european racquet stringers association

AUSTRALIAN OPEN STRINGING

HEAD RED COLLECTION
TECNIFIBRE T-Flash
BABOLAT PURE AERO
INDUSTRY NEWS
TIPS
NEW PRODUCTS
HEAD Instinct
HEAD Adaptive
2017Symposium
AusOpen 2017
Tips
Industry News

issue 1 - 2017
ISSUE 5 1- -2015
ISSUE 2014

RACQUETTECH
contents
04 My Serve
Contents
Features
4 My Serve
05 New CS, MRT, 610 New Products
Poly, Zero Poly
04 My
PTS, MRS Serve 12 Industry News
05 New MRTs 18 Volley
06 New Products 23 Symposium
06 NewNews
19 Industry Products
24 Aus Open 2017
18
24 Tips String Intros
26 Tips

26 0420 Industry News

ERSAMyATWServe
30 ERSA ATW Industry News
06 New Products Tecnifibre - ATP
Business of Tennis Forum

13 Industry News ITHF 2017 Nominees

Power Shares Series
Monika Puig Olympics
24 Tips Gardner Mulloy Passes Away
Miringoff New K-Swiss

26 ERSA ATW
 4

My Serve
RACQUETTECH EUROPE
European Racquet Stringers Association

ERSA Australia
Anthony Aley - Noel Dodds
My Serve
ERSA Benelux
Timo van Driel, Rob Maessen Welcome to the first issue of 2017.
ERSA Czech Republic & Slovakia
The ERSA Symposium is getting
Vaclav Smat close. We only have a couple of
places left and some members are still debating whether to
ERSA Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Mike Emenako, Mark Maslowski
come or not. I have as a Coach, Stringer, Shop Owner always
tried to attend as many conferences as possible. I always
ERSA Greece Manager found it was great meeting new people in the industry and
George Pahiakos
and always learned many new things from the presentations.
ERSA Italy Manager - Marco Rossani Half of the attendees this year have attended three or four
Symposiums already. Most are shop owners and pro tour
ERSA Ireland - Roger Henry
stringers.
ERSA Korea - Taikki Lee You can always find reasons not to attend but even the top
stringers in the world have told us they learn new things every
ERSA Latin America
Ricardo Dipold
year and keep coming back.
There are many other workshops, meeting and conferences
ERSA Serbia - Dr. Alexander Ducic that I would recommend. Anything that has to do with your
ERSA Spain - France
interests or business.
Richard Parnell This issue contains an article on volleys by Gabe Jaramillo
for our members who play and coach tennis. Gabe was head
ERSA Taiwan - Bernie Chen
coach at Nick Bolletieri Acadamy for years and now runs the
ERSA UK Club Med Academy at Sandpiper Bay.
Paul Skipp, Huw Phillips, Jamie Pethick

ERSA UKAINE - Sergey Konovolenko

Also featured in this issue are the new HEAD Graphene
Touch Instinct rackets along with the new HEAD Adaptive
FOUNDING MEMBERS rackets.
Ashaway Babolat
Head Isospeed
We had a large nember of members stringing in Melbourne at
Kirschbaum Luxilon the 2017 Australian Open. An article and photos are included
Pacific Wilson in this issue. We set a record of 5460 restrings in one tourne-
CORPORATE MEMBERS
ment and the second record in a row in Melbourne.
Ashaway Head Babolat
Prince Isospeed Yonex ERSA is launching ERSA China this month. With this we will
GOSEN Tecnifibre
be expanding our badminton
STRING SUPPLIER MEMBERS education and including a
Apollo Leisure MSV badminton and squash section
Kirschbaum Signum Pro
in each issue of the magazine
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS starting next month.
PTR Europe TIA UK
TENNIS EUROPE
Looking forward to seeing
TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS many of you in Dusseldorf
Rod Cross - Australia - Physics March 31!
Gabe Jarmillo - Pro Tennis
best regards
European Racquet Stringers Association
Lenaustr. 38 40470 Düsseldorf Mark Maslowski
DE Germany
Phone / Fax +49(0)211-68814151
[Link]
New ERSA Stringers, EPS, EMPS,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 ERSA PROFESSIONAL STRINGER

for this certification, Level 1, Level 2 and Master Pro Tour Stringer.
We now offer certification for Tennis, Badminton and Squash.
ERSA Stringer -
ERSA Professional Stringer - Alex Horobeanu - Netherlands
ERSA Master Profesional Stringer (tennis)
Jamid Benachi Arce - Spain, Joaquin Mendiola Sanchez - Spain, ERSA MASTER PROFESSIONAL STRINGER

