201009 Racquet Sports Industry

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September/October 2010

Volume 38 Number 9 $5.00

www.racquetsportsindustry.com

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Professional ChallengesHow can pro tennis growin the U.S.?

New Apparel: Fit,Function, Fun

Court Construction:D-I-Y or Call the Pros?

New Apparel: Fit,Function, Fun

Court Construction:D-I-Y or Call the Pros?

Professional ChallengesHow can pro tennis growin the U.S.?

SpecialTIA Section:Roadmap for aHealthy Sport

SpecialTIA Section:

Roadmap for aHealthy Sport


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DEPARTMENTS

R S I S E P / O C T 2 0 1 0

INDUSTRY NEWS

7 USPTA announces speakersfor World Conference

7 Prince announcesmanagement changes

7 President Obama visitsQuickStart event

7 Industry loses Warren

Bosworth9 AmEx, USTA start Fresh

Courts program

9 Linda Glassel joins Wilson9 30-court tennis complex

slated for Maryland

10 PTR DevelopmentWeekend in Orlando

11 3 finalists named forBest Tennis Town11 Kansas City wins WTT title12 Seminars announced

for GSS Symposium

14 New court constructionbook available

15 TIA forms facility,retailer panels

4 Our Serve7 Industry News14 Letters

17 TIA Special Section: Roadmap for a Healthy Sport

27 Pioneers in Tennis: Schwartz, Katz, Keighley42 String Playtest: Mantis Comfort Synthetic44 Tips and Techniques46 Ask the Experts

48 Your Serve, by Bill Phillips and Kevin Theos

2 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2010 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

ContentsContents

FEATURES

38 Apparel: Fit, Function, FunUpcoming styles are designed forcomfortable play, on and off the court.

40 Table Tennis Hits an UpswingPing-pong is seeing a resurgence asplayers are rediscovering the game.

SPECIAL REPORT:STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

33 Professional ChallengesIn this second of two articles on protennis in the U.S., we explore howtennis can grow in the crowdedlandscape of American pro sports.

Cover photo by Bob Kenas

COURT CONSTRUCTION& MAINTENANCE

28 D-I-Y or Call the Pros?Looking to save on court maintenanceexpenses? You can do some things your-self, but leave other jobs to the pros.

30 Meeting the ChallengesYour facility may meet the ADAregulations for wheelchair compliance,but is it truly welcoming for players withdisabilities?


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Our Serve

(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)

Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editorial Director

Peter Francesconi

Associate Editor

Greg Raven

Design/Art Director

Kristine Thom

Contributing Editors

Robin Bateman

Cynthia Cantrell

Joe Dinoffer

Liza Horan

Greg Moran

Bob PattersonCynthia Sherman

Mary Helen Sprecher

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY

Corporate Offices

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084

Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.racquetTECH.com

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time

Advertising Director

John Hanna

770-650-1102, x.125

[email protected]

Apparel Advertising

Cynthia Sherman

203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry is published 10 times per

year: monthly January through August and com-

bined issues in September/October and Novem-

ber/December by Tennis Industry and USRSA, 330

Main St., Vista, CA 92084. Application to Mail at

Periodicals Postage Prices is Pendingat Vista, CA and

additional mailing offices. August 2010, Volume 38,

Number 9 2010 by USRSA and Tennis Industry. All

rights reserved. Racquet Sports Industry, RSI and

logo are trademarks of USRSA. Printed in the U.S.A.

Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circu-

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.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2010

RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA


Play It Forward

Twenty-five years ago, I walked into the office of Tennis

Industry magazine. Without any real world experience to

speak of, I decided to apply for a job anyway. The three

men who ran t he magazin e didn t know me, but I knew one

thing: We shared a passion for tennis. Besides, what else did I

have to lose? The worst they could do was kick me out of their

North Miami digs and scream some John McEnroe-style epithets

in my direction.

But Stanley Schwartz, Hardy Katz and Michael Keighley had a different plan in

mind. Instead of sending me packing, which would have been the easy thing to do,

they took a chance on me. Perhaps they appreciated the fact that I was a tennis

enthusiast with energy to spare. Perhaps they just needed cheap labor.

No matter. In that cramped office, where personal space literally meant not

bumping into each other, Schwartz, Katz, and Keighley taught me the business of

tennis, something they were great at, as you might see when you read our Pioneers

in Tennis series this month (page 27). From sales to marketing, editorial to account-

ing, I learned valuable lessonslessons that are still with me today.

Of course, now as co-publisher of Racquet Sports Industry magazine, I look back

at the last 25 years and Im thankful that Schwartz, Katz and Keighley gave me my

first job in tennis. If it wasnt for them, my career could have taken a decidedly dif-

ferent path.

How many other people in the industry have had a similar experience? More

importantly, are we seeing enough young people in the industry these days?

The short answer is no. Attend any industry function and look around. Youll be

hard-pressed to see anyone under 40, and you will be forgiven for thinking that Ben-

gay and Post Bran Flakes were the sponsors of the cocktail hour.Theres a lack of youth in the tennis business, and as an industry, we need to ask

ourselves what were doing to attract new blood, new energy and new ideas. Yes,

there are some forward-thinking initiatives, but there arent enough of them. With-

out a constant influx of young talent, the tennis industry will stagnate and fall behind

competing sports and hobbies.

Can we expect to package and promote compelling online programs and grow-

the-game initiatives without 20- and 30-something employees helping lead the way?

After all, they intuitively understand how kids are consuming media these days, and

whats occupying their time. With so much of the industry focused on trying to hook

kids into the sport, and keep them hooked, doesnt it make sense to tap into the

energy and excitement of people who are closer to receiving their college diplomathan collecting Social Security?

But to do that, we all need to start looking at the job market from a different per-

spective. We must be aware that tennis will not thrive unless we in the business go

out of our way to take a new generation under our wing and help them along.

Stanley, Hardy and Michael, thank you for bringing me in, being my mentors

and showing me the way. Now, all these years later, Im here trying to do you proud.

Jeff Williams

Co-Publisher


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I N D U S T R Y N E W SI N D U S T R Y N E W SI N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

Prince AnnouncesManagement Changes

Prince Sports hasappointed Gordon Bog-gis (left) as chief execu-tive officer. In addition,George Napier is retir-ing as chairman and

CEO, but will stay con-nected to Prince as vice chairman. AndSam Cook joins Prince as general manag-er of its business in the U.S. and Canada.

Boggis joined Prince in October 2009 aspresident and COO. Before Prince, he wasCEO of PaceMaster Fitness, and prior tothat was president of Dunlop SlazengerGroup Americas. Boggis has held a rangeof management positions with multina-tional consumer companies.

Napier led the successful buy-out of Princefrom Benetton and through many signifi-cant phases of the companys recent his-tory. Now is the right time for Gordonand a new team take the company to thenext level, says Napier. We have severalexciting new products and growth initia-tives, either in the pipeline or under way.

Cook joins Prince from Tecnica USA, wherehe was president of the Tecnica/BlizzardDivisions. Previously, Cook grew the Vlkltennis brand in the U.S.

Sam brings to Prince a track record ofsuccess in the tennis industry, broad gen-eral management experience and adynamic style that will be a great advan-tage as we continue to reinvigoratePrinces business, says Boggis.

In addition, Prince named two new non-executive directors. Ron Coburn, chairmanand CEO of Savage Sports, joins theBoard, as does Robert Siegel, former CEOof Lacoste USA and a former executive atStride Rite and Levi Strauss.

R S I S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0

September/October 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 7www.racquetsportsindustry.com

President Obama Visits QST Event at White House

President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to a tennis clinic held at the White

House on Aug. 3, where he spoke with (from left) Sam Querrey, Mike Bryan and Bob

Bryan, and also addressed more than 100 kids from local NJTL chapters. The event,

which featured the

QuickStart Tennis play

format, was part of the

South Lawn Series, a

summer-long series of

events that brings local

children, sports

leagues and communi-

ty programs together

to the South Lawn insupport of First Lady

Michelle Obamas

Lets Move! initiative

to combat childhood

obesity.

USPTA Announces World Conference Speakers

Nick Bollettieri, Rick Macci, John Yandell, Todd Ellenbecker,

Allen Fox, Tom Gorman, Page Love, Martin Baroch and

Mark Kovacs are among the speakers to be featured at the

USPTAs World Conference on Tennis Sept. 27 to Oct. 2 at La Quinta Resort

& Club in La Quinta, Calif. The conference will feature more than 40 sem-

inars and courses, the USPTAs International Tennis Championships, a

tennis-only buying show, silent auction, nighttime parties, awards pres-

entation and more.The USPTA expects about 1,500 attendees, including tennis professionals, industry

leaders and representatives, manufacturers, wholesalers and media. In addition to USPTA

members, the conference is open to nonmember tennis-teaching professionals and ten-

nis enthusiasts.

