PRO

STRINGER ERSA International Racket Sports Magazine

AUSTRALIAN OPEN STRINGING
HEAD RED COLLECTION
TECNIFIBRE T-Flash
BABOLAT PURE AERO
INDUSTRY NEWS
TIPS

NEW PRODUCTS
INDUSTRY NEWS
WIMBLEDON
ASHAWAY STRING TEST
TIPS

ISSUE 5 1- -2015
www.ersa-stringers.com

ISSUE 2014

issue 5 - 2017
contents
04 My Serve
Contents
Features
4 My Serve
6 New Products
05 New CS, MRT, 10 Industry News
04 My
PTS, MRS Serve 17 Tour News
05 New MRTs 18 Ashaway String
06 New Products Test
06 NewNews
19 Industry Products
20 Wimbledon
18
24 Tips String Intros
26 Tips

26 0420 Industry News

ERSAMyATWServe
30 ERSA ATW
06 New ProductsIndustry News

13 Industry News Yonex News

Ashaway Badminton

24 Tips
TIA UK AGM
Universal Tennis Rating
US Open Tops $50 Million

26 ERSA ATW PTR Conferences

 4

My Serve
Pro Stringer
European Racquet Stringers Association

ERSA Australia
Noel Dodds My Serve
ERSA Benelux
Timo van Driel, Rob Maessen
Welcome to the June issue of ERSA
ERSA Czech Republic & Slovakia Pro Stringer.
Vaclav Smat

ERSA Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Mike Emenako, Mark Maslowski
ERSA Greece Manager
George Pahiakos
ERSA Italy Manager - Marco Rossani
First, I would l like to welcome our newest Corporate String
Supplier member, String Kong. Ivan Buffoni came up with a
great new idea for marketing strings and has a very good
assortment of products which our members attending the last 2
Symposiums received samples.

ERSA Ireland - Roger Henry Several racket manufacturers are launching new models at
this time. HEAD just came out with the new EXTREME Touch
ERSA Korea - Taikki Lee rackets this month. Yonex will launch the new EZONE rackets
ERSA Latin America on August 15. Babolat just announced the new PURE DRIVE
Ricardo Dipold line which will be sold starting in November.
ERSA Serbia - Dr. Alexander Ducic
I flew over to Wimbledon for a few key meetings this month and
ERSA Spain - France had a mini Annual Meeting with all of our members stringing at
Richard Parnell Wimbledon. We will be making some major announcements in
ERSA Taiwan - Bernie Chen the next issue of Pro Stringer.

ERSA UK ERSA is looking for someone to work in the office in Dussel-

Paul Skipp, Huw Phillips, Dr. Jamie Pethick
dorf as ERSA office manager trainee. Ideally, an experienced
ERSA UKAINE - Sergey Konovolenko stringer or someone enthusiastic about learning stringing, tun-
ing and testing. The work includes organizing string tests for
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Ashaway Babolat badminton, squash and tennis -
Head Isospeed Doing lab tests on strings and rackets for the website,
Kirschbaum Luxilon contacting members for renewals, sending out member
Pacific Wilson
packets, sending out testing supplies to managers, gathering
CORPORATE MEMBERS information from around the world on racket sports products
Ashaway Head Babolat such as new products, press releases and information from
Prince Isospeed Yonex
GOSEN Tecnifibre player associations. Organizing Symposiums, workshops and
testing where ERSA does not have a Manager/Tester.
STRING SUPPLIER MEMBERS
Apollo Leisure MSV String Kong
Kirschbaum Signum Pro The next issue of Pro Stringer will be
published August 25 and will be an
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS electronic issue only.
PTR Europe TIA UK
TENNIS EUROPE
The new Techniques Section for the
TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS stringer’s manual will be finished in
Rod Cross - Australia - Physics
Gabe Jarmillo - Pro Tennis August and sent out to all the current
members as a PDF book, then print-
European Racquet Stringers Association ed in the Winter in the new manual.
Lenaustr. 38 40470 Düsseldorf
DE Germany best regards
Phone / Fax +49(0)211-68814151 Mark Maslowski
www.ersa-stringers.com
New ERSA Stringers, PS, MPS, PTS
ERSA now offers certification for different levels of stringers, from
beginners to the top professional stringers in the world. The first level is
ERSA Stringer is for new stringers to show they have completed a string-
ing course and learned to string correctly. ERSA Professional Stringer
is for stringing services, such as coaches, club stringers, shop stringers,
after passing a day of practical and written tests. ERSA Master Profes-
sional Stringer Level 1 and Level 2 is for shop stringers and owners
who can tune racquets, string at a high level and have a broad knowledge
of products for their customers. Pro Tour Stringer certification is for
those who are stringing at ATP and WTA tournaments. There are 3 levels
for this certification, Level 1, Level 2 and Master Pro Tour Stringer. ERSA PROFESSIONAL STRINGER

