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STRINGING
MACHINE
SELECTION GUIDE
2004
Our exclusive guide will
help you find the perfect
machine for your shop
Apparel for Spring 2005:
Tech, Textures and Color
How the US Open Can Help
Market Your Business
Wimbledon Player
Equipment Log
Q French Open Stringer’s
Diary
Q String Playtest
Q Ball Machine Review
Contents FEATURES
R S I S E P T E M B E R
INDUSTRY NEWS
2 0 0 4
page 20
34 Open for Business 8 PTR sets Professional
With the US Open upon us, you can promote your shop Development Weekend
or facility along with the tournament.
9 TIA TennisEXPO 2005 awards
36 Wimbledon Equipment Log 10 Top coaches headline USPTA
See what gear your favorite pro players brought to the hal-
World Conference
lowed lawns of the All England Club this year.
11 Wakley is back at Prince
footwear
page 36
11 Boeker joins Tecnifibre USA
12 USRSA book selected
by book club
12 PTR partners with Tennis
Coaches Australia
12 Lee Tennis holds indoor
clay conference
13 Dunlop adds three to sales force
page 27
14 Cross creates commemorative
Hall of Fame pen
DEPARTMENTS
4 Our Serve 42 Ball Machine Review: Lobster Elite
16 Grand Slam Diary 45 Events Calendar
38 Tips and Techniques 46 New USRSA Members and MRTs
40 String Playtest: Völkl F.I.R.E. 48 Your Serve, by Jim Baugh
W
David Bone Jeff Williams
e’d like to do something that, in many ways, we Editor-in-Chief
don’t do enough of. We’d like to pat ourselves Crawford Lindsey
try that, with each passing issue of the magazine, becomes more and more
Advertising Director
dynamic and supportive. To that end, we share this honor with the nearly John Hanna
18,000 dedicated industry professionals who take the time to read RSI, and 770-650-1102, x.125
to the dozens of companies who support us—and the industry—through their john@racquettech.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
INFORMATION TO HELP YOU RUN YOUR BUSINESS
F
internal functions and activities to better ormer Wilson Vice Presi- and by establishing a corporate financial
serve customers, says George Napier, chair- dent/General Manager John R. discipline, I think this brand has great
man and CEO of Prince Sports Inc. The new Embree has created John Embree potential to grow, especially at the grass-
structure went into effect in July. Diversified Enterprises (JEDE), a sports roots." One of Embree's first tasks will be
"This realignment is designed to strengthen management company based in the Chica- to hire strong independent sales reps in
the company, increase our ability to meet go area. The new company will offer con- areas of the country where Bälle de Mätch
local market needs more effectively, and sulting services, management expertise, needs attention.
enable efficient global coordination of our sales and marketing, sponsorship sales "John recognizes that Bälle de Mätch
business," says Napier. "We're excited about opportunities, and more for the tennis and has not reached its full potential, so we
our new structure that is designed to create golf industries. are very fortunate to have
faster and friendlier execution across all lev- Two companies are cur- found him," says Dever-
els and departments." rently under the JEDE ian. "I needed a strategic
The company will be divided into two busi- umbrella: tennis apparel partner, and now we have
ness units, Prince Sports USA and Prince maker Bälle de Mätch and a a proven tennis leader with a
Sports International. The new Prince Sports new service company, Golf Pro tremendous pedigree who
USA team is dedicated to accelerating its Shop Supply LLC. The 12-year- can work with the accounts,
goal of achieving market leadership and serv- old Bälle de Mätch recently and our reps, while we get
ing customers in the U.S., the company says. announced Embree as its new back to focusing on design-
Bill Foy will assume the role of president of CEO; the golf venture is a ing the line."
Prince Sports USA. start-up designed to help golf Embree has a strong his-
Linda Glassel will assume the new position of pro shop retailers manage tory in the tennis business,
vice president of sports marketing and com- their golf apparel inventory. going back to the mid-1980s.
munications, adding licensing to her ongoing “After spending the last 20 His grassroots background,
responsibilities that include advertising, pub- years in a corporate environ- along with extensive knowl-
lic relations, web and tennis tour manage- ment, the opportunity to be edge of the pro and specialty
ment activities. Additionally, Glassel and her more entrepreneurial was business and his passion for
team will support both business units with very attractive to me,” says Embree. “I'm the sport, are expected to be assets to
strategic marketing and brand messaging. also excited for the chance to be involved Bälle de Mätch, the apparel company said
The U.S. team will collaborate with other with a variety of different projects, all of in a statement. During Embree's tenure
markets around the world on key initiatives. which are in industries that I am extreme- with Wilson, which ended last fall, the
Prince has also created a new function to ly passionate about.” company witnessed record years in sales
coordinate and direct U.S. product manage- In early July, Bälle de Mätch founder and and gross profits in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
ment activities, which will be overseen by COO Chris Deverian announced Embree's “The beauty of both these companies
Howard Lay, who will take on the new role of new role with that Southern California- under JEDE is that they coexist quite nice-
vice president of product management based company. With the apparel maker, ly,” Embree says. “The industries are
The new Prince Sports International team will Embree will manage sales and marketing compatible, yet not conflicting. Having
be headquartered in London, with Alistair functions, as well as oversee day-to-day extensive knowledge about how to get
Thorburn as president. Prince Sports Interna- operations. business done at the green-grass level, or
tional will provide increased focus and sup- "Bälle de Mätch is a wonderful little pro/specialty marketplace, these two
port to the company's growth plans company whose product is underdevel- companies hit the center of my
internationally. oped and underexposed," says Embree. sweetspot.”
