New Hoodie Collection from Old School Tennis showcases the VIVA Collection
These hoodies speak for themselves, but we really love that they are paying tribute to two legends who we lost too soon - Arthur Ashe and Vitas Gerulaitis. They're lightweight, 50% cotton, 50% polyester, from Hanes. Perfect warmup sweatshirt for when the weather breaks a bit and its a little cooler outside.
from Old School Tennis
Volley Canvas Trainers Provide Alternative to Rod Lavers & Stan Smiths
Don't get us wrong, we love Rods,Stans,and Jack Purcells(although he's technically badminton). But these are a nice, more unique alternative from Volley, an Australian brand. They features the distinctive herringbone tread with excellent grip. Cotton canvas with rubber sole
from Selectism
Vitas was known for winning the men's singles title at one of the 2 Australian Open tournaments held in 1977. He also won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1975 and was a singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon in both 1977 and 1978. In 1977, he lost a long Wimbledon semi-final to Björn Borg 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6.
Gerulaitis was known for his exceptionally quick hands at the net and for his outstanding court coverage. With his dash of long blond hair he was a precursor, in style at least, to Andre Agassi.
Gerulaitis died in an accident on September 17, 1994, at age 40. While visiting a friend's home in Southampton, Long Island, a malfunction in the heating system caused odorless, poisonous carbon monoxide gas to seep into the guesthouse where Gerulaitis was sleeping, causing his death. Gerulaitis is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.*
I was too young to appreciate his play as much as I'd like. But I do follow his contemporaries quite a bit - McEnroe, Borg, Connors, etc. You will never hear anyone say an ill word of Vitas, he's one of the good guys in tennis, beloved and greatly missed by all.
Martina Navratilova Tshirts Sales Used to Raise Money for Breast Cancer Awareness
The former World No. 1 and as Billie Jean King said, "'the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived." Is adding a new battle to her 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles...breast cancer.
If there's one person who will whip cancer's ass, its Martina. We're sure of it.
This unique tshirt commemorates the craziness that happened at this year's Wimbledon. American 23rd seed John Isner beat the French qualifier Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in tennis history, measured both by time and number of games. After 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over three days, the match finished 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(9-7), 7-6(7-3), 70-68 (183 games). The match began at 6:13 pm British Summer Time (17:13 UTC) on Tuesday 22 June 2010.
At 9:07 pm, due to fading light, play was suspended at two sets each. After resuming on Wednesday 23 at 2:05 pm, the record for longest match was broken at 5:45 pm. The light faded again, and so play was suspended at 9:10 pm, with the final set tied at 59 games each. Play resumed at 3:43 pm on Thursday 24, and Isner won at 4:48 pm, the final set having lasted 8 hours, 11 minutes. (via Wikipedia)
VIVA ARTHUR Tshirt Celebrates the Great American Tennis Champion
This t-shirt from Old School Tennis celebrates a player whose impact on the world and on tennis is difficult to sum up, Arthur Ashe. Let's start with him being one of the best American tennis players ever. As a player, a career record of 818-260, 33 titles, #1 in 1969, Australian Open champ, Wimbledon champ, US Open champ, 18 double titles. And Davis Cup winner when he was captain.
But more than that he was a graceful champion at life. A civil rights leader and activist, he was part of a delegation of 31 prominent African-Americans who visited South Africa to observe political change in the country as it approached racial integration. And despite two rounds of heart surgeries and contracting AIDS through a blood transfusion, Ashe never lost his grace, dignity or class.
Which is why we say VIVA ARTHUR!
You can put the design on just about any shirt in the store. But we like how it is shown, on an American Apparel jersey t-shirt, 100% cotton.
Isner and Mahut's Longest Tennis Match Ever, Immortalized in a URL?
Wimbledon's over, but the history that John Isner and Nicolas Mahut made in their 11 hour, 5 minute match lives on. This is a record that will never be beaten, which is why we're posting about something we've never posted about before...URLs, domain names, website addresses.
We have but one big observation regarding the equipment of this year's Wimbledon on the ladies' side of things. And that observation...K-Swiss has arrived.
Of course, K-swiss has been around for a long long time, and they've been the choice of many a club player including yours truly forever. But they've only been going into the pro game for a few years. Yes, the Bryan brothers are K-Swiss head to toe which is amazing. But let's be real, doubles doesn't sell product. Singles does, which is why Vera Zvonareva's final appearance was noteworthy to us.