We now offer certification for Tennis, Badminton and Squash.

ERSA Professional Stringer -

ERSA Master Profesional Stringer 1 - Ricardo Martins Debeis - Brazil

ERSA MASTER PROFESSIONAL STRINGER

Pro Tour Stringer Level 1 Tennis - Federico Büker - England

Wouter Pels - Netherlands

STRINGS
MADE IN GERMANY
SINCE 1985
6

New Products
SPIN BIG: HEAD’S NEW GRAPHENE TOUCH EXTREME RAC-
QUET SERIES PROVIDES THE ULTIMATE SPIN EXPERIENCE

HEAD’s new Graphene Touch Extreme racquet series is all about spin. Thanks to HEAD’s state-
of-the-art technologies, such as the innovative Graphene Touch for an incredible touch and a solid
dampened feel, the new line perfectly combines extreme spin and relentless power for the aggres-
sive baseline tennis player.

For the very first time, HEAD integrated its Graphene Touch technology into the new Extreme
line, which takes the original weight-optimizing Graphene technology to a higher level. By adding
a unique shock-absorbing material to the frame construction, Graphene Touch reduces vibration
after ball impact and provides unparalleled control without compromising the power level of Gra-
phene, the world’s strongest yet lightest material.

The completely new dynamic frame construction provides optimal stability and playability. In ad-
dition, the new Extreme racquet series features the new funnel grommet technology. In order to
achieve the fullest spin effect, it allows more string movement towards the inplane and outplane
direction, which leads to an increased snapback and a more powerful trampoline effect upon ball
impact.

The unique and bold color design is perfectly complemented by the matching tennis bag for a co-
ordinated court appearance.

The three different models (MP, S, LITE) of the Extreme Graphene Touch racquet series are avail-
able at selected retailers and at www.head.com as of July 5, 2017.

For more information please visit:

head.com/tennis
facebook.com/headtennis
twitter.com/head_tennis
instagram.com/headtennis_official

HEAD TENNIS, a part of HEAD BV, is a global provider and marketer of premium branded ten-
nis apparel, footwear, balls and equipment for athletes of all competitive levels. Since its launch in
the late 1960s, when HEAD founder Howard Head first introduced the aluminum tennis racquet,
the division’s key products have attained leading market positions based on sales and reputation.
Many of today´s top ATP and WTA players, including Novak Djokovic,
Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet, Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic, Maria
Sharapova and Sloane Stephens are part of the HEAD Tennis family.
For more information, please visit: www.head.com/tennis.
 7

New Products

HEAD Graphene Touch HEAD Graphene Touch HEAD Graphene Touch

Extreme MP Extreme S Extreme Lite

Headsize (cm²) - 645 Headsize (cm²) - 645 Headsize (cm²) - 645

Pattern - 16/19 Pattern - 16/19 Pattern - 16/19
Profil (mm) - 23-26-22 Profil (mm) - 23-26-22 Profil (mm) - 23-26-22
Weight unstrung - 300 g Weight unstrung - 280 g Weight unstrung - 265 g
Balance - 325(mm) Balance - 335(mm) Balance - 345(mm)
Length - 685 (mm) Length - 685 (mm) Length - 685 (mm)
8