Prince Sports Inc. is based in New Jersey. "With a more intense focus on driving the For more information, contact 847-
top-line revenue via increased distribution, 729-2497.
T
he PTR has scheduled its annual Pro-
fessional Development Weekend for
Sept. 22 to 26 at the PTR Headquarters
in Hilton Head, S.C. The weekend is held in
conjunction with the ROHO/PTR $15,000
Wheelchair Tennis Championships.
The Professional Development Week-
end is open to all tennis teachers, coaches
and enthusiasts. Courses include Munchkin
Games, conducted by PTR Executive Direc-
tor Dan Santorum, and Team Coaching,
The Basics, with PTR
Director of Develop-
ment Geoff Norton.
Also, PTR Inter-
national Director Inaki Balzola will present
the Play Action Drills workshop, and Mas-
tering the Mental Side will be presented by
Dr. Bryce Young and Linda LeClaire. Norton
will also conduct Instructing Wheelchair
Tennis 102, which is designed for tennis
professionals who wish to earn a wheel-
chair-tennis teaching certificate.
For more information, or to register for
any courses or workshops, contact 800-
421-6289 or 843-785-7244, or email
ptr@ptrtennis.org.
Dunlop Adds 3 to Salesforce Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. All three have back-
grounds in playing tennis and in sales and marketing.
unlop Racquet Sports has added new reps in the Philadel- "We are happy to add such credentialed personnel to our
Cross Creates
Limited Edition
Pen For Tennis
Hall Of Fame
A.T. Cross Company intro-
duced a limited-edition solid
sterling silver fountain pen to
commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the Interna-
tional Tennis Hall of Fame in
Newport, R.I. The 1,954
pens (the Hall of Fame was
founded in 1954) are individ-
ually numbered and feature
engravings of historic tennis
racquets. The pens also have
an 18-karat gold nib plated
with brilliant rhodium. The
racquet-shaped pocket clip is
detailed with Swarovski crys-
tal. Suggested retail price is
$700. For further details and
a listing of retail stores, visit
www.cross.com.
Corrections
Page 12 of the July issue of RSI mag-
azine listed Nasdaq-100 open team
stringer Ralph Kusche’s name spelled
incorrectly.
PROLOGUE Sam, Corrie and I, walk around the neigh- quick run-through on machine functions:
I've been stringing racquets for more than borhood for a while, then head to dinner at speed, memory, knot tension, pre-stretch,
20 years here in Potomac, Md. For many Le Ty-Coz with the rest of the string team. string length meter, etc., then he passes out
years, Tecnifibre USA has run a contest for It's a cozy restaurant specializing in crepes. racquets.
stringers. Send back empty TF string packs, We're back at the hotel by 11 p.m., but I'm The form that comes with each racquet
and you'll have a chance to join the Tecnifi- so excited that I have a hard time getting to describes what's to be done and Luc makes
bre Stringing Team at Roland Garros to sleep. sure we all understand the French descrip-
string for French Open players. The last few tions. I don't recall my first frame or who it
years, I knew I was getting close in the SUNDAY, MAY 23 belonged to, I just wanted to be careful and
annual lottery drawing because I was win- The alarm wakes me around 6 a.m. I wash get it right. Players generally leave their reels,
ning second- and third-place T-shirts and up and dash down to the lobby to meet the which are marked with their names and
the like. other newbie Roland Garros stringers. There's boxed in alphabetical order. As we are issued
In late September 2003, I had a huge Virginia from Spain, John the Dutchman, racquets, we log them out by stringer name
collection of TF string packs and machine number, so when they
ready to send in for the come back, they can be strung on the
2004 drawing. Then I read same machine.
that Pro-Kennex and Tec- I string maybe 20 frames on the
nifibre decided to restruc- TF8000. I also spied the new TF7000,
ture. I emailed Paul Zalatoris which has dual-action clamps. If Tecnifi-
of Tecnifibre USA and bre USA brings a high-end machine to
found out the contest for the U.S., I hope it's this machine. Looks
2004 was cancelled. I was really sweet.
crushed. Stringing at the For this tournament there are 19
French Open had been my machines, and a couple of spares. They
dream. are all top-of-the-line TF8000s, and
Early in 2004, on a they just about string the frames for
whim, I emailed Jim Fro- you. Mounting is quick and straightfor-
muth of Fromuth Tennis, ward. The tension head adjusts for
the new U.S. distributor for short string lengths. There's knot ten-
Tecnifibre. Jim was heading sion, built in pre-stretch, and length
to the Supershow and meter, along with pound/kilogram set-
meeting with Tecnifibre Albert Lee stands his post in the Tecnifibre stringing room. tings. I especially like the keyboard entry
President Thierry Maissant and Zalatoris. I Lucien from Canada, and me. Sam Chan, for the tension; this is quicker than pressing
proposed to pay my own expenses in from England, is here for his third French and holding up-down buttons.
exchange for an invitation. Open, so he is responsible for getting us to The TF8000 clamps make the machine,
In mid-February, Zalatoris emailed me: the string room on time. It's a brisk 15- and these are really special. When you
"Book your flights, you're going to Paris!" minute walk to Porte Suzanne Lenglen. squeeze the clamp, it literally jumps up to
They signed me up for the first four days of Everyone is excited. clamp the string. There appears to be some
Roland Garros! Definitely the toughest part It's a beautiful, quiet morning. We take kind of linkage that simultaneously locks the
of the tournament for stringers. some photos on our way to the string room base and clamps the string in one effortless
for the 7 a.m. start. The space is huge. It is motion.