The International Championships will be held Sept. 27-30; the welcome party will be

Sept. 29; awards breakfast, buying show and silent auction Sept. 30; National Cardio Ten-

nis Feeding Shootout finals Oct. 1; and certification exams Oct. 1-2.

For more info, including a detailed agenda, visit usptaworldconference.com or call

800-877-8248.

Industry Loses Warren Bosworth

Longtime racquet customizing specialist Warren M. Bosworth, 75, died July 9 in Boca

Raton, Fla. Known as a stringer to the stars, Bosworth counted dozens of stars

among his clients, including Ivan Lendl, Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi, Rod

Laver, Arthur Ashe, Venus Williams and Pete Sampras.


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I N D U S T R Y N E W S


New 30-Court Public Tennis Complex to Be Built in Maryland

Howard County, Md., recently approved one of the largest publictennis and sports complexes in the state in years. The Troy HillTennis and Sports Center, to be located in Elkridge, is expected to

be ready to host the WTA's Troy Park Womens Tennis Champi-

onships in late July 2011.

The facility will include 30 indoor and outdoor courts, an indoor

exhibition venue, and an 8,000 seat multi-use stadium. The center isexpected to bring $18 million per year into the county's economy.

"Generally, when the county puts up a park, they might include

two, four or six courts, says Art Tollick, president of the Howard

County Tennis Patrons. This is 30 courts with a stadium. We're

looking at this as a lot more than a tennis complex; it's something

that will be an economic engine for the area."

Baltimore-based Gaudreau Inc. will be the lead architec-

ture/planning/engineering firm, and Riparius Construction of Balti-

more County will be the general contractor. Mary Helen Sprecher

Linda Glassel Joins Wilson

Industry veteran Linda Glassel has joined Wilson Racquet Sports as theglobal marketing director. She was for-

merly the VP of marketing and branding

at Prince.

In this new worldwide role, Linda

will lead our newly integrated consumer

and grassroots marketing team, Wilson

General Manager Jon Muir said. Linda

will now serve as the lead role for all ourU.S. marketing, advertising and grass-

roots elements as well as leading our

global initiatives in these areaswork-

ing with all of our local marketing heads

around the world.

In another move, Cory Springer, the

global business director for perform-

ance racquets, will now take on the

day-to-day management of our recre-

ational rackets category and now serve

as our (consolidated) global Business

Director for Tennis Rackets, Muir said.

Bryans Claim Record62nd Doubles Title

Bob and Mike Bryan established an all-time record byclaiming their 62nd career title at the Farmers Classicon Aug. 1. The win moves them past the Australian team

of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, who won 61

and were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of

Fame in July. The final day of the Farmers Classic was a

good one for the Prince Tour Team, as Sam Querrey upset

top seed Andy Murray to win the title. It was the first time

in the 84-year history of the event that both the singles

and doubles champions repeated their titles.

AmEx, USTA Present Fresh Courts Renovation Program

Long-time USTA partner American Express will present the inaugural FreshCourts program, a philanthropic effort to invest in developing communitiesthrough the renovation of tennis facilities. The 2010 program targets 17 tennis courts

in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and New York.

Work on the courts will be performed or supervised by the USTAs Facility Assis-

tance department. Work is scheduled to begin in September, with the goal of having

all three sites completed by early fall. Annually, the USTA refurbishes nearly 700

courts in approximately 200 communities.

American Express Fresh Courts program will impact thousands of tennis fans

and is a tremendous example of our partners giving back to communities that sup-port tennis, says Lucy S. Garvin, USTA President and Chairman of the Board. With

their support, we can bring our new QuickStart play format to more kids than ever

before.

Our goal with Fresh Courts is to inspire and grow the local passion for tennis,

while reinvesting valuable resources to strengthen the community through sport,

says Jessica Igoe, director of Global Sponsorship Marketing for American Express.

In Los Angeles, the Fresh Courts program targets eight full-sized courts at the

Jackie Tatum Harvard Tennis Courts. Four of the 78-foot courts will feature blended

lines for the QuickStart play format. In Washington, two courts in Columbia

Heights will be refurbished, and will be lined to accommodate QST courts. In New

York, six full-size courts will be refurbished and two 36-foot courts added at McCar-

ren Park in Brooklyn.


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S E P / O C T 2 0 1 0

INDUSTRYNEW

S

> Total prize money for the 2010 US Open willtop $22.6 million, an increase of $1 million over

last years record and the richest purse in tennis

history. In addition, the top three mens and

womens finishers in the Olympus US Open

Series may earn up to an additional $2.6 million

in bonus prize money at the Open, providing a

potential total payout of $25.2 million. Both

the mens and womens US Open singles cham-

pions will earn a record $1.7 million with the

ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus

prize money based on their USOS performances.

> Wilson Racquet Sports recently announceda partnership with Soles4Souls, the internation-

al shoe charity. In July, Wilson partnered with

Los Angeles tennis specialty store The Racket

Doctor to offer consumers the opportunity to

trade in their current tennis shoes from any

brand and purchase new Wilson shoes at half

the retail price. Soles4Souls and Wilson collect-

ed the gently worn tennis footwear or mone-

tary contributions to ship to people in need.

> Longtime tennis director and teaching proKelly Gunterman has released a new book,

Tennis Made Easy. For tennis players of all

levels, the workbook includes tactics, strategies

and more. The book is $19.95, available at

NewChapterMedia.com.

> The city of Granite Shoals, Texas, has given

its approval for the Andy Roddick Foundationto lease 13 acres to build the 18-court, $5 mil-

lion Andy Roddick International Tennis Center.

The Foundation will pay $1 a year to lease the

property. The center will serve underprivileged

youth and those fighting type II diabetes, but it

will also be open to all youngsters, especially

area schoolchildren, who will use the courts for

PE classes.

> The longest match in tennis historythe 11hour, 5 minute Wimbledon marathon that John

Isner won over Nicolas Mahut, 70-68 in the

fifth set, was named the Best Record-SettingPerformance at the ESPY awards in July. Other

ESPY winners included Roger Federer and Sere-

na Williams as the best male and female tennis

players. Kim Clijsters, the 2009 US Open win-

ner, received a special award for best come-

back.

> Pop superstars Jonas Brothers and DemiLovato will appear with the tennis world No. 1

Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters and

Novak Djokovic at the 15th Annual Arthur

Ashe Kids Day on Saturday, Aug. 28, at the

S H O R T S E T SUSTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Cen-

ter in Flushing, N.Y. The show will be host-

ed by Adrienne Bailon and Quddus and

feature special celebrity guests, including

Nick Cannon, and performances from All-

star Weekend and School Gyrls.

> Ratings for the Wimbledon singlesfinals on NBC tumbled to the lowest in at

least 14 years. NBC drew a 1.6 final rating

for both the women's and men's finals,

down significantly from last year. Between

1997 and 2009, no singles final had

drawn less than a 2.0 rating.

> Events held the weekend before thestart of the Farmer Classic in Los Angeles

in late July raised more than $500,000 for

charity. Fans saw a concert by Keith Urban

and the Avett Brothers, then Andre Agas-si played John McEnroe to benefit the

Andre Agassi Foundation.

> CordeValle, A Rosewood Resort in SanMartin, Calif., has opened a new tennis

center, with four cushioned hard courts,

and named Benjy Robins as tennis direc-

tor.

> The Los Angeles Strings are the cham-pions of the inaugural National Bad-

minton League (NBL). National and world

champions from 11 countries competed

on three co-ed teams based in SouthernCalifornia. Plans are under way to add NBL

teams in Las Vegas, Chicago and New

York for the 2011 season. NBL sponsors

include Yonex and Badminton Ware-

house.

> Sports journalist Rick Reilly will moder-ate A Special Evening with Andre Agas-

si on Sept. 2 at New York Citys Town

Hall. The format will be a combination of

interview, real-time talk show, tribute and

roast followed by a question and answer

session with the audience. Tickets are $95

and $150, with VIP packages at $250. Go

to ticketmaster.com.

> The Southern Smashers, representingthe USTA Southern Section, won the WTT

Junior Nationals for the fourth time in the

past six years, defeating Texas TNT 37-35

in Overtime at the George E. Barnes Ten-

nis Center in San Diego, Calif.

> Grand Marnier, the orange liqueur, isan official sponsor of the USTAs Olympus

US Open Series.