New Products
BABOLAT LAUNCHES THE NEW PURE DRIVE:
THE WORLD’S MOST ICONIC “POWER” RACKET NOW WITH
OPTIMAL FEEL
Babolat is proud to announce the continuation of the Pure Drive success story. With
the same DNA that has made it one of the best selling rackets in the world, Babolat
introduces the new generation Pure Drive featuring optimal power and feel to allow
players to unleash their game with confidence.
The new Babolat Pure Drive
The management of sensations during play has long been a focus area for Babolat.
The brand’s vibration absorption technology, Cortex, provides useful information
to players, bringing sensations closer to the hand. Thanks to a bold technological
partnership, the new Pure Drive features an evolution of this concept to achieve an
optimal feeling:
Cortex Pure Feel.
Babolat has joined forces with SMAC, an innovative French aerospace company
excelling in an industry that needs power but also minimal vibrations, just like the
Pure Drive in tennis. Feel is directly related to the racket’s absorption of vibrations.
The best feel comes from the right amount of vibration felt for a short period of
time. As shown in the diagram below, Babolat and SMAC have identified the exact
amount of vibration to be transmitted to the player the best
possible feel.
Players need to sustain power in any situation against every type of opponent. The
new Pure Drive includes an optimized FSI Power string pattern and new diamond
grommets to provide a larger sweet spot. The result is maximum power on every
shot, even when off-centered. Babolat’s FSI Power gives players the necessary
confidence to attempt everything on court, and more importantly, to perform at their
highest level.
TECHNOLOGIES
•
Cortex Pure Feel, powered by SMAC: better vibration dampening thanks to new
material integrated in the graphite of the racket that provides an incredible sound
and more direct feel during the game.
•
FSI Power: New string pattern and new diamond grommets that provide an im-
proved sweet spot over the whole width of the racket to maximize power on every
shot (even when off-centered).
•
GT Technology: Combines high density carbon fibers, giving the racket head opti-
mum strength for greater power and control.
•
Elliptic Beam: Elliptical frame shape offering high resistance to twisting and bending
for optimal power.

PURE DRIVE 100 Headsize: 645 cm2 / 100 sq. in

Weight: 300 g / 10.6 oz.
Available in tennis specialty stores starting September.
9

Designed for Pro‘s. This monofile polyester string offers ultimate control
combined with high ball speed. Now released!

Diese Monofile Polyestersaite wurde speziell für die Anforderungen auf der Profitour entwickelt. Volle Kontrolle bei
hoher Beschleunigung. Jetzt released nach erfolgreichem Einsatz auf der Tour!

www.isospeed.com
10

Industry News
Ashaway's Updated Badminton Line
Offers a String for Every Style and
Level of Play
After a number of consolidations and introductions, Ashaway's updated line of badminton strings is
now structured to provide a string for every style and frequency of play, from weekend shuttlers to
the world's top professionals. The complete line now includes two string families: the ZyMax® Fire
family of competition strings, which are constructed with a proprietary BETA polymer and Asha-
way's patented ZyWeaVe™ core technology; and the newest introduction to the line, Ashaway's
Rally® 21 Fire, also made with BETA polymer.

The ZyMax Fire line includes four strings, each designed to optimize the various characteristics
of BETA polymer and ZyWeaVe construction. These include sensational elasticity and dynamic
stiffness for excellent feel and repulsion; optimum strength and durability; and exceptional tension
holding ability for consistent performance. This combination allows players to select a string tai-
lored to their individual games, while providing superior tension holding and durability.

ZyMax 62 Fire is a 0.62 mm micro gauge string designed for maximum repulsion and shuttle
response. Both ZyMax 66 Fire and ZyMax 66 Fire Power are 0.66 mm strings designed for high
performance players, with 66 Fire tailored to provide precise shot making and 66 Fire Power de-
signed to provide maximum power and explosive repulsion. ZyMax 69 Fire is the heavyweight of
the group, geared to provide exceptional durability and string life.