SATURDAY, MAY 22 normally an indoor tennis facility and has The day goes fast. At 7 p.m., they cut us
I make it to Paris' Hotel Alpha around 5 been converted into entertainment for kids loose. Overall, the stringing was a mixed bag,
p.m. In the lobby I see another stringer, and stringing space for us. mostly split-tension hybrids with the crosses 1
Sam Chan, and his wife, Corrie. I meet Tec- We scrounge through a box of red-han- kg lower than the mains. Probably 75 per-
nifibre rep Kristel and she hands me my dled tools, picking out a starter clamp, string- cent of the frames were polyester, 15 per-
clothing backpack and ID badge. My room bed cutter, needle-nose pliers, and awl. I get cent conventional synthetics, and 10 percent
is a good size; the view from the window is assigned a machine right in front. Luc gut. All the frames I strung were in fair
quite good. Vesseaux, the stringing team leader, does a shape, though I did have to repair a few
GRAND SLAM diary and quick. They use a loop weave with
great efficiency. I've got to learn how to do
grommets on Carlos Moya's frames. this. I don't think it's any quicker than my
Dinner was at Le Relais des Sultans, my "snake weave," just more elegant.
first experience with Arabic food. Very We catch up around noon and have
good, and I especially like the mint tea. enough time for a quick bite and a chance
to run outside to take some pictures. I hear
MONDAY, MAY 24 American voices. It's Jim Fromuth. I also run
It's early morning and I'm in the darkened into Paul Zalatoris and Paul Kid, the Nos. 1
lobby, waiting for the first day of the main and 2 people running Tecnifibre USA. I
draw to begin. Luc is already here when Lee receives his stringing diploma from string- take a quick snapshot and thank them for
our group arrives. We each grab some cof- ing team leader Luc Vesseaux. inviting me.
fee, cut off a slice of some breakfast cake, Most of the frames being collected this
turn on our machines and head over to Luc afternoon are for Tuesday pickup, and it
to get our first frames of the day from the looks like tomorrow will be a busy day. In
8 a.m. bins. As racquets are dropped off, fact, the 10 a.m. bin overflows into a sec-
they are sorted into bins. Each bin is ond bin. Each bin is about 48 inches wide.
marked with a pickup time. For new Around 5:30 p.m., Luc gets a little nervous
stringers, Luc issues us racquets; the more and let's us start on the 8, 9 and 10 a.m.
senior stringers pick their own frames from bins for the next day. He hands out only
the bin. synthetic and poly string jobs; anything
It's a well-organized operation. The Stringing bins hold pending jobs. with gut will be strung on Tuesday morn-
desk staff is especially efficient at stripping We all string crosses bottom up or top ing. By 7 p.m., we've taken quite a bite out
out old string from incoming frames and down as dictated by the pattern. There is of the morning backlog.
stenciling restrung frames. The staff pays a no frame distortion. The frames exit the We're all sent home. After dinner at La
lot of attention to details, and for hybrid machines as easily as they mount. The Belle Epoque restaurant, we're told to be
frames, they leave one cross and one main French stringers, who are from stores on the machines at 6 a.m. Tomorrow will
in the frame as a reminder. throughout France, are very professional be quite busy.
LINES OF FOR
Tenniswear collections for Spring 2005 are big on textures, te
MARCIA
Technical fabrics that wick away moisture and are quick-drying, such as
Vaportex (used in the Double Take line, shown), are big for Marcia appar-
el, especially in bra tops, polos and some skirts, says Pratrice Brayer, the
national sales manager. “We've also incorporated more surface-textured
fabrics, especially in our all-white collections, to make them more inter-
esting,” says Brayer, adding that color-blocking continues to be a big
component of Marcia's lines. “We've gone even deeper in terms of
styles offered that are color-blocked. It's extremely popular with
teams,” she says. Marcia has also incorporated more reversible gar-
ments, including a reversible skirt. 800-423-5208; www.
marciagolfandtennis.com
DIADORA
New in Diadora's line for spring is the Tessa collection with dress
(shown), tank top and skirt, made with 91 percent DiaDry nylon/9
percent spandex, combined with mesh insets for breathability.
DiaDry is a moisture-management system that helps keep players
cool and dry. The Tessa line comes in royal blue, navy, red,
maroon, purple, forest green and black, all with white trim. Also
new is the Irina top and skirt (in royal blue, red and black, with
white piping and trim) and the Bella top, with a hidden, built-in
mesh sports bra. 253-520-8868; www.diadoraamerica.com
RCE
ech fabrics and colors.
collection includes women's racer-back tank top, skort and
warm-ups, in addition to a men's zip crew-neck. The Tennis
Essentials line consists of core basics in navy, red, white and
black, which work year-round for active players. Essentials can
mix and match with Ellesse's Tennis Signature collection, which
are classically styled pieces in functional materials, designed for
on or off the court. 561-491-9000; www.ellesse.com
BY PETER FRANCESCONI
LEJAY
For Lejay, “athletic-inspired looks”
are big, says Trish Levin, vice presi-
dent of merchandising. But, she
adds, “What's been past in tennis
might be coming around again in
an updated sort of fashion.”