PTR DevelopmentWeekend Oct. 7-10 inOrlando

T

he PTRs

Profes-sional Development Weekend

will be Oct. 7-10 (Thursday to Sun-

day) at the Grand Cypress Resort

in Orlando, Fla., and will feature

more than 20 presentations and

specialty courses for tennis teach-

ers. Speakers will include Pat

Etcheberry, Rodney Harmon,

Jorge Andrew, Anne Pankhurst,

Daniel Spatz, Doug Cash, Michele

Krause, Lance Andersen, Mike

Barrell and others.On court and classroom topics

include Fundamentals of Movement

Training, Integrate Technique, Tac-

tics and Strategy into Your Teaching,

Top 20 Drills and Games, Embrac-

ing Social Media and Technology as

a Tennis Pro, The Power of Food,

Marketing Cardio Tennis Kids,

Growing Your Tennis Business, Life

Cycle of a Tennis Court and more.

The event is open to everyone

and costs $379. PTR room rates

start at $129 a night. Visit ptrten-

nis.org for a list of speakers, top-

ics, event schedule and more, and

to register, or call 800-421-6289.

There also will be a shuttle to

the Justine Henin Academy on

Sunday and Monday where

Etcheberry will conduct his

Etcheberry Certification. And also

on Sunday, the Grand Slam

Stringers Symposium begins in

Orlando.

Jean Larson Dies

Jean Larson, the wife of Daily Ten-nis publisher Bob Larson, diedAug 6. She was 75. Bob Larson said

his wife had suffered from ALS

since 2009, and while her condition

had weakened recently, her sudden

decline was unexpected. In addition

to her husband, she is survived by a

son, Cort, and daughter, Cara Ter-

williger.


13/52September/October 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 11www.racquetsportsindustry.com

3 Finalists Named forBest Tennis Town

Atlanta, Charleston, and Richmond,Va., have been selected as the threefinalists in the USTAs second annual

search to determine the winner of the

Best Tennis Town contest, as deter-

mined by nationwide voting. The ulti-

mate winner will be announced during

the 2010 US Open.

In addition to the title, the 2010 con-

test winner will receive a $100,000

grant from the USTA to be used for com-

munity-wide tennis programming and

facility enhancements. The second- and

third-prize winners will receive $50,000

and $25,000, respectively.

The search for the 2010 Best Tennis

Town is the USTAs second nationwide

search to identify the local areafrom

small, rural towns to large, urban metro

areasthat best exemplifies the pas-

sion, excitement, spirit and impact that

tennis brings. The inaugural contest

winner last year was Midland, Mich.

Kansas City Wins WTT Title

The Kansas City Explorers captured its first World TeamTen-nis title with a 21-18 win over the New York Sportimes atthe WTT Finals on July 25 in Kansas City, Mo. The Explorers

Jarka Groth and Kveta Peschke clinched the title with a 5-3 win over the Sportimes

Ashley Harkleroad and Abigail Spears in the final set to give Kansas City its first

Championship win in the teams 18-year history. Groth, who was named WTT Finals

MVP, dominated throughout the evening as she won all three of her sets.

In other WTT news, Lindsay Davenport of the St. Louis Aces and the Springfield

Lasers' Martin Damm were named the 2010 Female and Male MVPs of the 35th sea-

son of the World TeamTennis Pro League.

Also, Bobby Reynolds of the Washington Kastles and Courtney Nagle of the

Philadelphia Freedoms picked up WTT Rookie of the Year honors and Springfield

Lasers coach John-Laffnie "J.L." de Jager was named the WTT Coach of the Year for

the second year in a row.


Free Replacement Bobbin for 2086

Wise USA is making available a free replacement bobbin for its 2086 Profession-

al Tension Head, Series 11. For stringers who received a Diablo with their unit

or who ordered a Diablo as an independent upgrade, contact Wise to receive a new,

non-slip version of the bobbin, which mounts on the unit quickly and easily.

There is no charge for the replacement bobbin or for postage, and the old bob-

bin does not have to be returned. Contact Wise at [email protected] or 888-

836-7466.


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Roger Federer is adding American PaulAnnacone to his coaching team.

World No. 3 racquetballstar Rocky Carson has

signed a long-term con-

tract with Head PennRacquet Sports.

Former US Davis Cup CaptainDennis Ralston had a foot amputated in July,

but is now back at Mission Hills Country Club

in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Mission Hills Tennis

Director Tommy Tucker and Donald Dell are

planning a benefit to honor Ralston.

Ashaway Racket Stringshas signed rising squash

pro Daryl Selby to athree-year sponsorship

agreement. Selby is cur-

rently ranked No. 9 by the

Professional Squash Associa-

tion and plays with Ashaway's new Zyex-

based UltraNick 18.

Martina Navratilova will be recognizedwith the Eugene L. Scott Award by the Inter-

national Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, at

the 30th annual Legends Ball on Sept. 10 in

New York City.

Wimbledon champ Rafael Nadal said hecried like a babyafter Spains win in soc-

cers World Cup. The Spaniard attended the

championship match against the Netherlands

and celebrated with Spanish players in the

locker room.

Top touring racquetball player MitchWilliams has signed a multi-year contract to

continue to endorse Wilsons line of racquet-

ball products. Williams has been with Wilson

for the past three years and climbed to No. 7

in the International Racquetball Tour rankings.

Donald Becker is the new tennis director atCaneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort on St. John

USVI which has 11 courts. Caneel Bays tennis

program has been under the direction of

Peter Burwash International for more than 30

years.

Wilson Ad Staff badminton player Holvy dePauw, who recently renewed a multi-year

contract with the company, won both the

mens doubles and mixed doubles at the

2010 Wilson Boston Open. He won the

mens doubles with partner Quang-Minh

Nguyen and the mixed doubles with partner

Yun Peng.

The International Tennis Hall of Fames BillTalbert Junior Sportsmanship Awards were

presented in July to Shaun Chaudhuri of

Pleasanton, Calif., Neil Karandikar of Belle

Meade, N.J., Marc Powers of Stamford,

Conn., and Caroline Price of Duluth, Ga.

Maria Sharapova contributed $250,000recently to a United Nations Development

Program to provide sports and other physical

activities for youth in the area affected by the

1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Sharapova,a UN Goodwill Ambassador, also set up a

charitable foundation to help fund a number

of UNDP youth-focused projects. She also

funds a scholarship program for students in

the contaminated areas.

Peter Burwash, president of Peter BurwashInternational, was inducted into the Northern

California Tennis Hall of Fame in July in a cer-

emony at the Bank of the West Classic. Also

inducted were Jean Harris, who at age 92 is

still competing in USTA tournaments; MargieCampbell, owner of Spare Time Clubs; and

Marty Davis, a UC Berkeley All-American, ATP

player and coach.

Bob Duesler, Virginia Glass, Charleen Hille-brand, Joan Johnson, Ed Kauder, Mel Lewis,

Dorothy Matthiessen, Jim Nelson, Ben Press

and Suella Steel were inducted into the

Southern California Tennis Associations Sen-

ior Hall of Fame in a ceremony held during

Julys Farmers Classic in Los Angeles.

Bjorn Fratangelo of Pittsburgh and CarolinePrice of Duluth, Ga., captured the USTA Boys

and Girls 18s National Clay Court Champi-

onships singles titles in July at the Delray

Beach Tennis Center in Delray Beach, Fla.,

and the Racquet Club of Memphis (Tenn.),

respectively.

Pablo Giacopelli, the former personal coachof pro Shahar Peer, is joining iTUSA as man-

aging partner for worldwide business devel-

opment.

12 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2010 www.racquetsportsindustry.com

IN

DUSTRYNEW

S

S E P / O C T 2 0 1 0

P E O P L E W A T C H

Seminars Announced for2010 GSS Symposium

In response to attendee feedback, twonew sessions have beenadded to the Fourth Annual

Grand Slam Stringers Sym-

posium, which will be held

in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 9-13.

What weve found is

that attendees really want

to spend more time with seminar leaders,

working on various stringing machines, as

opposed to additional time in the class-

room, say symposium director Tim

Strawn. The 2010 symposium will add

open stringing sessions that run all day, so

attendees have the option of attending

classroom instruction or spending time on

a machine with peers and industry reps.

The secon d n ew se ssion is an

advanced patterns and techniques class

offered by Ron Rocchi of Wilson Sports

and former tour stringer Grant Morgan.

The class, designed to expose each person

to new and more advanced stringing tech-

niques, will have a 3-to-1 student-teacher

ratio. Each participant will be working on

a Wilson Baiardo machine.