Alexandre Garde - France, Vincent Le, France

Pro Tour Stringer Level 1 -

STRINGS
MADE IN GERMANY
SINCE 1985
6

New Products
NEW FRAME, NEW GAME: INSTINCT RACQUET SERIES WITH
GRAPHENE TOUCH TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES EFFORTLESS POWER

Power has never been this effortless. Thanks to a brand new frame construction and
the introduction of Graphene Touch technology, the new INSTINCT racquet series offers
great touch, excellent maneuverability and the optimum combination of power and
control for all playing levels.

The secret to the incredible playability lies in advanced 3D carbon engineering, which
provides more stability and a bigger sweet spot for effortless power. The new racquets
feature special grommets which dampen vibrations, while the bumper and bridge sections
are specially designed to seamlessly integrate with the frame. The new Graphene Touch
technology optimizes touch for a solid and dampened feel without compromising the
power level that Graphene players around the world have come
to expect. The Instinct series comes complete with HEAD’s
signature asymmetric design, defined using multiple shades of
blue complemented with an apple green pop color. The new
colorful design is also featured in the Tour Team bag and the
Sportswear collection for a matching head-to-toe outfit.
Available in four different models (MP, Adaptive, S and LITE) to
suit every individual playing style, the new INSTINCT racquet
series is available at selected retailers and online as of January
19, 2017.

For more information please visit:

[Link]/tennis
[Link]/headtennis
[Link]/head_tennis
[Link]/headtennis_official
 7

New Products
HEAD ADAPTIVE RACQUETS ALLOW CONSUMERS TO CHANGE
THEIR GAME. ANYTIME.

Sometimes a little tuning is all it takes to turn an already great racquet into the perfect
racquet. HEAD presents the new SPEED and INSTINCT ADAPTIVE racquets that allow
players to personalize the racquets’ specifications to create a mix of benefits that matches
their individual playing level and style. The launch of the new racquets is supported by an
online configurator that supports users to develop the full potential of their racquets with
interactive tools and easy-to-follow manuals for the perfect result.

The new SPEED and INSTINCT ADAPTIVE racquets come with a pre-installed light 16/19
string pattern and standard length but its true potential lies in the separate ADAPTIVE
TUNING KIT. It provides three additional grommet sets (consisting of a heavier 16/19
pattern as well as a light and heavy 16/16 pattern for more spin), three spacer rings for
additional length, and an additional end cap to increase the weight in the handle and make
the racquet more evenly balanced if needed. This allows consumers to personalize their
racquet’s specifications including weight, balance and length as well as the string pattern to
create the perfect individual mix of the benefits power, spin, control and maneuverability.

The amazing potential of the Adaptive system also comes to life online: A new configuration
app allows users to literally pull the parts of the virtual Adaptive Tuning Kit onto their racquet
on the screen and immediately see how its specifications change. At the same time, the
configurator visualizes the immediate impact these changes have on the benefits power,
control, spin, and maneuverability and provides users with easy-to-follow manuals on how to
make the changes to their racquets in real life to achieve the best result.

The SPEED and INSTINCT ADAPTIVE racquets are available as of January 19, 2017 at
selected retailers and online.
[Link]
8

New Products
HEAD Instinct MP HEAD Instinct Lite
Length - 27 in. / 68.5 cm Length -27.2 in. / 69.0 cm
Weight - 300g Weight - 270g
Head Size - 100in² Head Size -107in²
Balance - 32.0cm Balance - 34cm
Beam - 23/26/23 Beam - 23/26/23 mm
Pattern - 16x19 Pattern - 16x19
Grip - 0-5 Grip - 0-5

HEAD Instinct S
Length - 27 in. / 68.5 cm
Weight - 285g
Head Size - 100in²
Balance- 32.0
Beam - 23/26/23
Pattern - 16x19
Grip - 0-5

HEAD Instinct Adaptive

Length - 27 in. / 68.5 cm
Weight - 290g / 305g
Head Size - 100in²
Balance - 33.0cm
Beam - 23/26/23mm
Pattern - 16x19 / 16x16
Grip - 0-5

HEAD Speed Adaptive

Length - 27 in. / 68.5 cm
Weight - 285g / 300g
Head Size - 100in.²
Balance - 32.5cm
Beam - 22mm
Pattern - 16x19 / 16x16
Grip - 1-5
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!