Lejay's new Palm Beach Pucci
“Retro-Racquet” collection
(shown) features a classic
camisole and skirt in white
Meryl pique with crossed
racquet embroidery. Also
available is a coordinat-
ing visor. Lejay also
offers a new line of
screen-printed nov-
elty T-shirts. 800-
932-7535;
www.lejay.com
SPORTING LOOK
“Everything is performance fab-
rics, and ours is 'Moisture-
Move,'” says Peter Antonacci of
Sporting Look. Moisture-Move
transfers moisture away from
the skin to the outside of the
fabric, keeping players
cooler, drier and more
comfortable. Antonac-
ci says his new lines
offer more perfor-
mance T-shirts. “For
men, it's more and
more casual,” he says.
“We're seeing V-neck T's
and long-sleeved T's.”
Sporting Look, which spe-
cializes in custom-embroi-
dered tenniswear, also has
expanded its color palette for
men's and women's cotton
pique polos. 800-750-8960;
www.sportinglook.com
TAIL
“Fashion” is king in the
spring collection from
Tail, which this year is cele-
brating its 30th anniversary
with the tagline: “30 years of
tennis fashion and dressing for
the game.” New for spring is the
Nautical Sport line (shown), featur-
ing Tail's signature waffle fabric in a
red, white and blue group. “Grom-
mets and cording detail emphasize a
nautical feeling,” says Amy Bentley,
Tail's marketing manager. New items
include a hoodie sweater, long-sleeve
crewneck for sun protection, and a warm-up vest.
Also new is Tail's Tennis Diva group, in blush, crystal blue and black, and
white. 800-678-8245; www.tailinc.com
WILSON
“We’re getting back to designing groupings for women, as well as for men,” says
Randy Johnson of Wilson Apparel. “Our product manager and designer, Rob Grow,
has designed a fit system for ladies, allowing consumers to choose from one of three
fits in apparel: fitted, athletic and classic. This helps us have something for every-
one, from the junior girl to the senior player.” Johnson says Wilson’s sun-protection
grouping is doing well. “People are asking for it by name, and we’ve spun off a
female cut.” Wilson Apparel, which is also big in custom embroidery, has expand-
ed its junior line for spring in both color and styling. 800-990-0000; www.athco.com
© Courtsider 2004
Hand Cranktem-Drop
Table Top O ndard
Constant Pu ed Pull
Height Adjustptional
able
360º Rotatiock
ed
k
n
n
2-Sided Cran
ll
Full Clutch-D
2-Point Mou
Drop Weight
Multiple Spe
Stand Availa
Stand Includ
Racquetball
Badminton
Linear Pull
Prestretch
Lockout
Squash
Electric
Tennis
Price Warranty
Brand Model (MSRP) (years)
AG 601F $219 5 x x x x x x x x x x
www.gutermanintl.com 602F $269 5 x x x x x x x x
800-343-6096 602S $379 5 x x x x x x x x x x
603GB $549 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x
604S $569 5 x x x x x x x x x x x
603S $699 5 x x x x x x x x x x x x
607 $799 5 x x x x x x x x x x x
x x
Automated g Linear Pull
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Diablo/NoseTension Release
x
x
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Rotational Tcone
e
x
x x
x x
x x
x x
Foot Pedal T nsioner
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Pounds & K ension Activator
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Manual Calibilos Tension
x x
x x
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Self-Calibra ration Adjustable
x x x
x x x
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Diamond Coting
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Tensioning
x
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Plus/Minus sion Setting
T
x
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Full Keypad ouch Pad Tension Set
LED/LCD Te Tension Setting
Knot Tensio nsion Display
x x x x x
x x x x x
x
x
x
x x x
x x x
x x x
x x x
x x x
Removable ning
Electric Ten
sioner Unit
x
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Flying Clam
x ps
Fixed Clamp
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Dual Swivel Double Action Fixed
360 Degree Single Action Fixed
x
Single Swiv Clamps on Glide Bars
x
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Diamond Duel Fixed Clamp
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Clamping
Automated st Clamps
B
Magnetic Au ase Release Clamps
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No Tool Nee to Clamp Base Relea
ded to Adju se
st Clamps
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Tool Tray
x x
x x
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Cover Includ
x x
x x
x x
String Measued
x
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Built-in Rule rer
x
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x x Reel Rack r
Racquet S
x x x x x x x
Cabinet wittahnd
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Extra Features
Leveling Pa Drawers
ds on Base
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Under 50 lb
s
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50-75 lbs
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Over 75 lbs
Weight
Calibrator
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Starting Cla
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tt
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Needlenose ers
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Awl Pliers
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Flying Clam
x
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Assembly Inp
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Owners Ma structions/Video
x
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x x x x x x
x x x x x x
Guiding Awnual/Video
x
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Bent Nose Pl
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29
Assembly T liers
x
x
x
x
Flying Clamools
p Starting P
ins
Sports Height Mounting Tensioning
n Turntable
Rotation
Hand Cranktem-Drop
Table Top O ndard
360º Rotatiock
Stand Availaed
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n
2-Sided Cran
ll
Full Clutch-D
Drop Weight
2-Point Mou
Stand Includ
Racquetball
Multiple Sp
Badminton
Linear Pull
Prestretch
Lockout
Squash
Electric
Tennis
Price Warranty
Brand Model (MSRP) (years)
LaserFibre MS200DX $1,399 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x
www.laserfibre.com MS200DX $1,499 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x
888-895-2350 EM450 XLE $3,199 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
EM450 XLE $3,299 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
EM500 Tour Master $3,800 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x
st Clamps
Knob/Dial T at Tension Head Grip
Owners Ma structions/Video
Diablo/NoseTension Release
ins
Diamond Du l Fixed Clamp
Plus/Minus ension Setting
ded to Adju
Manual Calibilos Tension
Electric Ten
p Starting P
ds on Base
Automated st Clamps
Guiding Awnual/Video
Leveling Pa Drawers
Foot Pedal T nsioner
Pliers
Rotational T cone
Needlenose tters
Assembly T liers
Removable ing
Flying Clamools
Diamond Coting
Diagonal Cu p
String Measued
Cabinet withnd
ps
m
e
Assembly Inp
e
Cover Includ
Self-Elevatin
Fixed Clamp
Racquet Sta
Bent Nose Pl
Under 50 lb
Over 75 lbs
Flying Clam
Flying Clam
Starting Cla
50-75 lbs
Reel Rack
Calibrator
Tool Tray
Awl
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weight continues to pull the string as the string few allow you to choose between constant pull and lockout
stretches. modes. Some offer multiple pull speeds and a prestretch
mode.