The GSS Symposium kicks off with a

meet & greet, followed by three days of

seminars. It will conclude with USRSA cer-

tification testing. For more information

and a list of seminars go to grandslam-

stringers.com or you call 540-772-4418.

7 Inducted Into Hall of FameThe International Tennis Hall of Fame'snewest members (from left): Natasha Zvere-va, Gigi Fernandez, Brad Parks, Mark Wood-forde, Todd Woodbridge and OwenDavidson. The Class of 2010 also includes

Derek Hardwick, who was inducted posthu-mously. The induction ceremony, held in July,is available for viewing on tennisfame.com.

Photo credit: Cindy Cantrell





Top-Selling Tennis Stringsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,

January-June 2010

1. Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex

2. Wilson NXT

3. Wilson Sensation

4. Luxilon Alu Power

5. Prince Lightning XX

Top-Selling Racquetsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,

January-June 2010(average selling price)

Best-Sellers

1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)

2. Babolat Pure Drive GT (MP)

3. Wilson BLX Six.One 95 16 x 18 (MS)

4. Prince EXO3 Black (MP)

5. Babolat Aero Pro Drive+ GT (MP)

Hot New Racquets

(Introduced in the past 12 months)

1. Babolat Aero Pro Drive GT (MP)

2. Wilson BLX Six.One 95 16 x 18 (MS)

3. Prince EXO3 Black (MP)

4. Babolat Aero Pro Drive+ GT (MP)

5. Wilson BLX Six.One Tour (MS)

Tennis Racquet PerformanceSpecialty Stores,

January-June, 2010 vs. 2009

Units 2010 320,274

2009 302,462

% chg vs. 09 6%

Dollars 2010 45,248,000

2009 41,718,000% chg vs. 09 8%

Price 2010 $141.28

2009 $137.93

% chg vs. 09 2%

Top-Selling Tennis Shoesat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-June 2010(average selling price)

1. Adidas Barricade V

2. Prince T22

3. Nike Court Ballistec 2.3

4. Nike Air Breathe Free II

5. Adidas Barricade II

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)



IN

DUSTRYNEW

S

S E P / O C T 2 0 1 0

Letters

As the general manager of the Family Circle Cup held in the spring, Iread with great interest Richard Pagliaros article in the August issueregarding professional tennis and its effect on community tennis. We

are not part of the US Open Series but I can say that professional tennishas a dramatic effect on community tennis in Charleston, S.C. When wemoved the Family Circle Cup to Charleston 10 years ago, we can com-pare the number of players joining leagues and USTA teams in 2010.We can definitely make a correlation between the arrival of the Cup inCharleston and strong growth in tennis participation numbers.

I also believe its vitally important to have a year-round presence.We are not here only to run the pro tournament, but we are an impor-tant part of the community fabric. I think that can get lost when a tour-nament doesnt have that year-round presence and can extend theexperience.

This year we had a great occurrence with a young girl who at age 7,

in our first year in Charleston, was a ball girl and gave Jennifer Capriatiher bouquet of flowers after her victory. Ten years later that sameyoung girl came back to the Family Circle Cup as a player in our qualiesand played great. She has since shot up the WTA Tour rankings to num-ber 382 in the world. That may not have happened without profession-al tennis.

I would love to see a comparison of the number of professional ten-nis tournaments in the U.S., both men and women, comparing 1990 to2010. I hate to say it, but we are the only womens professional clay-court tournament left in the U.S.

Bob Moran, General ManagerFamily Circle Cup/Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island

Pro Tennis Helps Grow Community Tennis

We welcome your letters and comments. Please limit letters to 300 words maximum. Email them to [email protected] or fax them to 760-536-1171.

I saw the article by 17-year-old Kalindi Dinoffer in the Julyissue of RSI (Your Serve)

and thought it was excellent!I wish more junior tennisplayers come to that realiza-tion before they get injuredor start looking for a collegefor academics and tennis.

My daughter Kristin wasinjured early last summer andonly missed a few months,however it helped her focuson what a college would dofor her versus what she could

do for a college. She found acollege that fit her academi-cally and still allow her tocompete at a high level intennis. Pomona College is aperfect fit for Kristin (its a lit-tle far from home for hermom though).

Good luck, Kalindi, in yourrecovery and future collegeendeavors.

Chaz Brikmanis

What CollegeCan Do for You

New Court ConstructionBook Now Available

The sixth edition of "Tennis Courts:A Construction and MaintenanceManual" has just been released and is

available for anyone interested in

building, maintaining or learningmore about all types of tennis courts.

The manual is a cooperative venture

between the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA)

and the USTA.

The book includes user-friendly technical information on

all aspects of tennis courts, including design, budgeting and

planning, site requirements, drainage, surface selection,

construction, maintenance, repair, amenities and acces-

sories, indoor tennis and more. New this year is information

on 36-foot and 60-foot tennis courts.

Copies of the new edition are available for $44.95 each

and can be ordered by contacting 866-501-ASBA (2722) orvisiting sportsbuilders.org. Mary Helen Sprecher

Community Surface TV ShowTo Document Court Renovation

Tennis Channel will chronicle the renovation of Centennial Ten-nis Center in Nashville, Tenn., on its new program, Communi-ty Surface, which will air Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The half-hour

Community Surface built by SportMaster will take viewers

behind the scenes as Tennis Channel, court-resurfacing company andpresenting sponsor SportMaster, and the USTA renovate the public

tennis facility that was badly damaged in Nashvilles May floods.

During the storms, 36 inches of rain destroyed many of the 19

courts at Centennial Tennis Center which, due to insufficient

repair funds, has left them unplayable and closed so far this sum-

mer. Following a week of repairs in August, members of the

Nashville tennis community will be able to enjoy these courts

again for the first time since the spring catastrophe. Upon its com-

pletion the Centennial Tennis Center will feature eight new 36-

foot tennis courts in addition to the 13 existing regulation courts.

The floods caused so much damage throughout the area that

we had no idea how we were ever going to get these courts backinto playing condition, said Blain Smith, manager of the tennis

center.




Congratulations To the FollowingFor Achieving MRT & CS Status

New MRTs

Brandon Luu Vancouver, BC, CanadaMartin Picard Northbay, ON,, CanadaHanh Nguyen Sunnyvale, CAPhilip Xiao Chino Hills, CAStephen Brandi Rye Brook, NYGreg Stoffer Rye Brook, NY

New CSs

Troy Rayder San Diego, CARobert Thomas Winter Springs, FLErica Ling San Diego, CAJason Duran San Diego, CAJulio Flores San Diego, CA

CERTIFIED

STRINGER

U S R S A

TIA Forms Facility,Retailer Panels

The TIA has created a FacilityPanel and a Retailer Panel, tohelp identify current needs, issues

and concerns of both the tennis

facility and tennis retail businesses.Both panels will help keep us bet-

ter in touch with what facilities and

retailers need to grow their busi-

nesses, says TIA Executive Direc-

tor Jolyn de Boer.

The Facility Panel will be made

up of tennis facility own-

ers/operators or directors of tennis.

At this time the Facility Panel con-

sists of Mike Mahoney, Mike Woody

and Rod Heckelman, with more to

be added at a later date. The Retail-er Panel will have owners/operators

or managers of tennis retail busi-

nesses. Currently, Bruce Levine,

Brad Blume, David Schwartz and

Todd Goldman have been named.

Both panels are expected to advise

on how best to keep facilities or

retailers more engaged with indus-

try initiatives and the resources

offered through the TIA. Also, both

will help the TIA formulate effective

messaging that reaches facilitymanagers/directors and tennis

retailers.


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TIA MISSION: To Promote the Growthand Economic Vitality of Tennis

A

Defining Our Pathway

Jolyn de BoerTIA Executive Director

[email protected] x222


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Frequent Player Growth

% % %

More Tennis Players,

Playing More TennisF

% % %


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%

%

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Industry Economic Index Economic Growth

%

%

%

%

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Research Overview

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Tennis Benefits for Life

Communications & Positioning

TTIA Tennis Forum &

TI Hall of Fame


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What Is the TIA?


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Pioneers In Tennis

September/October 2010 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 27www.racquetsportsindustry.com

acquets were being made of

wood and Billie Jean King was

still a year away from playing

Bobby Riggs when three guys named

Stanley Schwartz, Hardy Katz and

Michael Keighley had an a-ha

moment that would shape the indus-

try: Tennis was big business, but it

didn't have its own business maga-

zine.

Their concept was a

business-to-business pub-lication that would con-

nect manufacturers,

clubs, teaching pros,

retailers, pro shops,

stringers and others, and

provide them with infor-

mation about industry

developments.