The most recent addition to Ashaway's Badminton string line, Rally 21 Fire, is an evolution of
Ashaway's classic Rally 21 with a new core material. Designed for players at all levels the new
0.70 mm Rally 21 Fire is constructed of Ashaway's proprietary Beta Polymer, and provides a 25%
improvement in dynamic stiffness and elasticity over its predecessors, as well as a 25% improve-
ment in knot and sheer strength. These improvements maximize shuttle speed, provide optimum
strength and durability, and minimize tension loss for overall consistent performance.

Ashaway Racket Strings are made by Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co., the only U.S. manufacturer
of string for squash, tennis, racquetball, and
badminton. Operated by the Crandall family
since 1824, Ashaway has been making rac-
quet strings since 1949, and is responsible
for several important technical innovations.
Ashaway has been the Official String of USA
Racquetball for more than fifteen years.
Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co. also makes
braided products for medical and industrial
applications.

For more information visit www.ashawayusa.

com.
 11

Industry News
TIA UK seeks Social Media Project Manager
The TIA UK is looking to appoint a part-time intern as a Social Media Project Manager.
This is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in tennis who can harness the power of social
media to help grow a tennis organisation.
The Tennis Industry Association UK, the not-for-profit membership trade organisation for the UK
tennis industry, is seeking a Social Media Project Manager to help it increase its profile and posi-
tioning through the development of an effective social media presence.
This part-time post is for an Intern and is not a paid position, However some incentives will be pro-
vided.
The appointment is for 12 months, starting on September 1st 2017 and finishing 31 August 2018.
Together with a current CV, please send a covering letter detailing why you think you are suitable
to be considered to be appointed and how the appointment will benefit your future employment
prospects.
The deadline for receipt of applications is midnight on Friday August 18th 2017.
The covering letter and CV should be sent electronically to the following:
gilly@tiauk.org
12

Industry News

NEWS
NEW EZONE Series Launch in August
UNLEASH THE POWER OF SWEET.
Enhanced ISOMETRIC sweet spot. Unmatched comfort. Engineered for unstoppable play.
Power up your game with the new EZONE. A further enhanced ISOMETRIC sweet spot extends
deep into the upper section of the racquet resulting in the largest sweet spot in the EZONE series.
New HYPER-MG technology dramatically enhances snapback speed for explosive power even
on difficult off-center shots and our newly designed MICRO OFFSET LAYOUT and QUAKE SHUT
GEL AIR minimizes vibration and provides unmatched comfort.

Korean badminton superstar, Yoo Yeon Seong signs head to toe contract
with Yonex!
Yonex are pleased to announce the signing of Korean badminton superstar, Yoo Yeon Seong in a
head to toe contract.
Yoo, who won the 2014 Yonex Open Japan, and won his first Super Series Final in the same year,
joins countryman Lee Yong Dae, who signed in February this year. The Korean former World #1
has had an illustrious career including a Silver medal at both the World Championships and Asian
Games. Yonex are very honored that such a large number of the world’s top ranked players are
choosing to use our products and we will do our utmost to support them with the best products to
gain many more victories and titles.

Challenger Banque Nationale de Gatineau Tournament

(July 17-July 23rd, Canada
Challenger Banque Nationale de Gatineau Tournament (July 17-July 23rd, Canada
Denis Shapovalov displayed his outstanding abilities with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over countryman
Peter Polansky. The 18-year-old Canadian took advantage with his powerful backhands and left-
handed serve, attracting attention from all over the world with his play. He is constantly proving
himself on the pro tour and is one of this generations most promising young athletes. Denis joins
fellow VCORE player, Frances Tiafoe to be the only other teenager to win multiple titles this year.
Be sure to keep an eye on his progress!