Hand Crank. Tension is pulled by hand crank. These
machines lockout when the desired tension has been Linear Pull & Rotational Tensioners. Machines that pull ten-
reached. sion in a straight line away from the machine are said to be
linear pull. The alternative is a rotational tensioner, which
Electric. These machines require electricity to pull ten- wraps the string around a spool, then rotates the spool to pull
sion. Most of these machines are constant pull, but a tension on the string.
Knot Tensioning. The machine Fixed Clamps that Don't Swivel. These are clamps
can be instructed to pull the last that are attached to the machine by glide bars, but
string before a knot tighter than can only be turned in two directions (90 degrees
the reference tension to allow and 0 degrees). These require removing and reposi-
for the tension that is lost tioning glide bars to switch from main strings to
between the clamp and the cross strings.
knot.
Diamond Dust.
Klipper Holds a string
CLAMPING SYSTEMS 440-CS with less pressure,
The clamping system is meant to avoiding string
hold strings in the racquet under crushing.
tension. If clamps slip, or allow strings to slip through
them, a string job can be ruined. There are many differ-
ent clamps, but we will only discuss three here. WEIGHT
Categories indicate Tecnifibre
Flying Clamps. These clamps are not attached to the whether the machine TF-8000
machine. They use one weighs less than 50
string to hold ten- pounds, between 50
sion on another and 75 pounds, or over 75
string. They gen- pounds. Heavier machines can be
erally do not hold more stable and solid, but they
tension as consistent- can be less convenient when mov-
ly as the other two types of ing or traveling.
clamps. The low price tag
makes them attractive to new
Prince
3000
stringers testing the waters. TOOLS INCLUDED
This final category indi-
Fixed Clamps that cates which supplies and
Swivel. These tools are included with the
clamps are attached machine. For descriptions
to the machine and of each tool, see pages 9-10
can be turned in any of the USRSA
direction, especially Wise Racquet Ser-
helpful when stringing 2086 Professional ETH vice Tech-
fan patterns. They also allow you to switch from main niques book. Q
OPEN FOR
BUSINESS
USTA/Russ Adams Photography
With the US Open upon us, you can promote your shop or
facility along with the tournament. BY JOE DINOFFER
Joe Dinoffer is Master Professional for both the PTR and USPTA.
USTA/Russ Adams Photography
MEN
WOMEN
Big Banger Original 16 53/51 Nike Air Court Implosion Sergio Tacchini
Energy 1.25mm Fila X-Point Fila
VS Team/Big Banger Alu Power 16L 56 Nike MAX Breathe FREE Nike
Readers’ Know-
How in Action
GROMMET REMOVAL kits can be
Every once in a while when replacing a daunting or
grommet, the old one breaks off and just as easy as
won't come out. I've been successful with “falling off a
this problem by carefully screwing a 3-inch log,”
dry-wall screw a couple of turns into the depending
stuck grommet and gently pulling it out. on the
frame. There
appears to
be no logic
as to which
are easy or
difficult.
Often with difficult frames, the proper and
complete seating of the barrel takes an
extra effort. Accomplishing seating in con-
5 sets of Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 with junction with restringing can cause a prob-
WearGuard to: lem, especially if you are using natural gut
Glenn Brewer, Marietta, GA or a soft multifilament. Once the barrel is
bent or distorted, it will always be a prob-
RATTLE REMOVER lem. On frames requiring extra effort to
To get a loose, but still partially attached, seat the barrels, I use a scrap of string
piece of graphite out of a hollow racquet through the
handle, I run a narrow bottle brush in and affected
out of the handle after removing the butt barrels, run-
cap or the “trap door.” ning
through
opposing
barrels. I
tension this
to about 40
pounds
after mak-
ing sure the
barrels are
5 packs of Prince No Sweat overgrips aligned. This
(3 overgrips per pack) to: pulls them
Roger Hansen, Orange, CA up snug, thus allowing for good restringing.
Klip hat, wrist bands, and decal to:
Editor's note: For really tight passage- William Thompson, Farmville, VA
ways in hollow handles, the metal —Greg Raven w
brush that comes with gun-bore clean-
Tips and Techniques submitted since 1993 by USRSA mem-
ing kits is very effective. bers, and appearing in this column, have all been gathered
into a single volume of the Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Ser-
BEGINNER TIPS vice Techniques which is a benefit of USRSA membership.
Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA
SEATING GROMMET BARRELS 92804; or email greg@racquettech.com.
Installing bumperguard and grommet strip
Völkl
F.I.R.E. Strings
Völkl's F.I.R.E. (Fully Integrated Racquet
recorded a stiffness of 175 lbs/in.,
Engineering) Strings is a hybrid comprised and a tension loss of 9.5 pounds.
of a nylon multifilament and polyester F.I.R.E. crosses recorded a stiffness
monofilament. According to Völkl, this of 258 lbs./in., and a tension loss of 12.8
pounds. machine. After 24 hours
combination delivers the power and feel of We recorded a stringbed stiffness of (no playing), stringbed stiffness measured
a multifilament with the durability and 68 RDC units immediately after stringing 62 RDC units, representing a 9 percent ten-
control of polyester. The interaction of at 60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 sion loss. Our control string, Prince Synthetic
(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pull Gut Original Gold 16, measured 78 RDC
these two string types was specially devel- units immediately after stringing and 71
oped to support Völkl's Catapult racquets. RDC units after 24 hours, representing a 9
EASE OF STRINGING percent tension loss. F.I.R.E. Strings added
The elasticity of the multifilament (compared to other strings)
14 grams to the weight of our unstrung
enhances the Catapult power, while the Number of testers who said it was:
frame.
much easier 0
stiffer polyester increases durability and somewhat easier 9
The string was tested for five weeks by
enhances the resetting of the string bed about as easy 12 36 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratings
not quite as easy 11 from 3.5 to 6.5. These are blind tests, with
through the Catapult springs. playtesters receiving unmarked strings in
not nearly as easy 2
unmarked packages. Average number of
OVERALL PLAYABILITY
Völkl says F.I.R.E. Strings enables easy "tun- hours playtested was 20.8.
(compared to string played most often)
ing" of the racquet. For maximum power, It seemed odd to put the nylon in the
Number of testers who said it was:
use the multifilament (yellow and black much better 1
mains, rather than putting the more durable
string) in the mains, and the polyester somewhat better 6 poly there to resist breakage. Our
(white) in the crosses. For maximum control about as playable 10 playtesters were just about evenly split on
and durability, use the polyester in the not quite as playable 12 the degree of difficult of installing F.I.R.E.
mains, and the multifilament in the crosses. not nearly as playable 5 Strings, but given the slightly stiff nature of
Völkl recommends F.I.R.E. Strings for the nylon and the need to weave the much
OVERALL DURABILITY
players who seek the high-performance stiffer poly through the nylon, we expected
(compared to other strings
associated with natural gut, but want more a much lower rating here. As stiff as it is,
of similar gauge)
dependable control and greater durability. Number of testers who said it was: the tip of the nylon can become somewhat
F.I.R.E. Strings is available in 16L/17L in much better 10 mushy on small-diameter grommets and
yellow/black and white. It is priced from $12 somewhat better 13 blocked holes, making matters just that
for sets of 20 x 2 feet, and $160 for reels of about as durable 10 much more difficult. If you decide to try this
360 x 2 feet. For more information or to not quite as durable 1 string with the poly in the mains, however,
order, contact Völkl at 800-264-4579, or not nearly as durable 0 you'll find it easier to string.
visit www.volkl.com. No playtester broke his sample during
RATING AVERAGES
From 1 to 5 (best) stringing, eight reported problems with coil
IN THE LAB Playability 3.2 memory, five reported problems tying knots,
We tested the 16L/17L gauge F.I.R.E. Strings, Durability 4.1 and two reported friction burn.
using the multifilament in the mains and the Power 3.1
poly in the crosses. The coils measured Control 3.5 ON THE COURT
22'8” for the mains and 23' for the crosses. Comfort 2.9 The obvious reason to use a hybrid string
The diameters measured 1.38-1.39 mm Touch/Feel 2.9 such as F.I.R.E. Strings is to gain durability
(mains) and 1.28-1.30 mm (crosses) prior to Spin Potential 3.3 without sacrificing all touch and feel, and
Holding Tension 3.4
stringing, and 1.32 mm (mains) and 1.25 according to our playtesters, F.I.R.E. Strings
Resistance to Movement 4.0
mm (crosses) after stringing. F.I.R.E. mains is durable: 23 playtesters rated it more
”
over it real fast after I hit the first couple of balls. Great string!
5.0 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 strung at 60
pounds CP (Luxilon Alu Power 16L) “ Enjoyed the string. It feels similar to Head Intellifiber. Great color
on mains. String wore very well. Very responsive; ball reacts very
quickly off stringbed. Not too much notching. Strings stayed in posi-
“ The string did a good job of stiffening the frame. It was very good in tion the whole time. Nice feel. Eager to find out the manufacturer and
adding control. I did not feel much loss of power although it is less
powerful than the string I normally use. Very little wear after 30 hours
name of this string.
”
5.0 male all-court player using Head i.S2 strung at 55 pounds CP
of play. There has been some drop-off in (Forten Kevlar Gear 16/17)
power. Nice string for frequent string-break-
ers and those who do not care about playa- “ I am predominantly “ Had to look at directions a couple of times
a doubles player. This
”
bility as much as durability.
4.5 male baseliner with moderate spin string really felt good on vol-
to verify poly on crosses. I have to admit the
“bumble bee” color of mains bothered me. I
using Pro Kennex Core 1 No. 06 strung at was surprised by how well this string played.
leys. I usually hit with a lot of
59 pounds CP (Tecnifibre NRG 17) Good comfort and power. Not an easy combi-
topspin and these strings held
up well.
