Half of Wimbledon Men's Round of 16 Playing with HEAD MicroGEL

HEAD players have shown success this year at Wimbledon through the round of 16. Eight HEAD players remain in the men's main draw which means 50% of the players are playing with Head MicroGEL!

Marat Safin, who plays with the MicroGEL Prestige Mid, advanced to the round of 16 by upsetting the number 3 seed, Novak Djokovic, in 4 sets 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, and then defeating #29, Andreas Seppi, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Safin will face HEAD player and #13 seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the next round.

Andy Murray, who plays with the MicroGEL Radical MP, defeated Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 to make it to the round of 16. Richard Gasquet, who plays with the MicroGEL Extreme Pro, defeated HEAD player Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3. Murray and Gasquet will face each other in the next round.

Rainer Schuettler, who plays with the MicroGEL Prestige Mid, defeated James Blake in the second round 6-3, 6-7(8), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and then defeated HEAD player Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Schuettler will face Janko Tipsarevic in the next round.

Martin Cilic, who plays with the MicroGEL Radical MP, will face fellow HEAD player Arnaud Clement, who plays with the MicroGEL Prestige MP, in the round of 16.

Mikhail Youzhny, who plays with the MicroGEL Extreme Pro, had a close 5 set match against 16th seed Radek Stepanek and won 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3. Youzhny plays Rafael Nadal in the next round.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, who plays with the MicroGEL Extreme, remains in the women's round of 16 and will face #14 seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

Check out Head MicroGEL here.

From RSI News

HEAD Wheelchair Players Have Solid Showing at World Team Cup in Italy

The nation's top wheelchair tennis players competed against participants from 34 countries, June 9th - 15th at the Invacare World Team Cup in Cermona, Italy.

HEAD sponsored players representing the United States and contributing to the team's success included:

#13 John Rydberg (Men) --
#13 Beth Arnoult (Women) -- Head Airflow 3
#1 David Wagner (Quad) -- Head Flexpoint Instinct
#3 Taylor (Quad) -- Head Metallix 10
#13 Dylan Levine (Junior) -- Head MicroGEL Raptor MidPlus
Coach Dan James (Men, entire team) -- Head MicroGel Instinct
Coach Paul Walker (Women) -- Head MicroGel Radical Pro

Continue reading: "HEAD Wheelchair Players Have Solid Showing at World Team Cup in Italy"

Wimbledon-themed Crossword, Wordoku and Wordsearch Launched on TennisPuzzles.com

Tennis fans who want to test their Wimbledon knowledge or brush up the unique qualities of the grass-court Grand Slam, can play free games on TennisPuzzles.com.

The website features Wimbledon-themed clues within an online crossword puzzles, wordsearch, and Wordoku (like Sudoko, with letters instead of numbers). The previous set of puzzles, which marked the debut of TennisPuzzles.com in May, focused on the French Open and are still available for play.

TennisPuzzles.com is the newest way for tennis fans to enjoy their favorite sport. The free website offer fans a way to stay mentally sharp, learn tennis history and have "tennis fun off the court!"

Sponsorships of puzzles are available for companies who want to actively engage tennis enthusiasts in their brands.

All three puzzle types are authored by Matt Gaffney exclusively for the TennisWire Network. Gaffney's work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Onion, among others, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crossword Puzzles & Word Games is among the books he's written.

The website is the latest addition to the TennisWire Network, which includes TennisWire.org (industry news and resources), WorkInTennis.com (career center), and TheBuzz.HelloTennis!com (stories behind the headlines). The TennisWire Network connects industry insiders with the media, fans, and players. All four sites offer free email newsletter.

www.tenniswire.org

Wilson Releases Limited Edition Roger Federer Racket Bag

06/16/08 - Chicago--Just in time for Wimbledon, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is releasing a limited edition Roger Federer Super Six racket bag.

As Federer steps on the court to win his 13th Grand Slam and 6th Wimbledon title, he will be supported by a Wilson limited edition racket bag. Federer will carry this rare memento of his Grand Slam career for his first 2008 Wimbledon match, at 2:00pm on June 23rd.

This limited edition Super Six bag is made from high quality materials and will be produced in limited quantity. It provides Thermoguard™ and Moistureguard™ compartments to protect your rackets from the elements on and off the court. Thermoguard™ is a patented technology which helps to insure string performance. The design of the bag incorporates the traditional Wimbledon white and Wilson red. It also features aspects of Federer's origins with elements of the Swiss flag along the edge of the bag. This year's bag includes several embroidered components including Roger's signature as well as the Wilson script logo. This limited edition bag will begin shipment this week and will be carried by Federer through the 2008 US Open.

via Tenniswire

Ana Ivanovic Signs With Rolex

"Ivanovic will match her Rolex watch with her adidas shoes and clothing, while she's driving her Verano Motors' Peugeot with her Yonex racquet in the back seat, and simultaneously with all that she'll be taking Juice PLUS+."

Whew...that's a lot of sponsors...

