Page 57 - Tennis Magazine April 2019

Nadal, who has swung a Babolat racquet since he was a junior,
has won 11 French Open titles with the French frames. Federer
recently switched from Nike to Uniqlo in the apparel department,
but he has always brought a Wilson racquet on to the court.
In professional tennis, players
operate as independent contrac-
tors. If an advantageous opportunity
arises through endorsement deals at
what they consider the right moment
in their careers, the likelihood of
making a stick switch increases.
Such was the case in 1989, when
Andre Agassi agreed on a five-year,
multimillion-dollar deal with Donnay,
the Belgian brand that equipped
Bjorn Borg as he won 11 Grand
Slam titles. Struggling with the new
frame at first, the young American
was rumored to have painted over
his Prince Graphite racquets as he
tried to maintain his place among the
game’s top tier.
The next year saw Agassi reach
the first two Grand Slam finals of
his career. In 1992, the Las Vegas
native won his first Grand Slam title,
AP; GETTY IMAGES consecutive times.
at Wimbledon, which Borg won five
With one of the more enviable
endorsement portfolios in sports,
Agassi was lured away by Head a
year later, and won seven more
majors during a Hall of Fame career.
Whenever there’s change, there’s 1
a measure of risk involved. But aside
from the lure of riches, the oppor-
tunity for a bigger payoff in the long minute clinic
run is also a factor players consider.
“I think players are always trying
to find any advantage that they can,
and so any small tweak could mean Just because a racquet is
another win at a Grand Slam,” says in a world No. 1’s hands
Seth McKinley, the sports marketing doesn’t mean it should be
in yours. Djokovic’s and
manager for Babolat. “They’re trying
Osaka’s frames are tuned
to find any edge, and it’s our job as
like a fi ne piano to fi t
their equipment partner to help them their specifi c needs—the
with that.” same frame in your local
The pros are a different breed of pro shop won’t be like
client, adds McKinley, and even with theirs at all, except for
switches and upgrades from the the brand and cosmetic
decor. That’s not to say
same manufacturer, they try to be as
the standard-issue frame
attuned to their frames as possible. won’t suit certain players
can I tweak something in my equip- well, but you should demo
“I think players are always asking:
a range of racquets, not
ment to make me stronger, whether
just those you see on TV.
it’s even adding a couple of grams to
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