[Link]
10

P ly ZZero PPoly
Poly. ly
Poly, Zero Poly™ and the Dynamics of Spin

By Steve Crandall
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Ashaway Racket Strings

In tennis these days--much like politics--spin is all the rage. Everybody wants to improve their "up and
down" game, and play like the top pros with "heavy balls" that drop like stones just inside the base line. And
to generate that spin many are also emulating the pros by using the same "high tech" high-performance
polyester strings, aka "gut on steroids." But what they're finding, unfortunately, is that polyester strings don't
work as well for them. They feel like they have to work much harder with these strings to get less; and get
worked over pretty hard by them in return. One fellow likened playing with them to "hitting a brick wall with a
baseball bat."

So is polyester all it's cracked up to be when it comes to spin, and is it the right string for you? The answer
is yes, and no.

Previously, we talked about how stiff polyester strings are and how--in addition to rattling your teeth when
you hit the ball with them--they actually generate less power than other string materials like gut and the new
Zero Poly™ materials like Polyketone/Zyex®. So then, how is it possible for a string that generates less
power to also generate more spin?

Back in 2011, Crawford Lindsey and company at Tennis Warehouse University studied spin extensively,
and published a number of highly technical reports on the mechanics and physics of spin on the TWU
website. Their comparative study, Which Strings Generate the Most Spin, concluded that polyester strings
do indeed generate more spin: on average, about 25% more than nylon and 7% more than natural gut. But
they also point out that:

1. The player has by far the larger role in generating spin. Racquet head speed, angle of racquet, and
angle of swing basically trump all other considerations. Other non-equipment factors include incoming ball
speed, angle and amount of topspin.
2. While string material, tension and stringing pattern do play a role, the key factor in this regard is
lateral string movement and snap-back. Polyester simply moves laterally more easily than nylon or gut, and
thus produces more spin.

But, they ask in a follow-up report, String 'Snap-Back' and Spin, "What is it about the string/material that
makes it move and stretch laterally? The candidates from
TWU string properties testing would suggest stiffness,
tension loss, and slipperiness as the main candidates.
Polyester is stiffer, loses more tension, and is slippery. The
stiffer material may be more able to overcome inter-string
friction or move faster; the lower tension decreases inter-
string friction enabling more movement; and slipperiness
(low coefficient of friction--COF) also lessens inter-string
friction. These may all act in
interactive combinations to
facilitate string movement and
snap-back."
 11

Poly, Zero Poly

So the key element here is inter-string friction.

In another report, String Movement and Spin, they point out that, "because polyester string is stiffer than
other strings, it deforms the ball more, which loses energy, and this results in less power for the same
swing. Because the ball had less speed, players swung faster to get more depth. But swinging faster (at an
angle to the ball) causes more spin, so they could swing faster again, and so on--more speed, more spin,
more speed, more spin."

In short, high performance polyester strings work for the top pros because they are top pros. They swing
harder and faster, hit at better swing and racquet angles, and are more likely to hit with the sweet spot on
the racquet. Thus, they are able to do things with these strings that the rest of us can't. But even the pros
have their limits with polyesters. Many are stringing at lower tensions or going to hybrid set-ups to reduce
stiffness and impact shock. And you'll notice that when they do occasionally off hit, the ball goes zooming
away like a rocket. High performance polyesters are like formula-one racecars: they take a lot of skill to
drive.

So, what's a poor recreational player to do (or even a pro who's sick of getting beaten up by his string)? Is
there another way to generate spin?

Although Crawford Lindsey and company have yet to study it scientifically, reports we're getting at Ashaway
from players of all stripes indicate that Zero Poly strings like our MonoGut® ZX do indeed generate spin
like polyesters, and do so more easily and more comfortably with less impact shock on players' arms and
shoulders. To understand how this works, we need to go back to our discussion of Dynamic Stiffness (Asha-
way's Zyex®-Based Tennis Strings: the New "Manmade Natural Gut"). Dynamic stiffness is a measure of
a string's elasticity and ability to "snap back." The more a string stretches, the more power it returns to the
ball. The less it stretches, the more energy is lost in flattening the ball and the less total power is available
for rebound.

This is true regardless of whether a string stretches perpendicular to the string bed as in a straight hit, or
lateral to the string bed in generating spin, so long as friction does not get in the way. The reason nylon
generates less spin than polyester is because nylon strings are stickier than polyester. Their snap-back gets
stuck. Gut is less sticky than nylon, but is still stickier than polyester. Our evidence suggests that Zero Poly
is as slippery as polyester, especially when configured as a monofilament in MonoGut ZX. So you get more
spin with less work. We call it Dynamic Spin.

