11 mid-March, thennarrowed tothetop50. ter. Coaches were nominatedthrough that celebrates TC’s newTopspin newslet- “America’s Top Coaches,” inacontest kids togetintothegame. the USTA, aimedatmakingiteasierfor tion, theo cial youthtennisbrandof include informationaboutNet Genera- Beginning inearlyQ2,thehangtagswill tennis andmassretailers acrosstheU.S. racquets soldby varioussportinggoods, eration” hangtagonover 400,000 youth and massretailers toincludea“Net Gen- collaborated withleadingmanufacturers surrounding participation,theUSTA sport foralifetime.” have thebest experienceplaying the existing andabilities players ofallages quality programmingtoensurenewand forward key industry partnershipsand “We areenergizedtocontinueputting chief executive ofCommunityTennis. sport,” notes CraigMorris, theUSTA’s ‘America’s Top Coach’ Tennis ChannelSeeks Tennis Channelissearching for The final round offanvoting willtake To capitalizeonthemomentum The USTA says itwillcontinueto

April 2021 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY SPORTS RACQUET IndustryNews

7 IndustryNews

Grand Prize winners will be featured on , TENNIS.com, in TENNIS Short Magazine and in the Topspin newsletter, Sets in addition to receiving $500. Other fi nal- ists, and those who nominate coaches, can win prizes as well. In a multi-year deal, Head has become The National Federation of State Visit Tennis.com to fi nd out more about the offi cial ball, racquet and string for High School Associations (NFHS) has the contest, and to sign up for the new the Laver Cup. This year’s edition is partnered with Universal Tennis, a global Topspin newsletter. scheduled to be held at the TD Garden online platform for connecting players, in Boston from Sept. 24 to 26. Head will coaches, clubs and federations to grow USTA to Provide $100,000 work with the Laver Cup team to design the sport. Through the partnership, the in PTM Scholarships a special edition Laver Cup-branded NFHS hopes to use UTR to signifi cantly The USTA will partner with the USPTA and racquet and bag that will be sold in the reduce "stacking" in high school tennis, PTR to grant up to $100,000 in scholarships lead-up to and during the event. a tactic employed by coaches to place to current or incoming college students higher caliber players against lower cali- enrolled in Professional Tennis Management The International Tennis Federation and ber players to create favorable scoring programs, to support students looking to the Hungarian National Sports Agency matchups. pursue careers in the tennis industry. have announced that the Billie Jean King A total of 50 students can receive up to Cup by BNP Paribas Finals, originally US Open champion is $2,000 in scholarship money for tuition, slated to take place April 13-18, will be a strategic investor and ambassador for provided they are enrolled in a PTM program rescheduled to later dates in 2021, due to Quantum Energy Squares, a plant-based during the 2021-22 academic year. Ten COVID-19 restrictions. energy bar. universities and colleges in America have de- signed PTM programs for students who want to learn the coaching and business skills to

8 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2021 www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com IndustryNews

be successful in the tennis industry. Babolat Creates Lab to Study nies will scientifically explore and improve “With 4 million new tennis players ‘Human Racquet Sports Player’ knowledge of players through the applica- in 2020, we have a unique opportunity Two French companies, Babolat, a leader in tion of biomechanics to racquet sports. A to make sure we retain and engage our racquet sports equipment, and HumanFab, racquet sports laboratory will focus on the new players with the best experience sports science expert in human engineer- human factor to advance knowledge so that possible,” says Martin Blackman, general ing, announced a joint collaboration to cre- product innovation will suit players’ needs, manager of USTA Player and Coach De- ate and develop a one-of-kind laboratory helping them discover their potential and velopment. “That means great coaches focused on the study of “the human racquet optimize performance. delivering the sport at every level, and sports player.” The first phase of the collaboration begins PTM programs are a perfect launch pad Merging their expertise, the two compa- this year with the construction of the nearly for our next generation of coaches.” For more information and to apply, visit usta.com/ptm and click on “Schol- arships.” The application deadline is April 24.