Ivanovic will be the only female tennis player to serve as an ambassador for Rolex.

From Women's Tennis Blog

The Champions Program Partners with HEAD Penn Racquet Sports

COLLEGE PARK, MD -- The Junior Tennis Champions Center, a not-for-profit junior development program located in College Park MD, today announced an official partnership with sports equipment leader HEAD Penn Racquet Sports. The three-year agreement will see Penn become the official tennis ball of the Junior Tennis Champions Center, and HEAD Racquets become an official program
racquet sponsor.

"HEAD Penn has consistently been one of the top tennis racquet and equipment manufacturers over the past 30 years," said Martin Blackman, Director of the Champions Program, "Our players love HEAD racquets, and Penn is a great ball. A partnership with an industry leader like HEAD Penn brings us one step closer to our goal of establishing our program as the best in the world. Whether it is on the court or in the classroom, our program is all about excellence."

Continue reading: "The Champions Program Partners with HEAD Penn Racquet Sports"

Prince O Series Performance Footwear Hits Shelves

New Line Delivers "Hole" New Look and Makes Immediate Impact at Tour Level

Bordentown, NJ - May 29, 2008 - Tennis players are continuously faced with equipment choices. When it comes to their feet, the right shoes can lead to better footwork, which leads to more wins. Over the past few seasons, Prince has brought to market some of the sport's most popular, high-quality footwear and now has more models among the top 15 best-sellers than any other brand*. Now, after months of exhaustive design and validation trials among competitive players, Prince is launching O Series and in the process is taking footwear to a "hole" new level.

O Series builds on the success of the original M Series line by delivering improved Precision Tube technology which rounds the tubes for maximum energy return - providing quicker acceleration and improved footwork. This second generation Precision Tube technology also provides greater shock absorption for a smoother, more stable ride. O Series is available in two versions: the OV1 for a slightly firmer ride while optimizing ventilation and breathability and the OC1 with lighter gauge Precision Tubes for a softer, more cushiony ride.

"Prince continues to succeed in footwear by understanding what tennis players need," said John Embree, President of Prince Americas. "Today, more players around the world are walking into tennis shops or looking online for Prince footwear. We are excited to introduce O Series as we look to bring the best quality products to players and continue to grow our footwear category."

O Series saw immediate on court success when Nikolay Davydenko, who is extremely particular about his equipment, decided to lace up a pair of OV1's for the Sony Ericsson Open after trying many other brands. Davydenko went on to capture the biggest title of his career - making for quite an on-court debut for the new line. More recently, at the start of this year's French Open, approximately twenty ATP and WTA players took to the red clay of Roland Garros wearing O Series footwear.

Both the OV1 and the OC1, for men and women and the OC1 for juniors are now available in the United States wherever Prince tennis products are sold.

Men's
OV1 - Black/White/Red
OV1 - Navy/White/Silver
OC1 - Black/Silver Red
OC1 - White/Navy

Women's
OC1 - White/Silver
OV1 - White/Light Blue
OV1- White/Navy
OC1 - White/Lilac

Junior's
OC1 - Black/Silver/Red

Pricing
- Men's and women's OV1 and OC1 - SRP: $110
- Junior OC1 - SRP: $60

"Players should be careful about what equipment they put on their feet since the right footwear can not only make the on-court experience more enjoyable, but can be the difference between winning and losing," said George Poulos, Senior Category Manager for Footwear at Prince. "Some players like to "feel the court" more than others. Some like a shoe with more ventilation. O Series provides options for players depending on personal preference. In the end, the shoe needs to fit perfectly, look great and enable players to achieve their best results."

Check out Prince Footwear here

*SMS/TIA survey data for Q1 2008

HEAD Re-Signs Tennis Sensation Murray

05/23/08 - Kennelbach, Austria - HEAD announced that the company has re-signed an agreement with tennis star Andy Murray. The partnership will continue through end of 2011.

The contract signing took place on May 20th in London with Executive Director of Global Sales Jeremy Sherwood in attendance.

Murray, who plays with the MicroGEL Radical MP, holds a current ranking of No. 11 in the South African Airways ATP rankings.

"I've enjoyed tremendous success on the ATP tour with my HEAD racquet," said Murray. "I'm looking forward to playing with the Radical for years to come."
Murray added: "I trust my racquet. HEAD produces fantastic products and is the most used brand among the top 100 players on the ATP tour. HEAD's technical competence fulfils the needs of today's pros and I look forward to continuing this successful relationship."

"HEAD is one of the most well-known tennis brands in the world and has a long tradition of success with pros such as Arthur Ashe, Guillermo Vilas and Andre Agassi. We know Andy will continue this tradition," said Johan Eliasch. "Pros like Andy help us continue to develop innovative products and strengthen the brand."

A native of Dunblane, Scotland, Murray began playing tennis at the age of three. The 21-year-old has five ATP titles under his belt, including recent wins at the 2008 Doha and Marseille championships.