Wimbledon has come to an end with No. 1 seed, Martina Hingis winning the Mixed Doubles
Final in straight sets, bringing her collection of Grand Slam titles up to 23. In addition, Team Yonex
Juniors proved their talent with wins in both the Boys' Doubles Final and Girls' Doubles Final.
Mixed Doubles

Martina Hingis (EZONE DR 100, POLYTOUR FIRE 125/POLYTOUR PRO 125,

POWER CUSHION ECLIPSION L) (SUI) / Jamie Murray (GBR) [1]
6-4, 6-4
Henri Kontinen (FIN) / Heather Watson (GBR)
Sign-up 2017

Sign up Now for 2017 and free membership until January 1.

Become a member today and receive:
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Please Fax or e-Mail this form to European Racquet Stringers Association.

Phone & Fax +49(0)211-68814151; email mmaslo3330@aol.com
14

Industry News
The 19th Annual General Meeting of the TIA UK Ltd took place in the Main Interview Room
at the Press Centre, Wimbledon on the first Thursday of the Championships.
President Ian Peacock, Chairman Steve Matthews and Business Development Manager Phil
Sandilands all reported that after a challenging two years the TIA UK has achieved a good solid
platform to grow activity and membership. The Chairman also reported on positive ongoing nego-
tiations to secure financial stability for the Association.
A Special Award was presented to Maurice Hickman who, having served the Board and Council for
ten years, is retiring from J B Corrie & Co Ltd in October

Miley joins Universal Tennis

Universal Tennis Rating, the worldwide rating for tennis players, announced today that David
Miley, former ITF Director of Development will join as a consultant beginning July 17th. In his new
role, Miley will will be responsible for international partnerships for UTR and consult on specific
projects related to the growth of the rating system.
Miley was with the ITF for 17 years and has extensive experience in international tennis. In that
position, he led the largest department of the ITF which included Junior Tennis, Senior Tennis,
Wheelchair Tennis, Technical and Anti-Doping. He also oversaw the highly regarded jointly funded
ITF/Grand Slam Development program which assisted the 200+ member nations through pro-
grams in coach education, tennis participation and high performance player development. He
was instrumental in the development of the ITF Coach education syllabi, the Tennis Play and Stay
campaign which led to the rule change for 10 and under tennis in 2010 and for the launch of the
International Tennis number (the ITN) in 2003. Dave will be responsible for the international side
of the UTR project and will work as a consultant on specific projects related to the growth of the
rating system, which is currently used extensively in the USA.
About Universal Tennis
Universal Tennis created the Universal Tennis Rating, which enables all players to accurately assess their
abilities. By far the simplest, most accurate gauge of tennis skill, UTR’s 16-point scale applies to both
sexes, all ages, and all levels of ability, from beginners to top professionals. The system taps head-to-head
competitive results from the world’s largest tennis federations.Over the last 10 years, UTR has recorded
more than 5 million tennis results from professional, collegiate, national-, sectional-, and district-level junior
tournaments, as well as high school play. More than 400,000 athletes in 198 countries now have UTRs.
The number of tennis federations and organizers partnering with UTR continues to grow. Each partnership
entails no cost to the federation/organizer, nor any commitment.
 15

Industry News
Tecnifibre congratulates Fokina
The No. 8 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spain) won the finals of the Wimbledon Juniors (an
ITF Grade A event) by beating Axel Geller (Argentina) in 2 sets: 7-6 (2), 6-3 in 1 hour 27 minutes.
The last time a Spaniard won the junior event at Wimbledon was 50 years ago. At 18 years old,
Alejandro who hails from Malaga, rewrote Spanish tennis history when he took home his first
Grand Slam Junior tournament. Seriously injured when he was 13 years old the young Andalusian
player with a strong personality did everything he could to reach his goal: to become a profes-
sional tennis player.
He is coached by the Jorge Aguirre, the man who has been with Alejandro from the very begin-
ning.
Semi finalist at the Roland Garros juniors as well as finalist at the ITF $25000 Bakio tournament
this season, Alejandro has improved drastically men-
tally to step up his game:
“I’m still extremely surprised. I only started to prac-
tise on grass 2 days before the tournament. I knew
straight away that I could play well on this surface
but to win here is just incredible! Before, I couldn’t
manage my emotions after a good win, but now
things have changed. When I step back onto the
court for the next challenge, I only think of one thing.
Win, Win, Win!”
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has been part of the
Tecnifibre Team for 3 years and plays with the T-
Flash 315 racket and Black Code 1.32 string