Van der Meer to be Inducted into International Tennis HOF

Teaching legend Dennis Van der Meer, former world No. 1 and two-time major champion , and the trailblazing Original 9 of women’s professional tennis will be the recipi- ents of the sport's ultimate honor this year: induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “It’s a pleasure to welcome these tennis greats into the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” says ITHOF President . “Dennis Van der Meer … was a tremendous coach, teacher and real visionary for the future of the sport.” The Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2021 is scheduled to be held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. on Saturday, July 17, 2021. The 2020 ceremony was cancelled due to COVID-19, and there- fore the induction ceremony will also honor Class of 2020 inductees Goran

COURTESY PTR COURTESY Ivanisevic and Conchita Martinez.

www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com April 2021 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 9 IndustryNews

27,000-square-foot Racquet Sports Players PlaySight installed on their campuses, Tennis Racquet Performance Laboratory in Aix en Provence, France, with teams using the live-streaming at Specialty Stores which includes a tennis court. technology to provide a viewing platform for parents, fans and alumni, as well as Jan.-Dec., 2020 vs. 2019 ITA, Playsight Extend Partnership leveraging the system’s analytics and The Intercollegiate Tennis Association performance video capabilities for player Units 2020 588,538 and PlaySight have extended their part- development and coaching. Eight of the 2019 602,680 nership in which PlaySight is an Offi cial 14 ITA Kickoff Weekend events were % change vs. ’19 -2% Live Streaming Partner of the ITA. live-streamed using PlaySight. Dollars 2020 $93,334,000 Close to 100 college tennis pro- For more information, go to playsight. 2019 $101,988,000 grams across all divisions of play have com and wearecollegetennis.com. % change vs. ’19 -8% Price 2020 $158.59 2019 $169.22 % change vs. ’19 -6%

Top-Selling Racquets LOVE LOVE at Specialty Stores Club members and students will LOVE facing By year-to-date dollars, off against the phenom. You will LOVE Jan.-Dec. 2020 offering the added advantage. Best Sellers 1. Wilson Clash 100 2019 (MP) ® 2. Babolat Pure Aero 2019 (MP) follow lobstersports on play more. win more®. 3. Babolat Pure Drive 2018 (MP) For more information, please call 888.380.9460 or visit www.lobstersports.com 4. Wilson Blade 98 16x19 V7’20 (MP) 5. Babolat Pure Drive 2021 (MP)

“Hot New Racquets” (introduced in the past 12 months) 1. Babolat Pure Drive 2021 (MP) 2. Wilson Ultra 100 V3 2020 3. Head Graphene 360+ Speed MP 4. Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13 2021 (MP) 5. Wilson Ultra 108 V3 2020

Top-Selling Tennis Shoes at Specialty Stores By year-to-date dollars, Jan.-Dec. 2020

1. K-Swiss Hypercourt Express 2 2. Nike Zoom Vapor X 2020 3. Asics Gel Resolution 8’20 4. K-Swiss Hypercourt Express 5. Nike Zoom Cage 4 2020

Top-Selling Strings at Specialty Stores By year-to-date units, Jan.-Dec. 2020

1. Babolat RPM Blast 2. Wilson NXT 3. Wilson Sensation 4. Head Velocity 5. Solinco Hyper G

(Source: Tennis Industry Association)

10 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY April 2021 www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com www.tennisindustrymag.com

COURTESY TENNIS CHANNEL Tennis Trevor Kronemann, willbe Scott Lipskyand Director ofJunior with Director ofPlayer Development Development effort. Annacone,along USTA SouthernCaliforniaPlayer coach Paul Annaconehasjoinedthe USTA SoCalTeam Paul AnnaconeJoins Tennis Channelbroadcaster and Stephens andStanWawrinka. , , Sloane doubles, coachedGrand Slamchampions No. 12ATP singlesranking andNo.3in sional tennis. interested inplayingcollege or profes- bine andotherresources forSoCaljuniors offering periodiccamps,acollegecom- 29- May2 • April 22-25 • (Palm Desert,CA)March 17-21 • home orders are lifted.) (More dateswillbeannouncedasstay-at- highly rated tennisdestinationsintheworld. featured atsomeofthemostbeautiful and The four- tofive-day intensivecampsare nounced its2021World Tennis CampSeries. Adult Tennis Camps PBI Announces2021 Peter BurwashInternational(PBI)hasan- CarmelValley Ranch Naples Grande BeachResort JW Marriott Desert SpringsResort &Spa Annacone, whoreached acareer-high April (Carmel, CA)April (Naples, FL) (Naples, FL) popular tenniscampinOjai,Calif., and world No.1ranking. Forest Hillscrown—while gainingthe four Grand Slams—includingasecond in thesport1955, winningthree ofthe first time in1953.Hewas thebestplayer and doubles,winningForest Hillsforthe Feb. 3atage90. CBS broadcast booth,passed away on commentated ontheUSOpenfrom the later served asU.S. Davis Cupcaptainand greatest players inthe1950s,andwho Tony Trabert inFebruary Tennis Loses Champion • Dec. 4 • 5-8 • June 20-25andSept.12-17 • Tony Trabert, oneofAmericantennis’ One &OnlyDesaruCoast(Malaysia)TBA. Park Hyatt Dubai(Dubai,UAE)Nov. 31- Silverado Resort &Spa(Napa,CA)Aug. Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt After retiring asaplayer, hestarteda Trabert owned 10majortitlesinsingles