This gives you the best of both worlds. Rather than a highly specialized 'formula-one' string, Zero Poly or
Zyex strings are like Porsches. You get all the power and handling of a finely built racing machine, but it
drives easily and you can take it on the road.

The dynamic stiffness of Zyex is the closest to natural gut of any synthetic string material. It absorbs and
returns impact force more like gut. It controls the ball more like gut, especially in thinner gauge strings, and
holds tension as well, or perhaps even a bit better than gut. Better, Zyex can be constructed as a multifila-
ment (Ashaway Dynamite 17 Natural or Dynamite 18 Soft); as a multistranded monofilament (Ashaway Dy-
namite 16 Tough); or, as a straight monofilament in our new MonoGut ZX and MonoGut ZX Pro. This, along
with a broader range of gauges than either polyesters or gut, allows you to more closely tailor your string
choice to your style of play. Take one for a spin and let us know how it works for you.

Zyex is a registered trademark of Zyex Ltd.

12

Industry News
TECNIFIBRE EXTENDS ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ATP UNTIL 2020
Having being partners of the ATP since 2013, Tecnifibre has extended the adventure for another
3 years. The commitment with the men’s government body of the professional tennis will be ex-
tended to until 2020.

Since 2013, Tecnifibre has taken advantage of its partnership with the ATP by developing strong
communications and media programmes such as the “On the Road to the ATP World Tour” men-
toring programme, and the “Young Guns Contest” since 2015. The goal of the programmes is
to increase the brand awareness and to grain credibility among the touring pros. This was a risk
worth taking as over the 4 years of partnership, Tecnifibre has grown 30% in terms of sales
figures on its home market in France and was able to successfully start up its subsidiary in the
USA. The number of views on digital platform was boosted further internationally with an average
of 750.000 views per year on social networks for the On the Road programme. And finally, the
number of Tecnifibre athletes in the Top 300 increased three-fold.

Geoffroy Bourbon, vice-president sponsoring of the ATP World Tour : "We are thrilled to continue
the partnership with Tecnifibre until 2020. The work that we have done together was a real suc-
cess and we truly believe that they are magnificent ambassadors of the performance values. The
On the Road Programme perfectly illustrates our wishes to accompany players to realise their
maximum potential : Daniil Medvedev in the
Tecnifibre Young Guns Contest is a good
example of this, finishing the year for the first
time in the world’s top 100."

Daniil Medvedev wins the 2nd Young Guns

Contest. After the successful inaugural con-
test last year, the title of the “Sponsor’s Tro-
phy” goes to Daniil Medvedev. Aged 20
years old and ranked 98th in the rankings
now, the young Russian has receive his
$50.000 winner’s cheque at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, following in the foot-
steps of Denis Kudla (who reached a high ranking of53rd in the rankings).
Over the duration of the contest, Medvedev gained 186 places in the ATP rankings and defeated
Grégoire Barrère (FRA), Mitchell Krueger (USA) et
Omar Jasika (AUS). On the social networks (a key
aspect of this contest), Daniil was able to animate his
fans by using the hashtag #TeamDaniil.

Daniil Medvedev is very proud to have won the 2nd

Young Guns Contest: “I would like to thank my fans
who supported me from the beginning, and also to
Tecnifibre for this incredible opportunity given to me.
It is a real stepping stone for the
next season”.

[Link]fi[Link]
Sign-up 2017

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

Become a member today and receive:
- STRINGERS DIGEST
- RACQUETTECH MAGAZINE - 10 ISSUES
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Please Fax or e-Mail this form to European Racquet Stringers Association.

Phone & Fax +49(0)211-68814151; email mmaslo3330@[Link]
14

Industry News
National Tennis Manager of Greenwich Lei-sure Limited to be a featured speaker at ‘Tennis
Economics’, the Business of Tennis Forum presented by the Tennis Industry Association
UK Tuesday April 4th 2017 at The Queen’s Club, London
Sponsored by the LTA