Upcoming PTR conferences

Hilton Head Island, SC — Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) announced its Tennis Technology
Conference & Expo will finally be held November 13-14, 2017. The dates had to be moved due to
the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Hilton Head Island.
Participants will have interactive sessions covering the latest developments integrating tennis
products and software. Attendees will learn how to implement cutting edge technology in their
coaching and tennis businesses immediately and affordably. Applicable products will be available
to demo on court and in the classroom. Topics include Tracking Trends to Increase Profits, Captur-
ing and Analyzing Video, Implementing Video Analysis, On Court Technology, Software Integration,
and more. For detailed information, visit www.ptrtennis.org
Participants who are directors of tennis may choose to stay November 15-16, for the PTR Direc-
tors of Tennis Conference. This annual event covers a wide spectrum of topics relevant to direc-
tors of indoor, resort, country club, public and private facilities, all lead by expert directors and
consultants in the field. Each day’s broad based learning experience will close with peer to peer
round table discussion on best practices. Discounted price for attending both conferences.
PTR is the largest global organization of tennis coaching professionals with more than 15,700
members in 125 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of
any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and servicing tennis teachers and
coaches around the world in order to grow the game.
16

Industry News
US Open Series launches next week
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The 14th season of the US Open Series, the five-week North American
summer tennis season that links seven WTA and ATP World Tour summer hard court tournaments
to the US Open, launches next week with the men’s BB&T Atlanta Open. Since its inception in
2004, the US Open Series has increased television viewership with a cohesive schedule, while
also increasing attendance and generating new corporate partnerships for its tournaments. In ad-
dition, the Series will continue to engage its local tournament communities with a variety of out-
reach initiatives, including grass-roots clinics and activities involving the USTA’s new youth tennis
brand - Net Generation.

Announcing ATP Tennis Radio

The ATP and ATP Media, the broadcast arm of the ATP World Tour, today jointly announce the
launch of their own digital radio channel, ATP Tennis Radio - a live, free-to-air audio platform for
tennis fans to enjoy worldwide. The bespoke, 24/7 digital radio offering is hosted by Gigi Salmon,
joined by a team of some of the most globally acclaimed tennis commentators and experts.
Having successfully soft-launched at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters earlier this year, ATP Tennis
Radio will feature live coverage and bespoke radio commentary from the upcoming Coupe Rog-
ers in Montreal. It will also broadcast all the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, the Next
Gen ATP Finals and the Nitto ATP Finals, as well as the singles finals from the ATP World Tour 500
tournaments (including the upcoming German Tennis Championships and the Citi Open in Wash-
ington D.C.).
Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; ATP Tennis Radio is easily accessible through TuneIn
Radio’s website, mobile and car apps, ATPWorldTour.com and individual tournament websites as
well as 200 connected devices such as Sonos, Amazon Echo and Google Home. ATP Tennis Ra-
dio’s digital availability on an array of devices means it is available to listeners wherever they may
be - on the move via a mobile phone, in the car or at home.
ATP Tennis Radio provides listeners with an all-encompassing audio experience that includes on-
site reporting, player interviews, special features, highlights and regular news bulletins. A weekly
Monday podcast featuring exclusive interviews, features and the best of the week’s action is avail-
able to stream or download from the iTunes store, Apple podcast app and the TuneIn Radio web-
site and mobile apps (available on IOS and Android devices).
With ATP Media’s television coverage of the ATP World Tour being consumed by 195 territories
worldwide, ATP Tennis Radio enables the ATP World Tour to become even more accessible than
ever before.
As the reach of digital radio is reportedly increasing globally by 16% year on year and with the US
experiencing 170 million online audio listeners every week, ATP Media’s newest digital offering is
expected to significantly build on the 1 billion annual global audience the ATP World Tour currently
receives.
Stuart Watts, ATP Media Chief Operating Officer, commented: “The launch of ATP Tennis Radio is
another major step in making the ATP World Tour the most innovative sports broadcast offering in
the world. With live radio making up 74% of all audio consumption now is the perfect time to intro-
duce this new digital audio offering to our broadcast operation, ensuring it is available on the latest
and most popular mobile and connected devices. Not only will ATP Tennis Radio make the ATP
World Tour even more accessible for our current audiences, but it will allow us to promote the ATP
World Tour through a completely new broadcast medium and further broaden its appeal across
new, younger audiences
 17