April 2021 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY SPORTS RACQUET IndustryNews (Going/Tirol, Austria) Austria) (Going/Tirol,

11 12 IndustryNews W part ofamulti-year partnershipwith andis includes selecthardgoods of tennis. Thefirst productcollection love andacceptance aroundthegame color palette, designedtoinspirejoy, cubism, popartandawarm, vibrant Britto’s signaturestyle—inspired by W |Britto Collection,whichfeatures Britto RacquetCollection Wilson IntroducesColorful EQUIPMENT will bethenewtennisdirector atIbis. at Ibisforthepast24years. Jay Berger ton, Fla.Gillhadbeendirector atTheClub the Wellington Tennis CenterinWelling- her timeontheWTA Tour. journey asacompetitive juniorplayer to vs. Osaka women’s fi nal, andAdams’ the impactofcontroversial Williams managing theUSTA andtheUSOpen, provides abehind-the-sceneslookat and SucceedingastheOnlyOne.Thebook Arena: Getting Ahead,MakingaDifference has publishedherfi rst book,Ownthe RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY SPORTS RACQUET Watch People ChuckGillisthenewtennisdirector for Former USTA President KatrinaAdams release of the release ofthe announced the Romero Britto nowned artist ilson andre- April 2021 April 2021 National Boys Tennis CoachoftheYear. of StateHighSchoolAssociations (NFHS) has beennamedtheNationalFederation in Massachusetts forthelast43years, Somerset BerkleyRegional HighSchool contract through 2023. Prakash Amritraj have extended their will helpleadanddevelop thissegment. acrylic SportsCoatingsline,andBenson has beenfocusingonthegrowth ofits Outside SalesRepresentative. Har-Tru head cover. VisitWilson.comfor more. cludes anexclusive Britto-designed The racquet comesstrung andin- more ofaclassic,horizontalswing. power andstability forplayers with Britto Ultra100v3($269) upgrades a Britto-designed headcover. The ($159) pre-strung modelsandinclude Clash 100L($279), andClash26 racquets includetheClash100($299), and accessories. additional products, includingapparel Doug Chapman, head tennis coach at DougChapman,headtenniscoachat Tennis Channelandon-airpersonality RichBensonhasjoinedHar-Tru LLC as The boldlydesignedBritto Clash Sectional Championships. Sectionals andthe119th SoCalJunior ing the2021OpenSectionals,Super naments withinthesection,includ- presence atthemostsignificant tour- Series, Tecnifibre willbeaprominent USTA SoCal CEO MarlaMessing. naments andclubsintheworld,” says by someofthemostprestigious tour- schedule. tournaments ontheSoCalcompetitive ture Series,acollectionofelitemajor the USTA Southern CaliforniaSigna- Island Health&RacquetinNewYork. tor oftennisandsportsmanageratLong New York. Hecurrently servesasdirec- PTR andistheregional director from cian. He’s aLevel IICertified Pro withthe years andisbothaPTRUSTA clini- the tennisindustryformore than25 Directors forItsBoard PTR AnnouncesTwo New from 2001to2011. of theInternationalTennis HallofFame 2004. Trabert alsoserved aspresident presentations untilhisretirement in US Openon-courtchampions’trophy an analyst withCBS. Hewas afixture in two years later, hebeganhiscareer as of SoCal’s Signature Series Tecnifibre isOffi cial Ball year termasVicePresident. Mast wasre-elected toanotherthree- Tito Perez asDirector-at-Large. Delaine terms, are JohnBorden asSecretary and members, whowillservethree-year Meeting inFebruary. Thenewboard zation’s AnnualGeneral Membership of Directors were electedattheorgani- Champions CenterinCollegePark, Md. was general manageroftheJuniorTennis Foundation. PriortojoiningWTEF, he of theWashington Tennis &Education cently promoted topresident andCEO Tecnifibre willbetheOffi cial Ballof Two newmembersofthePTRBoard As theOfficial BalloftheSignature “Tecnifibre ballshave beenchosen Bolivian nativePérez hasworked in Borden, a20-yearPTRpro, wasre-

COURTESY WILSON