The three friends'

backgrounds couldn't

have been more dissimi-

lar, says Keighley. "Stan-

ley was working for Golf

and Esquire magazines,

Hardy was a successful

accountant and I was a teaching pro

working at the local country club in

Miami." (In fact, the three men met

because Keighley gave their wives

tennis lessons.)

Tennis Industry magazine debuted

in 1972. "Michael was the editor and

he dealt with the retailers," says

Schwartz. "Hardy did the operations

and I did the marketing."

But a second a-ha moment was

in store. From their immersion in the

b-to-b of tennis came the realization

that the sport, which was, in Katz's

words, "like a family" in its close

sense of community, had no one-stop

shop where manufacturers could con-

nect with buyers such as retailers and

sporting goods stores. The three men

looked to another successful show of

the time, the PGA's golf show, as a

R

"Pioneers in Tennis," an occasional column in RSI, draws attention to trailblazers in the sport. Have someone to suggest?

E-mail [email protected].

'Super' Men: Stanley Schwartz,Hardy Katz, Michael Keighley

business model. Tennis Industry's Nation-

al Tennis Buying Show made its debut in

1974, at the Doral Country Club in

Miami. The show was unlike anything the

industry had ever seen, and it gained sup-

port quickly, bringing together all aspects

of the industry for a common purpose.

"To me, it was one of the glues of the

industry," says Jim Baugh, former presi-

dent of Wilson Sporting Goods and now a

private industry consultant. "All the

brands were there on equal footing;

unfortunately, it's not quite the same

today."

In part, the show succeeded because

it was a product of its time. "It was a

growing industry, a young industry, and

it also had a lot of small mom-and-pop

manufacturing companies. There weren't

that many big companies," says Keighley.

By the mid-1980s, with the show was

firmly rooted in the industry's conscious-

ness, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers

Association approached the trio with a

proposal. Since the late 1950s, SGMA had

sponsored its own convention to show-

case new merchandise. SGMA wanted the

three men to sell the rights to the tennis

show in exchange for a 24-year manage-

ment contract. Schwartz, Keighley and

Katz agreed, and in 1986, the tennis

show became part of the aptly named

annual event, The Super Show. At its peak

in the mid-1990s, The Super Show was

the country's best-attended sports and fit-

ness marketing event, drawing upwards of

90,000 visitors.

The three men spent nearly two

decades working with The Super Show,

but eventually, they say, their interests

diverged from those of SGMA, which

released them from their

management contract.The men have been

busy in the interim. After

having scored with Tennis

Industry and the show,

they (in Schwartz's words)

"wanted to see whether

we knew what we were

doing or were just lucky,

so we started up some

other magazines."

Eventually, the three

moved on from Tennis

Industry, which merged

with RacquetTech and

became Racquet Sports

Industry magazine. Citing declining atten-

dance caused in part by the rise of other

shows and the explosion of e-commerce,

the SGMA discontinued The Super Show

after 2006.

These days, Keighley is retired from

the industry, but Schwartz and Katz are

still in the game, putting on the annual

Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show with

their company, Communications and

Show Management Inc. And all three stay

in touch, and talk about the old days and

the new developments.

They agree that the sport needs new

heroes, young blood. "Not old fogeys like

us," adds Keighley. "We've been out of it

for a bit. But " he pauses and sounds

thoughtful, "if anyone were to ask us to

give an old-timers' perspective, we might

have a suggestion or two."

Mary Helen Sprecher Q

From left: Stanley Schwartz, Hardy Katz, Michael Keighley



C O U R T C O N S T R U C T I O N A N D M A I N T E N A N C E

Looking to save on court maintenance expenses? You can do some

things yourself, but other jobs are best left to the professionals.B Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R

I

f youre working on your budget (and who isnt?) and if youre

trying for cost-efficiency (and again, who isnt?), you might belooking at your tennis-court maintenance expenses. Youre

probably thinking, I wonder if we could bring that number down

a little. How much of that can we do ourselves?

Its a valid question. In tough economic times, park directors,

club managers and facility owners are all thinking ahead. Every-

one is cognizant of the bottom line, and of what they can do to

help keep a lid on spiraling costs. So what can you doand what

can't you do?

DO IT YOURSELFThe good news is there are many things that can help make ten-

nis courts last longer and therefore, to delay the need for profes-

sional maintenance. Be proactive about regular maintenance, say

tennis court builders. Keeping the to do list checked off on a reg-

ular basis can keep small problems from becoming big (and big-

ticket) repair jobs. A daily walk-through will help court managers

address problems immediately.

Hard CourtsKeep hard courts clean, says David Baird of Industrial Surface

Sealer in Cleveland. Power wash algae and mildew in the spring

and keep off leaves, pine needles, etc., in the fall. Because such

materials can stain the surface over time, builders recommend

using a leaf blower to remove all debris, whether that means litter

left behind by players and spectators, or pollen, leaves and other

natural materials. Putting welcome mats and shoe cleaners near

the entrances to the court can help keep abrasive materials frombeing tracked onto the court and save wear on the surface.

If there are stains on the court, try removing them with the

gentlest means possiblewarm water and a soft brush. If that

doesnt work, call your tennis court contractor and ask for rec-

ommendations. Different problems require different treatments;

for example, a stain made by sap might necessitate a different

treatment from scuff marks left by the player who disregarded the

sign requiring that court shoes be worn during play. The type of

surface, the coating and other factors also will dictate cleaning

regimens.

Another important tip, says Baird, is to keep the drains clean.

Open up drain tile clean-outs and look in the pipes during a rain

if the water is not running toward an outlet and is backing up in

the clean-out. Jet out the lines. Plugged-up drains can cause major

damage to the courts. Also clean debris out of French drains if the

courts are so equipped.

Other naturally-occurring problems might include tree roots

that raise the pavement, according to Alex Levitsky of Global

Sports & Tennis Design Group LLC in Fair Haven, N.J. If there are

nearby trees, keep roots trimmed back so that they do not find

their way under the courts.

Soft CourtsClay or fast-dry courts can be kept in good condition with regular

sweeping, watering and rolling to preserve the integrity of the sur-

D-I-Y OR CALLTHE PROS?D-I-Y OR CALLTHE PROS?

Looking to save on court maintenance expenses? You can do some

things yourself, but other jobs are best left to the professionals.



face. Remember that regular maintenance will ensure a surface

that has uniform bounce and slide, and that excess loose material

tends to gather under the net, on the perimeter and in corners.

Keep these areas free of buildup.

Keep an eye on the playing lines on fast-dry courts, says Levit-

sky, and secure any that may begin to pop up. In addition, he

notes, insufficient maintenance of surrounding landscaping may

allow grass or weeds to migrate to soft courts.

Some facilities have begun hanging signs asking players to dragthe courts after they finish playing, and even to sweep the lines.

Having two jobs means that two players can get the court finished

without feeling like one is doing all the work. Delegating the easy

tasks to players allows the pro to

attend to lessons and more compli-

cated duties, and keeps the courts

playing well.

All Kinds of CourtsIn addition, say the pros, keep the

nets in shape. Look for frays, holes

or rips, and make sure there are nochips or rust spots in the posts.

Posts can be repainted with a rust-

proof paint, as long as the net is

removed and the court surface near-

by is protected from drips and spat-

ters. In addition, cranks and

winding mechanisms should be

kept in good repair.

Levitsky also advises managers

to keep an eye on the fences sur-

rounding courts, and to look for var-

ious problems. Leaving windscreenstied to fences during storms with

gusty winds, for example, can over-

stress the fences and cause posts to

bend and fabric to bulge.

Some fixes are low-tech, but can

make a profound difference. If

courts are surrounded by grass or

mulch that comes to the edge of the

fence, make sure there is a clear

path so that water can drain follow-

ing a heavy rain. One court I recently looked at, right after a rain,

the water was backed up on the low side because the grass must

have been 3 inches above the court surface, says Richard Zaino

of Zaino Tennis Courts in Orange, Calif. There was terrible

drainage and the surface was damaged due to the standing water.

Any irrigation watering was adding to the problem.

Keep a log of any problems you see. Many problems can be

fixed by the manager or his or her maintenance team. For exam-

ple, gates that are dragging across the surface of the court can be

adjusted.

DON T TRY THIS YOURSELFSometimes, the problems may require professional intervention,

and in cases like this, it doesnt pay to cheap out. Builders advise

owners to call in the professionals to take care of specific items,

since having a professional correct a failed do-it-yourself job may

actually cost more money in the long run.