Tour News
Next month’s qualifying competition for the US Open Garbiñe Muguruza and Roger Federer have been
will see a number of innovations as crowned 2017 Wimbledon champions. The Spanish
organisers experiment with scoreboard clocks to number 1 player will move back up into the top five,
reduce time violations between points. The event while Federer yet again
will also see players allowed rewrites history to claim his nineteenth Grand
to communicate with coaches from the stands Slam singles title.
during the match.
Karolina Pliskova will be number 1 after a steady and consistent year, despite her early loss at Wimbledon.
By virtue of Kerber’s capitulation to Muguruza and Halep’s demise to Konta after being two points away-
from claiming the top spot herself, Pliskova will becomethe 23rd women’s world number one, and the first
ever female Czech national to do so.

US Open compensation tops $50 million

The USTA today announced that the prize money for the 2017 US Open will increase by more
than $4 million, bringing the total purse for the tournament to a record $50.4 million, a 9 percent
increase over the 2016 US Open prize money totals. With those increases, the US Open becomes
the first tennis tournament in history with total prize money compensation topping $50 million.
Once again, the tournament will provide the richest purse in tennis history.
Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $3.7 million, the largest payout in US
Open history. The average increase per round for the singles competition is 7.5 percent above
the 2016 US Open. Similar to the past two years, the largest percentage gains by round are in the
first and second rounds of the tournament. Both the men’s and women’s doubles champion teams
will earn $675,000, the highest in US Open history, and overall doubles prize money has been
increased by 8.6 percent. The US Open Qualifying Tournament will offer more than $2.9 million in
prize money, an unprecedented 49.2 percent increase over 2016.
This year’s US Open is scheduled for August 28 through September 10, with the US Open Quali-
fying Tournament beginning on August 22. The USTA is continuing its transformation of the USTA
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with a new Louis Armstrong Stadium in 2018.

ENTDECKE Die Int. Plattform für alle

DIE WELT
DER
Trainer und Coaches
die professionell
unterrichten

WE MAKE
A WORLD OF INFO: PTR European Headquarters

DIFFERENCE Leichtergasse 28 - 39012 MERAN

Fon: +39 0473 230097 - www.ptrtennis.de - info@ptrtennis.de
18

String Test - Badminton

Ashaway Rally® 21 Fire Badminton
String With Beta Polymer Technology
In the last issue Ashaway introduced a new
Beta Polymer-based Rally 21 Fire replacing Rally® 21 and Rally® 21 Micro. Constructed
using Ashaway's proprietary Beta Polymer, the new 0.70 mm Rally 21 Fire string provides a 25%
improvement in dynamic stiffness and elasticity over its predecessors, as well as a 25% improve-
ment in knot and sheer strength. These improvements maximize shuttle speed, provide optimum
strength and durability, and minimize tension loss for overall consistent performance.
Like the other strings in the Fire line, the multifilament core of Rally 21 Fire is constructed using
Ashaway's proprietary Beta Polymer. Beta Polymer offers a number of benefits when used in rac-
quet strings, including great strength and elasticity. But unlike the other Fire strings, Rally 21 Fire
does not utilize Ashaway's trademarked ZyWeave™ core. The result is a traditional 0.70 mm string
that is as strong as a standard 0.75 mm string, but plays and sounds like an even thinner string.
Designed for badminton players at all levels, Rally 21 Fire is available in both white and natural,
and in either 10-meter sets or 200-meter reels. Recommended tension is up to 40 lbs. (18 kg).