Barry Cawte will speak at the Forum on the role GLL is playing in the growth
of ten-nis and its relationship with the LTA to achieve mutual goals. Barry’s
presentation will take delegates on his journey from turning around the
doomed Swansea Tennis Centre to overseeing the largest publically oper-
ated tennis estate in the UK, provid-ing an insight into the ‘business of ten-
nis’ fundamentals he has used along the way and the aspirations of GLL for
tennis going-forward.
The theme of the 2017 Business of Tennis Forum is ‘Tennis Economics’ and
will be attended by many of the key decision makers and influential leaders
within the sport.
The annual Business of Tennis Forum is the only event that provides insight on the UK tennis
economy and provides delegates with new solutions, products and ser-vices to help grow and
improve their tennis businesses.
The 2017 event is sponsored by the LTA and illustrates the importance the govern-ing body places
on its relationship with the wider tennis industry and the desire to bring fresh thinking and new
ideas to help grow the sport.
The event is at The Queen’s Club, London on Tuesday April 4th 2017 from 12 noon and tickets are
limited to 100 delegates.

Miringoff Named K-Swiss' Global U.S. Top 10 every year from 1939 through
Tennis Director 1954, save for the two years he served in the
K-Swiss has appointed Mike Navy during World War II. He reached No. 1
Miringoff as its global director of tennis, in 1952. Mulloy won five Grand Slam men’s
responsible for all aspects of the performance doubles crowns and was a singles finalist at
tennis business in North America, Forest Hills in 1952. He won his last major
including sales, marketing and product. He title in 1957 at age 43, partnering with Budge
joins K-Swiss from Wilson, where he spent Patty to claim the Wimbledon men’s
the last five years in Shanghai, China, as Asia doubles. He was inducted into the International
Pacific region commercial manager. Tennis Hall of Fame in 1972.

As a senior player, Mulloy won titles well

Gardner Mulloy Passes Away into his 80s. Today, the ITF’s Super Senior
Tennis legend and Hall of Famer Gardnar World Team Championship’s Gardnar Mulloy
Mulloy passed away on Nov. 14. He was 102 Cup is for players 80-and-over.
years old. “A feisty and fiery competitor and one of
A three-time NCAA our sport’s most passionate proponents,
champion at the Uni- Gardnar truly left an indelible mark on the
versity sport that he so loved,” said USTA President
of Miami, Mulloy was Katrina Adams.
ranked in the
 15

Industry News

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has been named as the title sponsor of the 2017 Business of
Tennis Forum.
Following the success of the last two events organised by the Tennis Industry Association, the LTA
has agreed to be the title sponsor for the 2017 event with reserved rights to renew as title sponsor
for 2018. With a focus on commercial and business activity, TIAUK offers the LTA a means of add-
ing value to its drive to increase participation and a practical way of engaging with the wider tennis
industry.
The annual Business of Tennis Forum offers a unique and important platform to highlight innovative
solutions, provide current business insight and identify best practice as well as sharing new prod-
ucts and services to enhance the sport.
“TIAUK has worked hard to develop the Business of Tennis Forum into a valuable vehicle to learn
from those within - and outside - the business of tennis, and to provide a platform for companies
with innovative and exciting products and services to improve the tennis experience,” said TIAUK
Business Development Manager Phil Sandilands.
“Ultimately the Business of Tennis Forum is about tools and processes to improve the overall sus-
tainability of tennis and this is why the LTA is very keen to support us.”
The LTA will help promote the event to clubs and to British Tennis members and intend to have a
number of LTA staff attending the event.
The 2016 Business of Tennis Forum, held at the Queen’s Club in West London, saw LTA’s Head
of Insight and Strategy Paul Burditt present the keynote speech, “Growing the Game: Challenges,
Opportunities” and address the barriers to participation and identify potential areas of growth.
As a further indicator of the improved engagement between the industry and the LTA, for the first
time the LTA is hosting a briefing meeting with the major equipment brands on October 10. The
meeting will enable the LTA to set the narrative on the state of British tennis, review its strategic
plan for participation and open up discussion around issues and opportunities that are facing the
tennis industry in Britain.
The briefing meeting is expected to become a regular occurrence as part of an ongoing dialogue
between the LTA and the tennis industry and the TIAUK.
The Business of Tennis Forum will be held in April 2017 – week commencing April 3– with the ex-
act date and location to be confirmed. For further information go to: [Link]

Monica Puig received the Association

of National Olympic Committees Award for Best Female Athlete at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Puig won the gold medal in women’s singles, becoming the first ath-
lete—male or female—to win a gold medal for Puerto Rico, and the
first Puerto Rican female to medal at the Summer Games since the na-
tion’s first appearance in 1948.
16

Industry News
ITHF Induction announced for 2017
Former world No. 1’s Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick have been elected to receive the highest
honor in tennis - induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Joining them in the Hall of
Fame Class of 2017 will be Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, a 4-time Paralympic medalist in
wheelchair tennis, being honored for her remarkable career. Additionally, two individuals will be in-
ducted in the Contributor Category. Steve Flink, a distinguished tennis historian and journalist has
been elected for induction. Vic Braden, a groundbreaking tennis instructor who was among the
first to apply sports science to his instructional tactics will be inducted posthumously.

