ERSA pro stringer 10- 2020
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ISSUE <strong>10</strong> - <strong>2020</strong><br />
TIPS<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> ATW<br />
NEW PRODUCTS<br />
YONEX VCORE<br />
SOLINCO Hyper-G So<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
PTR Virtual Symposium<br />
Billie Jean King Cup<br />
TIA Webinars<br />
WTA Rebrand Tiers<br />
1 <strong>ERSA</strong><br />
PRO STRINGER MAGAZINE IS FREE FOR ALL MEMBERS<br />
DISTRIBUTION OR RESELLING IS NOT ALLOWED
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
ISSUE <strong>10</strong> -<strong>2020</strong><br />
CONTENTS<br />
04<br />
05<br />
06<br />
08<br />
20<br />
22<br />
My Serve<br />
Cerfied Stringers<br />
New Products<br />
Industry News<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> ATW<br />
Tips<br />
3 <strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
4<br />
PRO STRINGER MAGAZINE<br />
European Racquet Stringers Associaon<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Australia - Noel Dodds<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Benelux<br />
Dimitri Kaijser - Richard Musters<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Brazil - <strong>ERSA</strong> Int. Headquarters<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> China - Roger Luo<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Czech Republic & Slovakia - <strong>ERSA</strong> Int.<br />
Headquarters<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Germany, Austria, Switzerland<br />
Mark Maslowski<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Indochina - Nguyen Hong Thuyet (Thierry)<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Italy - Marco Rossani<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Ireland - <strong>ERSA</strong> Headquarters<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Korea - Taikki Lee<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Spain / France- Richard Parnell<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Taiwan - Bernie Chen - Michael Dan<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Turkey - Emre Tekmir<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> UK<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Headquarters<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Ukraine - Sergey Konovolenko<br />
FOUNDING MEMBERS<br />
Ashaway Babolat<br />
Head Isospeed<br />
Kirschbaum Luxilon<br />
Pacific Wilson<br />
CORPORATE MEMBERS<br />
Ashaway Head<br />
DUNLOP Isospeed Yonex<br />
Gosen Tecnifibre MSV<br />
STRING SUPLIER MEMBERS<br />
Apollo Leisure Pro-t-One<br />
Kirschbaum Signum Pro<br />
Stringlab<br />
ASOCIATION MEMBER<br />
PTR Europe TIA UK<br />
Tennis Europe<br />
TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS<br />
Rod Cross - Australia - Physics<br />
Gabriele Medri- Italy - Technical Adviser<br />
European Racquet Stringers Associaon<br />
Dinka Simunovica 25, 2<strong>10</strong>0 Split, Croaa<br />
Phone/Fax: +49 (0)15122637266<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
My Serve<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
Welcome the the last issue of <strong>ERSA</strong> Pro Stringer<br />
magazine for <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
Hectic times this month. Our members around the<br />
world are going in and out of lock-down and do not<br />
know what will happen in the near future. The positive<br />
news is when there is no lock-down all of our<br />
members are having record sales and stringing.<br />
Tennis is one of the safest sports to play during the<br />
Pandemic and is bringing a lot of players back to the<br />
sport and encouraging people to learn tennis.<br />
The <strong>pro</strong> tour is even in a bigger mess with the<br />
Australian Open being changed three weeks later.<br />
Many events have to be cancelled and the dates<br />
changed. As of today there is no ATP or WTA<br />
schedule after the Austalian Open. This is causing<br />
<strong>pro</strong>blems for tournaments, sponsors and of course us<br />
<strong>stringer</strong>s. Many of our members have other jobs or<br />
are employees in shops and have to plan their<br />
vacations times in advance to string at tournaments.<br />
Our new Pro Stringer Guide is ready to be shipped<br />
out. Also, new for next year, there will be a<br />
magazine monthly and we are working on adding<br />
several new items to the magazine as well as a<br />
new layout for 2021.<br />
The fi rst <strong>ERSA</strong> e-Course is doing great. Lots of<br />
positive feedback and Richard Parnell and myself are<br />
starting to fi lm the second course, <strong>ERSA</strong> e-Master<br />
Certifi ed Stringer, which we hope to have online in 5<br />
weeks.<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> wishes everyone<br />
a great Holiday Season and<br />
stay healthy.<br />
Mark Maslowski<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> Pro Cerfied Stringers<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> now offers tennis, badminton and squash cerficaon for different levels of <strong>stringer</strong>s, from<br />