New Pro Penn+ Features Encore Technology and LongPlay Felt

Penn introduces its new Pro Penn+ tennis ball, featuring new LongPlay® felt for 25% longer wear* and 19% greater visibility*. New Pro Penn+ also continues to feature Encore Technology™ for a 33% longer lasting core*, making the ball play like new longer. This new innovation takes this popular, tournament-quality ball and makes it even more technologically advanced and beneficial for tennis players.
LongPlay Felt is Pro Penn's new felt that lasts 25% longer* than original Pro Penn. It also has a stain-resistant property, keeping the ball cleaner longer. A key benefit to the new LongPlay felt is that it plays exactly the same as original Pro Penn felt, but just wears longer - therefore maintaining all the positive properties that have made this ball a top-performer from Penn - America's #1 selling ball. In addition, this ball still features brighter felt for ultimate visibility on-court. You can see from the chart details below how LongPlay felt is longer lasting than original Pro Penn.

This ball continues to include Encore Technology™ - Pro Penn's unique core compound that uses a proprietary blend of natural and man-made polymers to limit ball softening. The core stays fresher longer and therefore "plays like new" longer.

"Penn continues to lead the market in innovation with the introduction of new Pro Penn+. We now offer the complete package of a ball that lasts longer from the inside out - from core to felt. The clear benefit to tennis players is to have the ball they know and love last even that much longer - through the most rigorous of lessons, practice sessions or tournament matches," says Jennifer Parker, Business Manager for Penn Tennis Balls.
Pro Penn has been the official ball of the USPTA for over 35 years and is the longest running endorsement in tennis history. Pro Penn+ will be available in July 2008 and will be sold exclusively at pro/specialty shops around the country. Penn continues to be the only tennis ball Made in the USA.

Tennis Sees Big Gains in Participation

According to the National Sporting Goods Association, tennis participation in 2007 (as measured by playing at least once a year) is up 28.1% from 2003. In 2003 there were 9.6 million tennis participants, in 2007 there were 12.3 million.

From BusinessWeek

Prince PPI Program Crowns First World Team Champion

05/15/08 - Bordentown, NJ - The inaugural Prince Plugged In (PPI) World Team Championships have come and gone and the first academy name is now engraved on the World Championship team trophy. In four years, the ground-breaking PPI program has revolutionized junior competition, training, education and overall development, by connecting nearly fifty of the world's most elite high-performance tennis academies into one seamless network both on the courts and on-line. Last week, for the first time in the program's history, Prince brought together five of the world's most elite junior training academies to Rome for a week of competition, training, education and cultural exchanges - a way for academies to measure themselves against other parts of the world and to truly determine which academy deserves the title "best of the best".

Competing were:

• United States PPI Champion: T Bar M Academy, Dallas, Texas
• Spain PPI Champion: Tenis Val, Valencia, Spain
• Italy PPI Champion: Club Sant' Agnese, Rome, Italy
• United Kingdom PPI Champion: Totally Tennis, Basingstroke, England
• United States PPI Runner-Up: IMG/Bollettieri Academy, Bradenton, Florida

Continue reading: "Prince PPI Program Crowns First World Team Champion"

Self-Designed Black Knight Racquet and Ashaway String Help David Palmer to 4th British Open Crown

Ashaway, RI -- The fourth time was the sweetest for Squash great David Palmer. Confounding critics who said the 31-year-old Australian would no longer be able to compete for major titles, the fifth-seeded Palmer beat England's James Willstrop in an epic final to claim his fourth British Open men's squash title in Liverpool. The match proved to be one of the most dramatic in the 80-year history of the prestigious event and a major boost for the Lithgow, NSW, native, who had slipped from No. 2 to No. 6 in the world rankings after moving to the US with his young family.

Continue reading: "Self-Designed Black Knight Racquet and Ashaway String Help David Palmer to 4th British Open Crown"

Wilson Thanks Justine Henin for Her Dedication and Success

First adidas, now Wilson - Henin's top sponsors say their piece regarding the retiring champion:

Top Wilson athlete, Justine Henin announced her retirement from the game of tennis and went out on top as not many can-- #1 in the world. On Wednesday, as Henin's abrupt departure suprised the tennis world, it only left an appropriate moment to reflect on a player who has no doubt left a mark in the history of tennis. Henin leaves with an exceptional record including 493 wins in her 10 year professional career, and 41 titles. There have been 7 Grand Slam wins: Australian Open in 2004, French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and the US Open in 2003, 2007.

Continue reading: "Wilson Thanks Justine Henin for Her Dedication and Success"

adidas will continue to keep Justine Henin on their sponsorship roster even after retirement

From an e-mail to TSF from the Sport Performance division:

adidas would like to wish the WTA World Number One all the best in her future endeavors.

adidas has been side-by-side with Justine Henin since 2003 during which time she won seven Grand Slams, including a record-equalling four French Open titles at Roland Garros, and Olympic Gold in Athens.

Justine Henin has been an outstanding player for adidas Tennis and will remain an ambassador of the adidas brand, continuing to inspire and enable young athletes worldwide.