Andy Roddick, Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, and Steve Flink will take part in a special cer-
emony on court at the Australian Open on Tuesday evening to celebrate their induction for the very
first time.
More than 20 Hall of Fame tennis legends will gather on court at Rod Laver Arena at the Australian
Open to officially welcome the Class of 2017. Among those slated to participate are Rod Laver,
Margaret Court, Ken Rosewall, Pat Rafter, Stan Smith, Lindsay Davenport, John McEnore, and
many more.
Of the honor, Roddick stated, “It’s really special. I love this sport and I love being part of it. I’m
moved to know that my presence in the sport will be forever part of tennis history, and I am just
incredibly honored to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I look forward to the
induction ceremony in Newport in July.”
Clijsters was unable to travel to the festivities in Melbourne, as she recently gave birth to her third
child. However, the 2011 Australian Open champion will be recognized via video sent to the arena.
Of the induction honor, she stated, “I feel very, very honored to be inducted into the International
Tennis Hall of Fame. It is a huge honor to be amongst a list of so many great tennis players who I
admired when I was growing up, and some great players who I played with in my tennis career as
well.”

International Tennis Hall of Fame President and 1987 Hall of Famer Stan Smith stated, “It’s a
real pleasure to welcome these five remarkable individuals into the Hall of Fame. Kim, Andy, and
Monique compiled outstanding careers, winning the game’s biggest titles and ascending to the
world No. 1 ranking. Steve’s lifelong dedication to chronicling the sport’s happenings and history
has engaged and educated fans around the world. And, of course, we remember Vic Braden, who
transformed how tennis is taught and how athletes are developed. I’m very pleased to congratu-
late the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2017 and we look forward to celebrating them
in Newport in July, and forever as Hall of Famers.”

The Class of 2017 will be officially inducted on July 22, during Rolex Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. Tickets for the Induc-
tion Ceremony will go on sale in early February. In addition, the class will be celebrated in a trib-
ute exhibit opening in June in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which will be
displayed for one year.
 17

Industry News
PowerShares Series 2017 schedule
LOS ANGELES - PowerShares Series Tennis, the circuit for champion tennis players over the age
of 30, announced its full 2017 circuit of events starting March 30 in Toronto, Canada.
The 2017 PowerShares Series will also again partner alongside ATP and WTA events in
Charleston, S.C., Newport, R.I., Winston-Salem, N.C., and New Haven, Conn. The series of
one-night tournaments, featuring two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set final-round match
played between tennis legends, will feature for a third straight year players making their own
line-calls with the assistance of electronic line-calling.
The full 2017 PowerShares Series schedule, with player fields, is as follows:

• March 30: Toronto, ON (Ricoh Coliseum) - John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, Mark
Philippoussis
• April 1: Charleston, S.C. (Family Circle Tennis Center) - John McEnroe, Andy Roddick,
James Blake, Mark Philippoussis
• April 28: Birmingham, AL (Legacy Arena At The BJCC) - John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim
Courier, Mardy Fish
• May 17: Chicago, IL (UIC Pavilion) - John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark
Philippoussis
• July 23 Newport, R.I. (International Tennis Hall of Fame) - Andy Roddick, Jim Courier,
James Blake, Mardy Fish
• August 20 Winston-Salem, N.C. (Wake Forest University) - Andy Roddick, James Blake,
Michael Chang, Mardy Fish
• August 24, 25 New Haven, CT (Yale University) - John McEnroe, Michael Chang, James
Blake, Mark Philippoussis
• Lincoln, NE (Pinnacle Bank Arena) - to be announced
• Los Angeles, CA (Sherwood Country Club) - to be announced
• Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena) - to be announced

Each PowerShares Series event also features special VIP experiences, including hit-with-the-pros
opportunities and special back-stage access. All ticket, experience and event information can be
found at [Link].