beginners to the top <strong>pro</strong>fessional <strong>stringer</strong>s in the world. The first level is <strong>ERSA</strong> Stringer is for new<br />
<strong>stringer</strong>s to show they have completed a stringing course and learned to string correctly. <strong>ERSA</strong><br />
Professional Stringer is for stringing services, such as coaches, club <strong>stringer</strong>s, shop <strong>stringer</strong>s, aer<br />
passing a day of praccal and wrien tests. Master Professional Stringer Level 1 is for shop<br />
<strong>stringer</strong>s who can tune rackets, string at a high level and have a broad knowledge of <strong>pro</strong>ducts for<br />
their customers. MPS Level 2 is for specialty shop owners and managers. Pro Tour Stringer<br />
cerficaon is for minimum MPS Level 1 who are stringing at ATP and WTA tournaments. There are<br />
3 levels for this cerficaon, Level 1, Level 2 and Master Pro Tour Stringer. Level 2 is a minimum of 5<br />
years experience stringing <strong>pro</strong>fessional tournaments. Master PTS is minimum <strong>10</strong> years experience.<br />
NEW - <strong>ERSA</strong> e-Cerfied Stringer, the first complete online course with 61 videos,<br />
PDF downloads, <strong>ERSA</strong> e-Membership and online wrien and praccal tests.<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> E-Certified Stringer - Lou Delapena - USA,<br />
Vu Huy Hoang - Germany, Benjamin Schmalzhaf - Germany,<br />
Mathias Henkel - Germany, Joshua Mccrorie - USA<br />
STRINGS<br />
MADE IN GERMANY<br />
SINCE 1985
NEW PRODUCTS<br />
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SCIENTIFICALLY CRAFTED SPIN<br />
LAUNCHING JAN. 15, 2021<br />
Yonex <strong>pro</strong>fessionals may play with a customized racquet with different specifications to the model displayed.<br />
video vcore<br />
6 <strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
NEW PRODUCTS<br />
Solinco has introduced a new softer version of Hyper-G. Hyper-G is well<br />
known as a comfortable tournament string with great spin, control and tension<br />
maintenance. The new Soft version was designed to keep the great playability of<br />
Hyper-G while offering softer, livelier characteristics. The Hyper-G is the same color<br />
and offered in the same gauges as Hyper G.<br />
Color - Green<br />
Available in:<br />
Set (40 Feet/12.2 Meters)<br />
Reel (656 Feet/200 Meters)<br />
Available Gauges<br />
16 Gauge (1.30mm)<br />
16L Gauge (1.25mm)<br />
17 Gauge (1.20mm)<br />
18 Gauge (1.15mm)<br />
7 <strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
WTA Rebrand Includes Alignment with<br />
ATP Tourney Tiers<br />
The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) introduces a new corporate identity, redefi ning the organization’s<br />
strength as a collective unit of inspiring athletes and tournaments. The launch also reveals a new ‘WTA For<br />
The Game’ campaign that highlights the driving forces of the sport, aimed at creating deeper fan connections.<br />
The rebranding, which includes the WTA’s fi rst logo redesign in <strong>10</strong> years, coincides with the announcement<br />
of a simplifi ed numerical naming system for WTA tournaments.<br />
The WTA was founded in 1973 when Billie Jean King rallied the support of her like-minded colleagues to<br />
form an association that would evolve into what is today a membership body representing two equal-partner<br />
constituencies: the athletes and the tournaments. Nearly 50 years later, tennis is the leading global sport for<br />
women highlighted by some of the most recognizable names in all of sports, with 32 countries and regions<br />
represented in the Top <strong>10</strong>0 of the WTA Rankings.<br />
The sense of collective purpose and empowerment shared by the Tour’s trailblazers and passed on to<br />
subsequent generations <strong>pro</strong>vides the creative inspiration for the new ‘WTA For The Game’ campaign. Developed<br />
for the WTA by design agency Landor Australia, the new brand identity and marketing campaign<br />
will be fully integrated across the WTA, including television graphics, print materials, tournament branding,<br />
advertising, <strong>pro</strong>motion and digital and social media.<br />
The WTA’s new brand image incorporates a dynamic reworking of the familiar letters W, T and A - with a<br />
tennis ball functioning as the crossbar of the A - and marks a return to a silhouette of a female tennis player.<br />
The serve action pictured in the logo was given <strong>pro</strong>minence for its literal and fi gurative signifi cance to the<br />
WTA. The serve is the only shot in tennis where the player has absolute control and where the point begins.<br />
It also accentuates the fearless initiative taken by the WTA’s early founders who took control of their destiny<br />
and blazed a trail for the women of tennis today. The symbol makes subtle references to the sport’s global<br />
nature, framing the athlete within a circle that evokes the universal spirit of the WTA’s platform.<br />