Hard CourtsA small crack, depression or raised area in a hard court may be

something simpleor it may be the symptom of a deeper, or even

structural, problem. And while there are kits that can be purchased

to help make various fixes, particularly to cracks, many tennis

court contractors advise owners to call in a professional to make adefinitive diagnosis before taking action.

Dont try to save money by putting on your own surfacing. It's

a specialized skill, and a job done by someone who is not used to

working with the materials will

look bad and play worse. Same

with the playing linesdon't try

to touch them up yourself. A spe-

cialty contractor has the correct

paint, the right tools and the

expertise to make it look sharp.

An amateur's job can ruin the

court's appearance, necessitatinga resurfacing job and the applica-

tion of new lines (which costs

substantially more than just hav-

ing the lines done right the first

time).

Another job that not just any-

one can do is paving. A tennis

court isn't a parking lot or a road;

it takes a specialty contractor

to create a worthwhile playing

facility.

Soft CourtsSeasonal maintenance of soft

courts, including top-dressing,

patching and leveling, is essen-

tial. Professionals will use laser-

guided equipment to ensure

correct slope. There are, howev-

er, grounds crews at many clubs

and camps who are skilled in the

process of getting courts ready

for spring play; whichever option is chosen, the court owner

should ascertain that the efforts result in courts that look and play

their very best. Getting soft courts in shape is not a job that should

be handed off to an inexperienced worker.

There's a difference between saving money and being just

plain miserly. Don't make the mistake at the expense of your

courtsor your players, who are sure to notice. Q

The American Sports Builders Association is a non-profit association help-

ing designers, builders, owners, operators and users understand quality

sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings and

publishes newsletters, books and technical construction guidelines for ath-

letic facilities including tennis courts. Available at no charge is a listing of all

publications offered by the ASBA, as well as the ASBA Membership Directo-

ry. Info: 866-501-ASBA (2722) or www.sportsbuilders.org



C O U R T C O N S T R U C T I O N A N D M A I N T E N A N C E

Your facility may meet the ADA regulations for wheelchair

compliance, but is it truly welcoming for players with disabilities?B Y M A R Y H E L E N S P R E C H E R

Chances are, just about every tennis court out there has played

host to a wheelchair-bound player at some point. And if it has-

n't yet, it will soon.

"The number of people with disabilities in the United States is

in the millions," says Jeremiah Yolkut of the USTA's Competitive

Play and Technical Programs division. "The No. 1 challengewhat

we really want to dois get those people involved at the grass-

roots level."

Thinking of starting wheelchair tennis leagues, lessons or pro-

grams at your facility? Start now by setting up your facility so that

athletes in wheelchairs have a good experience.

Unlike many other sports, which require special facilities, or

which require facilities to be adapted, wheelchair tennis uses the

same courts that able-bodied players use. The differences come in

the form of rules.

In wheelchair tennis, the ball can bounce twice. If the player in

a wheelchair is on the same court as an able-bodied person, the

ball may only bounce once for the able-bodied player. Other more

specific rules govern how the player may move in the chair, or

move the chair around the court, but beyond that, the rules of the

game are remarkably similar. There are several divisions that iden-

tify the levels of play in wheelchair tennis, and players are rated

according to National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) guidelines.

Divisions exist for players with different levels of challenges, includ-

ing athletes who are quadriplegic. (A list of resources and informa-

tion is available at the end of this article.)

According to Yolkut, the challenge is not developing rules or divi-

sions for players; it's identifying and reaching them. The USTA has

developed manuals and DVDs on wheelchair tennis, and holds sanc-

tioned wheelchair tennis tournaments, but it's the average athletes

and weekend warriors of wheelchair tennis who are needed.

"If the USTA's membership is 740,000, and of those, the num-

ber of individuals who identify themselves as wheelchair tennis play-

ers is in the 700-range, we know we're missing out on people," he

notes. "We're just talking about people who want to casually play,

who want some exercise and some fun. If we only focus on the elite,

then we're missing those people who are just casually playing."

Making the U.S. (More) OpenOpening up tennis courts to players who use wheelchairs, says

Yolkut, starts with opening up the gates themselves. "At tennis cen-

ters that are being built now, things are much more accessible. The

openings that allow players to get on the court are wider. While it's

standard for many facilities to have 42-inch-wide gates, you want to

have a wider opening for players in wheelchairs because of what we

call the camber, or the angle, in the wheels that you'll see in an ath-

MEETING THECHALLENGESMEETING THECHALLENGES



letic wheelchair. You're much more likely to go to a 48-inch-wide

opening because that means you don't have to take a wheel off the

chair to get it through the gate."

While not all players are self-conscious about having to get out

of a wheelchair and scoot through the gate, then reassemble the

chair inside (or have it passed over the fence to them), eliminating

the barriers means the player has a more enjoyable experience.

Encountering obstacles can sour players and, says Yolkut, "You

don't want people leaving the sport and thinking, 'They don't seem

to want to make this easy for me, so why should I bother to play?'"

While public facilities often use fence mazes and other devices

to try to keep bicyclists and vandals off the court, such measures

will also reduce the accessibility of the court to wheelchair users.

Amenities and accessories should be chosen with wheelchair users

in mind. Umpire chairs, if movable, allow players to change sides

without having to circumvent the entire court and enter through

another gate. Ditto any benches or other equipment that sits

between the sidelines and the fence.

Wheelchair tennis is played on all surfaces, according to Yolkut,

but "with that said, a hard court always seems to be the surface of

choice for wheelchair tennis because there's less friction between

the tire and the court, so the players can move a little faster. Wheel-

chair players can play on other surfaces, but you have to be a little

stronger and have that much more endurance. The top players in

the world want to play on grass. Clay is a little easier. There's a huge

amount of research that's done in regard to wheelchair athletics,

basically the same way there is research on shoe/surface interac-

tions."

QuickStart and Wheelchair TennisThe QuickStart Tennis format, with its shorter courts and softerballs, is being applied to those learning wheelchair tennis as well.

"It lends itself to that as much as for any other introductory

player," says Yolkut. "It's still teaching the fundamentals, like learn-

ing ground strokes, and getting comfortable hitting the ball. It slows

the game down and teaches people to build technique."

Because wheelchair tennis games and tournaments often

attract spectators who also have mobility limitations, says Yolkut,

the USTA tends to pick out tournament facilities that are more

attractive to everyone. Facilities with elevators, without steep

ramps, with seating that allows individuals who are wheelchair-

bound (or otherwise mobility-impaired) to move around easily and

be seated next to their able-bodied friends, all make for a good

experience.

Something that facility users

will notice immediately (and

something on which ADA concen-

trates) is the actual pathway to get

to the facility.

"We focus on the pathway

requirements," says Tony Wood of

Beals Alliance in Folsom, Calif. "As

designers, we try to appease themasses by keeping 'ramps' to a

minimum. They cost a lot of

money and serve a very small part

of the community. We would

rather use 20:1 sloped walkways. I

have heard from disabled patrons

that they hate these. But the cost of

50 feet of 20:1 walk is much cheap-

er than 30 feet of 12:1 ramp with

the additional cost of rails and

retaining walls."

What Else?There are aspects of competition

that many people don't know

about, according to Matt Hale of

Halecon in Bridgewater, N.J. Having

these, he notes, can mean all the

difference between a facility that is

not just accessible, but welcoming.

"Something I believe is critical,

yet often missed, is adequate shade

for temperature control," Hale says.

"Many individuals with spinal cordor brain injuries are extremely sen-

sitive to temperature, particularly to

heat. The more shade, the better."

Talk to local wheelchair tennis

groups about other specific recom-

mendations they would like to see.

Accommodations and accessi-

bility have been a work in progress

for more than two decades. In

1990, the Americans with Disabili-

ties Act broke new ground, requir-

ing that public facilities be adapted to provide better access to those

with mobility challenges as well as other handicaps and setbacks.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice issued final regulations

revising Title II and III, including the ADA Standards for Accessible

Design. The full text of the new 2010 Standards is available at

www.ada.gov. Specifi-

cally mentioned are

access to sports facili-

ties including courts,

fields and stadiums.

For more information,

go to the ADA site and

click on "What's New

to ADA.gov." Q

For More InformationQ www.usta.com/PlayNow/Wheelchair.aspx

(Check the Grassroots Guide as well).

Q www.itftennis.com/wheelchair/

Q www.ada.gov

(There are also many state and local

wheelchair tennis associations)

ReachingWheelchair PlayersInterested in starting wheelchair

programs at your facility? You

can find sources for reaching

current and potential wheelchair

players at USTA.com/play-tennis.