Mark Philippoussis won the 2016 PowerShares Series season championship with tournament
victories in Memphis, Tulsa, Newport, Winston-Salem and New Haven. Andy Roddick won four
events during the 2016 season in St. Louis, Charleston, Los Angeles and Orlando, followed in third
place by James Blake, who won titles in Chicago, Portland and Brooklyn. In 2015, Roddick won
the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series winning a record
eight events in Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and
Minneapolis. The year before in 2014, McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the history
of Champions Series tennis by winning events in Kansas City,
Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte.
18

Gabe Jaramillo
VOLLEY
The volleys are more than just another stroke, when
hitting a good shot and having the opportunity to come
to the net and finish the point, it becomes a statement
of control and decisiveness to play aggressive tennis. Those points can transport you to another
level, capturing your emotions and giving you confidence.

Hitting a good volley is a matter of practicing with the right technique until it becomes automatic, all
players while playing singles or doubles need to hit the volley to go beyond hitting and hoping for
the best. Players need to actually understand the mechanics to rise above the competition.

Practice these drills fifteen minutes in your work outs and discover how easy it is to improve using
the same techniques of great players such as Agassi, Stepenanek and Hass.

DRILL ONE- AGASSI DRILL

Objectives:
1- Proper loading to execute a linear shot
2- Good athletic foundation
3- Same drill for forehand and backhand
 19

Gabe Jaramillo

Execution:
1- Fed ball and then progressively moving to live ball
2- Player hitting from the T or middle of the court
3- Before the opponent hits the ball the player split step landing with a wide and strong base, stay-
ing low and with a firm upper body
4- After the split step the player takes a strong step with the outside leg, open stands
5- As the player steps on the outside leg, he begins to load by turning and opening the hips and
shoulders on the same direction
6- From this position the player steps with a neutral stance, the key is making sure he steps at the
same time as he hits the ball

DRILL TWO- STEPANEK

Objectives:
1- Short backswing
2- Elbow inside, in front and away from the body
3- Make contact in front
4- This is a forehand volley drill
20

Gabe Jaramillo
Execution:
1- Player at the T or middle of the court
2- Basket drill moving gradually into live ball
3- With the opposite hand the player pushes the hitting arm inside, using the back of the hand to
do so
4- The hitting elbow should be inside on line with the belly button
5- The player executes the volley maintaining the position of the elbow and the help of the oppo-
site hand

DRILL THREE- HAAS

Objectives:
1- To make sure the racket does not go down after contact
2- To avoid the choping on the volley stroke
3- This drill can be done for forehand and backhand volley

Execution:
1- Player closed to the net, in a position close enough, where the racket can touch the net after
contact
2- Start with fed ball and transition to live ball
3- After contact the racket should travel above the net with out touching it
4- For this drill we will use a longer and very firm followthrough

Article and text by: Gabe Jaramillo

Photographs by: Ray Giubilo

Website: [Link]
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 2017 ERSA
Symposium and Annual General Meeting
Sign-up Sheet
Friday, March 31, 2017
20:00 – Welcome Cocktail – Tryp Airport Hotel Düsseldorf
Samstag, April 1, 2017
9:00 – 15:00 Presentations – Tryp Airport Hotel Düsseldorf
15:00 - 17:00 Workshops and Private Lessons
Sunday, April 2, 2017
9:00 – 15:00 Presentations – Tryp Airport Hotel Düsseldorf
15:00 - 17:00 Workshops and Private Lessons – Tryp Airport Hotel Düsseldorf
Monday, April 3, 2017
9:00 – 15:00 Presentations – Tryp Airport Hotel Düsseldorf
9:00 - 12:00 Racquet and String Testing - TC Blau-Schwarz
15:00 - 17:00 Workshops and Private Lessons – Tryp Airport Hotel Düsseldorf
Tuesday, April 4, 2015
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4 Ratingen,
0880 R Germany
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Tel: +
Tel: 49 ((0)
+49 0) 2102 4
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Fax: 49 ((0)
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[Link]
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 23

Sy p
Symposium 2017
07
March 31, 2017
Meet & Greet Cocktail - 20:00 Tryp Airport Hotel

April 1, 2017 - Tryp Airport Hotel Saturday

9:00 AGM - ERSA Annual Meeting - Saturday
10:00 ERSA Certification
11:00 - Robin Soderling - MyLife
12:30 - Lunch Break
14:00 - Stringing and Testing Techniques - Fred Beers
15:00 - Timo van Driel - Setting up a Stringing Business
16:00 - Private Lessons
18:00 - Annual Managers/Directors Meeting - Saturday
April 2, 2017 - Tryp Airport Hotel Sunday
9:00 Mark Maslowski -
Organizing tournament stringing
10:00 - Mark Goodman - Badminton
11:00 - Grip Moulding
12:00 - Lunch Break
13:30 - Racket Tuning / Racket Matching
14:30 -Richard Parnell - “ 99 ways to string a racquet”
16:00 - Private Lessons