First, the apparel. Very sharp, classic yet modern. Not too flashy. Contemporary tennis threads. Check it out at Do It Tennis or Tennis Warehouse.
The Shoes: K-Swiss Women's Defier RS
The Defier RS is engineered to stand up to the most intense game. The TecTuff high-abrasion toe wrap creates a durable barrier between the court and the foot. The abrasion-resistant DragGuard is placed in the toe and the heel of the Aosta 7.0 rubber outsole. The Defier RS outsole features non-marking and a clay-friendly herringbone tread pattern for multi-surface traction.
Geico Wimbledon commercial touts a Lobster ball machine
We didn't get the Geico ads with the caveman and Billie Jean King at first...and we still may not. But we will say they're funny. But we saw a newer ad during Wimbledon that caught our eye for a different reason - a big fat ad for the Lobster Elite 3 Ball Machine. I don't know if Lobster paid for it, but they sure got a lot of great exposure.
The Lobster Sports Elite 3offers an unparalleled 4-8 hours of court time. Its ergonomic design allows for easy transport with a full hopper (150 balls). The Elite's sports 80 MPH ground strokes, full corner-to-corner random oscillation, sky-high lobs, and heavy spin. Features triple oscillation: not only does this machine sweep randomly from left to right, but it also oscillates vertically, giving you short and deep shots in a random pattern. The ball-hopper can be inverted and the handle removed to easily fit in the trunk of your car. Secured by two pins, the 3-foot, ergonomically designed handle makes it easy to push or pull the machine. Oversized, 8-inch, wheels allow easy movement over any surface: grass, gravel, small steps, even curbs. The sleek hopper holds 150 balls. And the hopper cutout allows you to monitor the ball level from the other side of the court.
We could talk about the big win, as usual, for Nikein this year's men's final between Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych - Nikehas them both head to toe. But that's pretty apparent. Here are our two less obvious notes:
Djokovic's Move to Sergio Tacchini Sergio Tacchini
We've known the Joker to be an adidas guy, but things change. We may be late to the party on this news, but we're big fans of the old school brand, Sergio Tacchini.Classic, clean, perfect for Wimbledon.
Rafa's New Strings
As part of his standard excellent color commentary of the Wimbledon final, John McEnroe made note of the specific string Champion Rafael Nadal was using, Babolat RPM Blast. The RPM Blast is the new string used by both Nadal and Andy Roddick - its a good string for big hitters like those two. It sports an 8-sided cross-section which adds extra bite on the ball for added topspin and slice. New high density co-polymer polyester monofilament combined with a new cross-linked silicone coating provides even more spin and greater ball control.
Big Day for Sam Stosur at the French Open, Big Day for Oakley Too
I don't remember if there's ever been a grand slam final played by someone wearing sunglasses, but we have one as of this very moment - congratulations Sam Stosur in her romping of Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2.
Eroddicks from Stick It Wear?! - tennis boyshorts with a signature twist
It's not everyday we get to write about women's chonies here at the blog, so we'd like to thank Stick It Wear?! for alerting us to a new offering, the Eroddicks...get it? Erotic...Andy Roddick...Eroddicks...oh nevermind...
Pick your favorite tennis personality, they come in: Agassi, Sharapova, Safin and Nadal. They come in 3 colors: white w/ pink, black and gray, with a screened emblem on front
with the Stick It Wear?! designer signature. They're 95/5% cotton/spandex boy shorts...I hear the hiphugger style is comfortable for everyday wear but I'll have to take the ladies' words for it.
What's All The Racquet Monthly Roundup for August 2010
and 
offers an unparalleled 4-8 hours of court time. Its ergonomic design allows for easy transport with a full hopper (150 balls). The Elite's sports 80 MPH ground strokes, full corner-to-corner random oscillation, sky-high lobs, and heavy spin. Features triple oscillation: not only does this machine sweep randomly from left to right, but it also oscillates vertically, giving you short and deep shots in a random pattern. The ball-hopper can be inverted and the handle removed to easily fit in the trunk of your car. Secured by two pins, the 3-foot, ergonomically designed handle makes it easy to push or pull the machine. Oversized, 8-inch, wheels allow easy movement over any surface: grass, gravel, small steps, even curbs. The sleek hopper holds 150 balls. And the hopper cutout allows you to monitor the ball level from the other side of the court. 
shown below. 
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