TEST- We sent out 40 sets of string to 40 testers. They received the Rally 21 Fire in White in
unmarked packages. We requested the testers’ rackets to be strung at their normal tension and to
fill out a stringing and play test form.
IN THE LAB - We tested the string in the lab. The Rally 21 Fire weighed 4.3 grams before
stringing.
The string measured 10.0 meters or 33.0 feet. The string was between 0.72mm and 0.74 mm
before stringing. After stringing the racket at 25 pounds, the diameter was between 0.68mm and
0.70mm. We did not test the tension in the lab as we were told the readings were not correct for
badminton.
STRINGING - The string is thin and softer than some of the other Ashaway badminton strings, so
stringing was very easy. Weaving was very easy and everyone rated it very easy to string. The
string was easy to tie off knots and no one had any problems with it. No one broke the strings
while stringing.
PLAYTEST - Playability was rated from
average to good by all the testers. Power
was rated average to very good for the string.
Durability, as expected was rated good to
very good. Tension loss was rated average
to good. String movement was rated a little
below average to good.
OVERVIEW - Everyone rated the playability
and durability as good. The Rally® 21 Fire has
more power and durability than the original
Rally® 21 being thinner and having new Beta
Polymer in the multi center core. Ashaway has
made their classic nylon multifilament string
much better bringing it up a couple of notches.
A great all round string with a great Price to
Quality ratio.
 EUROPEAN ALBANIA
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20

ERSA ATW
APOLLO LEISURE ran the Wimbledon Stringing Service again this year. As always, a great
team with years of experience working together. The team includes all ERSA Pro Tour Stringers
including several Master Pro Tour Stringers. ERSA Managers from Spain, Italy, England,
Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Canada returned to the team making it the best
Grand Slam team in the world. The front desk and runners doing the cutting, stencilling, bagging
and running rackets out all have years of experience.
New this year to the team was Xavi Segura from Spain, bringing his years of experience to the
team.
More photos and stats coming in the next issue of Pro Stringer.

· Mauve Sports-MSV is a growing, German based tennis strings and grips company.
· Looking for distributors in certain markets
· Highly rated tennis strings. 1 million strings of best-seller MSV FOCUS-HEX sold.
· Affordable, high-quality products.
· Very attractive margins.
· Flexible, responsive and reliable way of doing business together
· Contact for more details: Carl-Philipp Mauve E-mail: mauve@msv-tennis.com
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22

Tips
p
Clean and Fast
To string quickly like a top tour stringer, make sure your machine is clean and lubricated. I teach
all the stringers practicing for the Pro Tour Stringer certification to clean the machine just before
taking their test. This can shave a couple of minutes off of each racket if the base or clamps are
sticking.

Shared Holes
With the number of rackets with shared holes
today, we see many coming in with crossovers.
Sometimes the string wants to go on the wrong
side when tensioning the first string in the hole
and you have 1 up and 1 down. When this hap-
pens it is very easy just to slide an awl in the
hole before tensioning to keep it on the correct
side of the double grommet.

Save Your Back

We have four stringers in our shops and often one of them has back pain. In summer we have so
many rackets we all have to string everyday. Make sure you adjust the machine height for each
stringer so they are standing straight with their back when stringing. If the machine is too low you
will bend forward and put pressure on your lower back. Wilson Baiardo has a built in memory for
each stringer so it is the easiest machine to adjust when many stringers use the same machine.

How to Get the Ping the Same

Many members ask ask why the 2 middle strings
do not have the same sound when plucked and
how do you adjust for this. I pull the 2 middle
strings and clamp the right sidestring. Next, I pull
the left side middle string 2 times, once at normal
tension and once and +4 kilos. I find this works
close for most strings. Everything changes a little
with different gauge, ma-
terials and construction,
so there is no perfect
way to do it.
 #2
STRING PLAYTEST 2016

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 HEAD PRO PLAYERS MAY PLAY WITH DIFFERENT RACQUETS FROM THE MODEL SHOWN.
NEW HEAD XTREME SERIES
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