April 3, 2017
9:00 Private Lessons - Tuning Workshop
9:00 - 1 Day Workshop Squash or Badminton
Rochusclub - 50€
9:00 - 15:00 String & Racket Testing - TC Blau-Schwarz

April 4, 2017
9:00 - 14:00 String and Racket Testing - TC Blau-Schwarz
9:00 - 14:00 Certification Testing - Rochusclub

Program to be scheduled including-

Sponsor String and Racket Tests -
Sponsor R&D and new product Presentations from top manufacturers.
Racquet Tuning Workshop, Badminton and Squash Workshops,
Presentations - Shop Management, Business Planning,
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Tournament Organization and more.
Everyone receives a sample bag with strings and grips along with a raffle for racket bags
and rackets.
 24

AusOpen
p 2017

The 2017 Australian Open will be remembered for the great tennis and the resurgance of the top
players from 10 years ago. All the single finalists were over 30 years old, along with the Bryan
brothers in the doubles final. The YONEX stringing team made a record for the second straight
year there in a row for the most rackets ever strung in a tournament. 5460, beating the record set
last January of 5297. There were also 2 days in a row with over 500 rackets strung. I do not be-
lieve that ever happened before in a tournament.
The team was made up of stringers from around the world. USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Korea,
Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, India, England, Netherlands, Germany, Italy and
Switzerland.
We had a core team from last year with a number of new stringers joining the team. Some things
I noticed this time were less spin rackets, only 1 with 16 x 15 stringing pattern; more spin rackets
with 18 main strings, more 18x 20 stringing patterns and more hybrids with poly mains and
crosses. We also saw the majority of rackets were from Babolat, Wilson and Head, with Yonex
making the largest increase in rackets.
The tournament does everything pos-
sible to keep the players and public
happy. The players get free stringing the
last three years along with many new
benefits every year. They allowed the
stringing team to make photos on Rod
Laver Arena this year (above).
 Is String
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26

Tips
p
When to Use or Not to Use a Spacing
Block
I have been seeing many people buying blocks or tubes to
keep the string from getting flat near the angles. I noticed
some people are using them every time they use the starting
clamp. You have to think about when and where to use these.
If your block in not large, they only work when going into the
next hole on the grommet strip. If it is two holes away, the
starting clamp will flatten the string where it goes into the
grommet. This is what we are trying to prevent. In this case
just use a leather pad if you need to protect the frame.

Measuring String
I always bring back something new from every tournament. The
players are always asking how many strings are left on their reel.
It is very easy instead of guessing or taking the string off the reel
and putting it back on or cutting it into sets. You have to know
how much the reel weighs and how much a set weighs. Most
of the plastic reels weigh about 54-56 grams, but be careful as
some, such as Kirschbaum weigh 105 grams. If you have a reel of
1.25mm Pro Line 2 it weighs 437g minus 105g =332 g. / 17 sets
@ 11 m. = 19.5 g. per 11 m. set. The 1.30mm weighs 1.3 grams
a set more and the 1,20mm around 1.3 grams less. Alu Power
weighs in at 17.5 g. per set. If you use 18 grams a set for AluPow-
er and AluRough you will not overestimate the number of sets left.
I have a reel of Alu Power here from a customer. It weighs 77.3g.
- 56 for the reel leaves 21.3g, so he has 1 set left.

Rattle in the Racquet Head and No New Grommet Strip

We get some rackets in at tournaments from pros
with a piece a material from drilling stuck in the
hoop. The grips are often filled with silicon and
metal weights so the “trap door” does not help. We
do not have grommet strips for all rackets there so
there are several ways to remove these pieces.
First, try taking out the throat piece as it is easy
to put back in, and try and shake the piece out. If
this does not work, try and find exactly where the
rattle is and see if you can remove this section of
the grommet strip. Shake out the piece. Now, the
grommets are usually bent and do not fit in. Use a
heat pistol and pliers to straighten the grommets
out. I lubricate the hole and grommets with wax or
lip balm and carefully put them back in. DO NOT
PUSH HARD! as the grommets will bend easily.
 #2
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