”
nation to achieve.
”
“ The mains were easy to string, but as
with most poly strings, the crosses were a 3.5 male serve-and-volleyer using
3.5 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper
Hammer 5.2 strung at 56 pounds CP (Gamma
bit difficult to weave across the mains. Live Wire XP 17)
Wilson Pro Staff 6.5 strung at 60
There was ample string for both the crosses
pounds CP (Wilson Stamina 16)
and mains. I really enjoyed playing with
these strings as they added a lot of control “This string surprised me and I'm not quite
sure what to make of it. After stringing I
to my strokes. The string held its tension and there was very little move- assumed it was a durability string, but after playing with it a while,
ment of the mains. If someone has a power racquet that needs a little I'm not sure how to categorize it. My arm has been bothering me, so I
calming down, this string will help a lot. I would recommend this string wasn't excited about playing with what I thought was a durable, stiff
to some of my power hitters looking for more control.
”
4.5 male all-court player using Head Liquidmetal Instinct strung at 60
string, lacking in power. This string played much better than I expect-
ed and did not bother my arm at all. I experienced a fair amount of
pounds LO (Wilson Stamina 16) tension loss, but it didn't seem to affect the playability, indicative of a
resilient string. The strings locked into place and there was almost no
“ A nice hybrid; good feel, good pop. Not crazy about the color. Very string movement.
”
durable.
”
5.0 male all-court player using Wilson H Tour strung at 55 pounds CP
4.5 male all-court player using Prince More Performance Power 1150S
strung at 65 pounds CP (Prince Premier 16)
(Wilson Stamina Spin 16)
For the rest of the tester comments, USRSA members can visit RacquetTECH.com.
durable than other strings of similar egories! Not surprisingly, F.I.R.E. Strings' CONCLUSION
gauge. F.I.R.E. Strings also garnered more average score is also well above average. If you're running out of options trying
favorable comments than any other string It seems that Völkl's F.I.R.E. Strings has to get a traditional nylon or polyester
we've tested recently, as almost two- something for just about everyone, espe- string to work for you, Völkl F.I.R.E.
thirds of our playtesters had something cially considering the fact that you can Strings could be the way to go. With
favorable to say about it. install the other way around, with the two complementary string materials,
Our playtesters weren't just paying poly in the mains and the nylon in the you get to decide which goes in the
F.I.R.E. Strings lip service: they rated well crosses. mains and which in the crosses, and
above average in Durability, Control, Spin The test sample broke during play for it's a snap to use different tensions for
Potential, Holding Tension, and Resis- nine of our playtesters, at 5, 8, 8.5, 10, the mains and crosses for further cus-
tance to Movement—five of our nine cat- 12, 13, 14, 22, and 26 hours. tomization. —Greg Raven w
Lobster Elite
The Elite is Lobster's top-of-the-line ball a 15-second delay to allow you to get to
machine. Designed for maximum durabili- the other side of the court before it feeds
the first ball. It offers controls for ball
ty, the portable, battery-powered Elite
speed, feed frequency, and top- and
operates even where there is no AC underspin, as well as switches for power,
power source. The Elite sells for $1,049. elevation, oscillation, and the remote con-
To contact Lobster, call 800-526-4041, or trol.
visit www.lobsterinc.com.
REMOTE CONTROL
Remote control of oscillation and ball feed
ASSEMBLY is optional for this machine, but it certainly
In its shipping carton, the Lobster Elite is handy. With it, you can trigger the oscil-
weighs about 60 pounds, light enough for lation motor to aim the feed wherever you
one person to move without difficulty. want, turn off the ball feed to take a
Assembling the Lobster Elite requires break and adjust the settings and then FEED TRAY/INTERVAL
attaching the handle and removing a piece walk (rather than run) to the other side of The rotating feed tray did a great job of stir-
of tape that secures the power switch. The the court without missing a ball. It's also ring the balls and letting only one ball into
whole process took us less than 5 minutes. great when you need to clear stray balls each hole. In all the hours that we used the
Assembled, the unit weighs about 46 from around your feet. machine, we experienced an average of
pounds. only three misfeeds (when a ball doesn't
The machine was smaller than we BATTERY LIFE come out) per hour, and no jams. There
expected. This is partly because most of our We tested the battery life by running the were no multiple misfeeds, which under
experience has been with bigger machines, Elite continuously until it would no longer normal operating conditions can lead you
but also because it looks much larger in feed a ball, setting it to feed from the to wonder if the machine is empty,
photos. The compact size, though, allows baseline to the middle of the back court although the slot in the front of the ball bin
Lobster to ship the Elite in a manageable every four seconds with no oscillation and allows you to check the status visually. The
box that still has plenty of space inside to no spin. In this mode, the battery lasted 4 ball bin's capacity is 150 balls, but we
protect the machine. We were amazed by hours and 15 minutes, shooting more than found that when full, the stirring of the
how powerful and sturdy the machine is, 3,800 balls. We hit balls back for the first rotating tray would bump a few balls out of
considering its size. two hours, but ran out of energy long the bin. The interval knob on the machine
Lobster ships the Elite with a fully before the battery did. The Elite does have adjusts how fast this tray rotates and there-
charged battery, so we immediately a low-battery indicator, but we disregard- fore, how frequently balls are fed. The
pressed it into service. The big wheels on ed it to see just how long it would go. longest interval setting allowed 12 seconds
back and the tall handle make it easy to After three hours we had to bump up the between shots, while the shortest interval
navigate the Elite over bumps and even speed a little to get the balls to shoot as setting allowed 2.2 seconds. The 2.2 sec-
small curbs. The handle is secured by two deeply as they did at first. When making ond interval is faster than top players hit a
removable pins that, once removed, leave this adjustment, we figured the battery ball from baseline to baseline. But, it's a lit-
the body of the machine small enough to was about dead, so we were pleasantly tle slower than the time top players hit from
fit in the trunk of a convertible. The pads surprised when it ran another hour with- volleyer to baseliner.