Click on Wheelchair Tennis

and then the Grassroots

Wheelchair Tennis Guide on

the right-hand side.

Adaptive TennisWheelchair tennis isn't the only

permutation of the sport for

athletes with challenges. The

USTA's Adaptive Tennis pro-

gram recognizes four main cate-

gories of disabilities:

Q Developmentally disabled

(learning disabilities, autism,

Down Syndrome, intellectual

disabilities)

Q Physically disabled (birth

defects, multiple sclerosis,

traumatic brain injury, muscu-

lar dystrophy, hearing

impaired, stroke, etc.)

Q Consumers of mental health

services (psychiatrically dis-

abled, emotionally disturbed)

Q At-risk/environmentally dis-

abled (substance abusers,

mentally and physically

abused, homeless, HIV positive

individuals, persons within the

juvenile justice system, etc.)

For information, go to

www.usta.com and type adap-

tive into the search box.


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S P E C I A L R E P O R T : S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y

PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGESIn this second of two articles on pro tennis in the U.S., we

explore how tennis can grow in the crowded landscape ofAmerican pro sports. B Y R I C H A R D P A G L I A R OIn the last issue, we explored the importance and impact of the

Olympus US Open Series on professional tennis in the U.S. and the

link that community involvement plays with many pro events. And,

among other things, we took a look at the challenging climate for tour-

naments, including how the recession has impacted attendance and,

in particular, sponsorships.

This installment of our State of the Industry series will continue

our look at pro tennis events and some of the challenges they face.

Among other things, well explore how the sport can make a bigger

impact in the crowded landscape of professional sports and what pro

tennis in the U.S. can do to remain vital among tennis fans while also

bringing in more general consumers.

For most tournaments, prize money is the single largest expense

and one that carries the biggest burden these days. There is

mandatory prize money tournaments must offer, but in many

cases thats just a start-

ing point. To attract top

players in order to sell

sponsorships and tick-

ets, tournaments often

pay appearance fees totop players, which can

escalate expenses by as

much as 25 percent.

Its not like a player

has to play Newport,

says Mark Stenning,

tournament director of the Newport, R.I., Campbells Hall of Fame

Tennis Championships, which makes it interesting in that not

only do we provide total financial commitment of half a million

dollars to players and to the Tour, but if we want to attract any top-

ranked player it almost invariably involves an appearance fee. So

a lot of times what you see with regard to a tournaments financial

commitment may not reflect the overall financial commitment

that a tournament has made to attract a field.

Appearance fees have been around as long as pro tournaments

have existed, but how much bang for the buck are tournaments

really getting from players these days? Are players, particularly

those who make five- and sometimes six-figure appearance fees,

doing enough off the court to promote the event and effectively sell

the sport and the tournaments that pay them?

That depends on whom you ask. Sometimes, player promo-

tional performance can go to extremes at the same event.

Last year in San Jose we had a player under contract agree to

do four appearances. He lost and I find out hes headed out of town

right after the match, says San Jose tournament director Bill Rapp.

I get the guy on the phone and said, I wont pay your appearance

fee if you leave. An hour later he showed up at the HP Pavilion and

did some dynamic appearances for us. I think some players need

to understand if you want to get compensated, you need to do

more than just play. Unfortunately, there is not a great system in

place to help them understand that.

Given the fact some players turn pro without even a high school

education, some are quicker learners than others.

When I was No. 1 in the world, I didnt pick up the phoneunless it was ringing, says Hall of Famer Jim Courier, the creator

of the Champions Series. Now, I make the calls myself. Were in a

very challenging economy and players need to be taught the value

of promotion. Fortunately, we have guys at the top of the game like

Federer, Nadal and Roddick who understand that and set an exam-

ple. Sometimes that takes time to learn.

Indeed, within the space of a single year, Rapp has seen the pro-

motional power players can yield and how breaking down the bar-

rier between athletes and audience can energize an event.

We did the first pro-am of 2010 in San Jose and followed up in

Memphis, and the one in San Jose was one of the most incredibly

positive experiences in my 27-year career in tennis, Rapp says.

Tommy Haas, Robby Ginepri

and the Bryan brothers all

played the pro-am and more

than that, they actually

engaged with the fans. We had

the pros introduce themselves,

share their personal tennis

highlights and share some-

thing about themselves that

had nothing to do with tennis.

It was a real highlight to see

them interact with fans and it

created this connection

between the amateurs and the

pros.

INCENTIVE TO PLAYSome former players suggest mammoth paydays can dull desire for

current players on and off the court.

In my day, to make good money you had to win, and I dont

mean win tournaments, I mean you had to win a major to make

good money, Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors says. Now, you see

some of the young players signing big endorsement deals when

theyre teenagers before theyve really won anything. So wheres

the incentive?

PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES

This is the sixth in a series of articles about

the tennis industry's changing landscape, and

the second installment that deals with the

topic of professional tennis (see the August

issue of RSI for the first part of this article).

Future topics in the series will deal with par-ticipation, court construction and more. To

view past State of the Industry stories, visit

www.racquetsportsindustry.com. We'd like to

hear your comments and concerns, too. E-

mail them to [email protected]. Please put

state of the industry in the subject line.


Now, you see some

of the young players

signing big endorse-

ment deals when

theyre teenagers

before theyve really

won anything, saysConnors. So wheres

the incentive?


36/5234 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2010

S P E C I A L R E P O R T : S T A T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y


Given the fact top players ranging from Rafael Nadal to Juan Mar-

tin del Potro, Nikolay Davydenko to Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina

to Kim Clijsters have been sidelined with injuries in recent years and

that players complain the crowded calendar and brutally unforgiving

hard courts conspire to

beat up their bodies until

they break down, can you

really blame players for

pursuing quick cash fromappearance fees and exhi-

bitions?

Unlike most American

team sports, there are no

guaranteed contracts for

tennis players. If youre a

.220 pinch-hitter for the

Mets or the 11th man on

the Celtics, you still get paid even if you dont play every game. But a

tennis player who suffers a string of first-round losses can walk away

in debt, particularly when you consider many players pay for their

own travel expenses and hotel accommodations for themselves andtheir coachif they can afford a coach.

Its a tough time for pro tennis in America. And if I was a player

and I had a limited lifespan, Id probably follow the cash too, says

John Korff, who ran the Mahwah, N.J., exhibition event for many

years. If you think about it objectively, whats the responsibility of a

top player? Heres a hypothetical: Whats Andy Roddicks responsi-

bility to make sure theres a strong American tour? Well, nothing. Its

not his responsibility to do a damn thing. Hes 27. How many more

years does he have as a Top-10 player?

Its Roddicks responsibility to make as much money as he can

because thats his job, Korff adds. And compare tennis to golf

where a player can say, Im gonna go play a couple of smaller tour-

naments because they need help and because Ive got another 15

years to play top-level golf. Youve got to pick and choose in tennis

because the careers can be so brief.

Some tournament directors and insiders say there is a simple

albeit unpopularpotential solution: freeze or reduce prize money at

the lower-level American tournaments until the economy improves or

sponsorships increase.

Clearly, the perfect solution is a more economic-based Tour,

Korff says. I think players just make too much money. Its an absurd

amount at the regular tournaments. At the Slams and at a couple of

the big tournaments that have big sponsorship and big attendance,then maybe they can make a lot of money. How can a tournament in

Atlanta where they could never afford a Roger Federer or a Rafael

Nadal do it? The reality is youre never going to have that [top player]

because that guy is going to go someplace where someone pays him

a ton of appearance money. Then how does the tournament do it? Its

a conundrum, so the promoter has to be really creative and has to

rely on more than the names of the tennis players to sell the tickets.

AN ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCEThe days of tennis matches selling tennis tournaments are over. In

order to attract sponsors, fans and corporate clients to fill its hospi-

tality tents, todays tournament must be an entertainment experi-ence, which is part competition, part carnival, part concert, part

cuisine and part corporate party.

The tournament in New Haven, Conn., hosts the citys wine and

food festival; Newport has the annual Hall of Fame induction. In Del-

ray Beach, Fla., the ATP Champions Tour senior final between John

McEnroe and Patrick Rafter drew more fans than most of its ATP

matches played the same week. Los Angeles hosted concerts by Keith

Urban and Brett Michaels and featured an exhibition between Andre

Agassi and John McEnroe.

Tennis has one of the most riveting rivalries in history in Federer

vs. Nadal, the ongoing championship chapters of the Williams sister-

s storied careers and the returns of former World No. 1 players Cli-jsters and Justine Henin. So how come tournament tennis can still be

a tough sell?

Ratings appear to show that despite Federer and Nadal, American

viewers want to see American players. Serena Williams, who has had

rivalries with a slew of opponents including sister Venus, remains the

biggest ratings winner in recent years for ESPN.

Some life-long players assert that revelry is just as important as

rivalry for tournament tennis to succeed today.

Im convinced tennis doesnt need rivalries like Evert and

Navratilova. I am not sold on the idea that rivalries are necessary to

tennis growth, says ESPN analyst Cliff Drysdale, a founder and first

president of the ATP. Look, its all about perception. Its all about

people wanting to buy a ticket to an event that is sold out and the per-

ception of the tennis tournament as an event is an important selling

point.

Tennis dominates the scene in Charleston for the Family Circle

Cup or during the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne, he contin-

ues. Tennis is all over south Florida during that time: Its on TV, in

the newspapers, its part of the social culture of the community and

that is what creates the buzz even more than rivalry does. Yes, it

helps when Federer and Nadal are in the final, but it doesnt sell

another ticket.

Tournament promotion and creative marketing campaigns can

sell tickets and some insiders say thats where pro tennis has dropped

the ball.

The perfect solution is a

more economic-based

Tour, says Korff. I thinkplayers just make too much

money. Its an absurd

amount at the regular

tournaments.

Photo credit: Bob Kenas



The biggest problem we have in tennis today is how we pro-

mote it, says ProServ founder and former U.S. Davis Cup captain

Donald Dell. It is the lack of comparative promotion. We are doing

better than golf in the last three to five years on a worldwide level,

but promotion can be a problem. The ATP is trying to promote the

ATP and the WTA is trying to promote its tournaments, but when

you look at it they really are competitors for sponsors. They will tell

you they are all part of it, which is true to a certain extent, but its a

balancing act for the tournaments too. When the ATP lost MercedesBenz as a sponsor we (the tournaments) lost money as a result, so

there is a competitive dynamic at work too.

COMBINING MEN AND WOMEN?Can a sport some see as divided come together and strengthen itself

through either more combined mens and womens events or ulti-

mately one combined professional tour?

Former WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott not only advocated that the

two tours join forces, he also suggested it might be inevitable. Scott

left tennis to become PAC-10 commissioner, but the concept of

combining the two pro tours remains intriguing.

Aside from the practical issuesand there are manyI thinkabsolutely the ATP and

WTA should join togeth-

er, says World Team-

Tennis CEO/Commis-

sioner Ilana Kloss. I

think if we were one

organization we would

have so much more

strength negotiating with

sponsors, with Grand

Slam tournaments and in

terms of marketing. Hav-ing one voice would be

hugely important and

would give players and the sport a lot more impact and broaden

tennis appeal. Having said that, I know its very difficult.

Rapp, who works with both tours in his role running the mens

event in San Jose and Memphis mixed tournament, also supports

the idea though he doesnt exactly see it going down smoothly. It

makes perfect sense to combine the tours, Rapp says. But now

that I work on both sides, boy they are very, very different. As much

as it would be simple to say Yes, combine the two, it would almost

be like blending two divorced families: Youve got all kinds of issues

on your hands.

Then there is the question of coverage. If the most exciting

encounter in sport takes place on a tennis court (see Nadal vs. Fed-

erer in the 2008 Wimbledon final or Roddick vs. Federer in the

2009 Wimbledon final) how much is its impact diminished by

decreasing media coverage?

The media is important because they tell our stories, Hall of

Famer and WTT founder Billie Jean King says. When we started the

WTA Tour, we would often spend our mornings doing newspaper

and radio and TV interviews to promote the Tour before playing

matches in the afternoon or at night. We were proactive. We

worked with (former World Tennis Magazine publisher) Gladys

Heldman to spread the word and sell the game through the media.

The media was critical to helping the womens tour grow and the

media remains important to the growth of the game today.

Some of the nations esteemed sportswritersAllison Danzig,

George Plimpton, Hall of Famers Gene Scott and Bud Collins, and

one of its gifted recent writers, the late David Foster Wallacewrote

eloquent and enlightening pieces about tennis, which was once a

mainstay of major newspaper coverage.

As printing and mailing costs have increased and advertising

revenue has decreased, media has taken a hit. Established maga-

zines, like Tennis Week, folded while some of the nations top news-papers with traditions of covering the game have cut staff and

reduced travel budgets, deeming tennis simply too costly, particu-

larly when readers and advertisers arent exactly clamoring for

more tennis coverage.

LESS COVERAGE IN THE MEDIAFormer New York Times sports editor Neil Amdur served as editor

for two of the nations most influentialand now defuncttennis

magazines: World Tennis and Tennis Week, and has covered the

game for more than four decades. Amdur wonders how can fans

care about a sport if they cant always read about it in mainstream

media?Tennis is trapped in no-mans land somewhere between the

baseline and the net and what is happening are other sports are tak-

ing over and taking the space tennis often got, Amdur says. Were

at a point right now where the average fan cannot always get a ten-

nis result in the newspaper. Despite the emergence of Tennis Chan-

nel and the excitement generated by the US Open, there is less

media coverage of the sport now than anytime I can recall, even

with refreshingly diverse personalities like Federer, Nadal, the

Williams sisters, Sharapova and Roddick.

Other than Venus, Serena and Roddick, right now there is an

absence of a lot of attractive American playersbasically the sport

doesnt have anybody selling it, Amdur says. In Europe, NovakDjokovic is popular. But Djokovic is a foreign language film with

The biggest problem we

have in tennis today is

how we promote it, says

Dell. When you look at

it, [the ATP and WTA]

really are competitors

for sponsors.

Photo credit: Bob Kenas


38/5236 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/Octoer 2010

subtitles in this country. If you take away the Williams sisters you

have maybe two Americans the casual fan knows, so how can you

make a case for people in this country getting excited about it? You

dont have the loyal newspaper tennis writer who is really following

the tour and telling the stories fans can follow and those writers are

doing that for other sports and that really can make a difference.

Media coverage is more than a vanity plate for the sport. It also

puts the tennis brandsfrom racquets, to apparel to accessories such

as watchesin the mainstream media, which in turn generates expo-sure for those brands and potentially attracts consumers to buy, for

instance, the racquet they saw a pro use to win a major tournament.

Still, there are some positive signs. During Tennis Channels

recent coverage of Roland Garros it televised more commercials from

endemic sponsors, including Babolat, LaCoste, Wilson, Dunlop and

K-Swiss, which recently signed a one-year pact as the official shoe of

Tennis Channel.

PUTTING THE TEAM IN TENNISBut are the big pro events really helping to popularize tennis in the

U.S.? "I think everyone emphasizes the majors so much, says King.

In the old days when we played, we emphasized the tour a lot more.That's when we had over 40 tournaments and TeamTennis in this

country, when we were doing our best. It really gets back to making

sure we have tennis in the community, TeamTennis, Fed Cups, Davis

Cups in our communities because it's the only way we're going to get

our kids inspired.

One way to help promote tennis in the U.S., many believe, is

through team play. The U.S. is a team sport nationvirtually every

other sport that youngsters play involves being on a team, playing as

a team. Kids, and even adults, like playing with friends.

I do not think our sport can be big in this country if it isn't a team

sport when (youngsters) sign up to play, says King. That's been my

mantra forever since I started because I grew up in team sports.When children sign up to play, it's got to be team.

The USTA and other groups recognize this and have been pro-

moting programs to get both youngsters and adults playing on

teams, such as the USTAs Jr. Team Tennis program, advocating for

no-cut middle- and high-school tennis teams, the popular Tennis on

Campus program and leagues for adults. And the TeamTennis for-

mat, used for WTT matches, is also being used more and more, says

King.

CREATING MORE PARTNERSHIPSWhat is the immediate future for American tournament tennis and

how can it make a bigger footprint in a crowded sports landscape?

The short answer is tennis, largely viewed as a singles sport, must

continue to collectively create more partnerships if the game is togain traction in the U.S.

The USTA, which has successfully launched and sustained its US

Open Series, could consider the prospect of expanding that model

and extending the Series to package San Jose, Memphis and Delray

Beach together as a modified spring US Open Series to lead into Indi-

an Wells, Miami and Charleston. The issue, of course, is those events

do not directly lead into the US Open, the USTAs cash cow, as the

summer events do. While there is not the same financial or television

payoff in the spring, those

events are important because

they keep tennis in the public

eye at what is traditionally adark time for the game.

While there are inherent

issues between a full-fledged

ATP/WTA partnershipstruc-

turally, the organizations are

different, their rules differ

and if

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