under the machine keep it from sliding out needing further adjustment. At about
around. Molded handholds on the under- four hours we had to increase the speed a SPIN
side of the Elite make it easy to lift during little once again. The machine lasted The spin feature worked very well. We were
transport. another 15 minutes before it quit com- able to adjust the level from barely notice-
pletely. The amazing thing is how well it able to the kind of spin you get playing
USEMBLY continued to feed balls to the same spot with big string breakers. On full topspin, the
We filled the Elite to its 150-ball capacity. throughout the entire test. After draining machine fed a very heavy ball that would
The bin, which inverts to double as a cover the battery completely, recharging took jump forward off the bounce, while the full
when not in use, has a slot in front to about 25 hours. But, obviously it would underspin setting would send a ball that lit-
allow monitoring the ball level even from recharge more quickly if you don't com- erally stopped moving forward and sat
the other side of the court. The Elite offers pletely drain the battery like we did. straight up after bouncing. This is more
CONCLUSION
The Lobster Elite is a terrific little machine
ideally suited for a tennis-playing family.
It's small and easily portable, and it runs
on battery power, so you can use it any-
where. It feeds the ball as often as you
want to anywhere you want with as
much speed and spin as you want. It
even offers random oscillation to simulate
real play. The optional remote is a good
investment and the battery life is long
enough to wear out the whole family.
—Dave Bone w
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W
e are approaching the end major priority. But, you must take this
of the first year of the Ten-
Frequent players, while challenge on, too! In fact, the fre-
nis Campaign. We launched quent-player retention war will not be
the largest new-player retention pro- representing only 19 won with marketing and advertising.
gram in our sport's history. How are Research shows the real key is facility
we doing? I'd give us a grade of a “B” percent of our total owners, pros and local effort. Here are
for the first year. some interesting research findings:
On the positive side, thanks to the players, account for
efforts of the entire industry, we have w 44 percent of all frequent players
established the largest grassroots net- over 75 percent of total have taken a lesson in the past
work in sport, with more than 4,000 year; only 15 percent of former fre-
Tennis Welcome Centers. We have had play. They are the quent players have.
good marketing, great tools for local
TWCs to use, and great support by our power-brokers of our w 60 percent of former players would
partners. Teaching pro, manufacturer play again if they had regularly
and retailer support has been out- sport. scheduled matches.
standing. The major associations and
media partners in our sport at the w 36 percent would play again if a
national level stepped up also, all for our future, we need to have more club called to schedule a match.
working together in an unprecedented “make it happen” people.
way, which will pave future success. This brings me to the future. The w 45 percent of new players would
The real results will not be known until Tennis Campaign will continue to be play more tennis if they thought
we see our participation numbers later relentless in fixing our new-player reten- tennis was a great workout
this year, but the feedback from many tion issue with Tennis Welcome Centers.
Tennis Welcome Centers has been pos- But we have an equally big issue: the In the near future, you will be hearing
itive. In a recent poll of TWCs, 62 per- deterioration of frequent players. about plans to help us win this battle.
cent rated the marketing good. And, Frequent players, while representing It will include practical and useful tips,
51 percent saw an increase in the only 19 percent of our total players, best practices, a greater focus on fit-
number of new players coming out to account for over 75 percent of total ness for our sport, and the use of
play tennis in the past few months! play. Frequent players are the power- technology in the future.
We do have some real challenges. brokers of our sport. They are our league But, the key will be you! Tennis
We need to push our message and the players, our club members, the ones needs your help. I don't want to be
urgency down to the local level. We who take lessons, the biggest fans of the 33rd ranked sport anymore. I hope
found many Tennis Welcome Centers tennis, they watch the most tennis on you don't, either! Be a leader in the
not ready to service new players. We TV, etc. Frequent players hold the keys Tennis Campaign. Growing and
will be focused on quality and not to our sport! rebuilding our sport has to be every-
quantity for 2005 and beyond. Proba- But we have lost frequent players at one's responsibility. w
bly the most disappointing thing was an alarming rate—a 25 percent reduc-
to see the number of facilities that tion over the past three years! This is Jim Baugh is the president
waited for the phone to ring and did- confirmed by our TIA/USTA survey and of the Tennis Industry
n't use the great marketing tools pro- recent SGMA surveys of frequent partici- Association and a
member of the USTA
vided. pants in all activities in America. And, if
board of directors.
Well, there are three types of peo- this doesn't get your juices flowing, Ten-
ple in this world: those who “make it nis is now ranked 33rd of all activities in
happen,” those who “watch it hap- our country by frequent participants.
We welcome your opinions. Please email
pen” and those who “wonder what The Tennis Campaign will focus on comments to rsi@racquetTECH.com or
happened.” With this campaign, and frequent-player retention as a second fax them to 760-536-1171.