Revamped Tournament Categories<br />
In planning this rebrand, the WTA worked with the ATP to create consistency and alignment across <strong>pro</strong>fessional<br />
tennis. Starting in 2021, both Tours will share the same tournament tier and nomenclature system<br />
to create simplicity for fans and consumers. Moving forward, WTA events will now be categorized as WTA<br />
<strong>10</strong>00 (incorporating the former Premier Mandatory and Premier 5 tournaments); WTA 500 (formerly Premier<br />
700); WTA 250 (International); and WTA 125 (125K Series). The revised nomenclature is not tied to specifi c<br />
ranking points (which stay the same) or prize money, it is a categorical system to help defi ne WTA tournament<br />
levels.<br />
“Fans really respond to the unifi ed ap<strong>pro</strong>ach which tennis is<br />
uniquely able to <strong>pro</strong>vide,” said Lawler. “We see it with ticket<br />
sales at combined women’s and men’s tournaments, viewership<br />
on shared broadcast platforms and the popularity of the ‘Tennis<br />
United’ digital content series co-created by the WTA and ATP<br />
amidst the challenges of <strong>2020</strong>. Adopting this streamlined tournament<br />
naming system is <strong>10</strong>0% about making it easier for WTA fans,<br />
corporate partners and the media to engage and follow our sport.”<br />
8 <strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
PTR International Tennis Symposium to be<br />
Virtual Event<br />
Hilton Head Island, SC — Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will host its premier coach education<br />
event - the PTR International Tennis Symposium - February 9-11 as a virtual event.<br />
The virtual Symposium is slated to have over 15 hours of live and pre-recorded presentations with<br />
topics ranging from tennis business and sport science to teaching tactics and techniques. Though<br />
the Symposium may look a little different than in years past, the virtual conference platform <strong>pro</strong>vides<br />
multiple avenues for attendees to network and interact with speakers, tradeshow vendors<br />
and other attendees like never before.<br />
The PPR Virtual Pickleball Conference will be kicking off the week, starting Monday, February 8.<br />
Attendees can add access to the PPR Virtual Conference for an additional registration fee.<br />
Registration for the virtual event opens December 5, <strong>2020</strong>, with pricing starting at $97 for current<br />
PTR Hilton Head Island, SC - - Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will host its premier coach<br />
education event - the PTR International Tennis Symposium - February 9-11 as a virtual event.<br />
The virtual Symposium is slated to have over 15 hours of live and pre-recorded presentations with<br />
topics ranging from tennis business and sport science to teaching tactics and techniques. Though<br />
the Symposium may look a little different than in years past, the virtual conference platform <strong>pro</strong>vides<br />
multiple avenues for attendees to network and interact with speakers, tradeshow vendors<br />
and other attendees like never before.<br />
The PPR Virtual Pickleball Conference will be kicking off the week, starting Monday, February 8.<br />
Attendees can add access to the PPR Virtual Conference for an additional registration fee.<br />
Registration for the virtual event opens December 5, <strong>2020</strong>, with pricing starting at $97 for current<br />
PTR members and $127 for nonmembers. www.ptrtennis.org<br />
ENTDECKE<br />
DIE WELT<br />
DER<br />
Die Int. Plattform für alle<br />
Trainer und Coaches<br />
die <strong>pro</strong>fessionell<br />
unterrichten<br />
WE MAKE<br />
A WORLD OF<br />
DIFFERENCE<br />
INFO: PTR European Headquarters<br />
Leichtergasse 28 - 39012 MERAN<br />
Fon: +39 0473 230097 - www.ptrtennis.de - info@ptrtennis.de<br />
9<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
Marketing Campaign: ‘WTA For The Game’<br />
The ‘WTA For The Game’ campaign will be highlighted by several consumer touchpoints, including<br />
30 and 60 second commercial spots as well as infl uencer stories that will be broadcast, published<br />
and posted across WTA player, tournament and affi liate channels. To enhance brand synergy<br />
while building consistency for tennis fans, tournaments will have access to a range of marketing<br />
collateral, with scope to feature a wide array of WTA athletes, to meet their individual <strong>pro</strong>motional<br />
needs.<br />
Using the slogan ‘WTA For The Game’ as a starting point, fans are <strong>pro</strong>vided new insights into the<br />
individual narratives of players as they describe the defi ning moments that have shaped their tennis<br />
journey and what gives their game purpose. Furthermore, a series of fan engagement activations<br />
will be released as the 2021 season begins. To see the latest brand and campaign stories,<br />
visit the WTA’s re-designed website and dedicated ‘WTA For The Game’ landing page here.<br />
“From both the sporting and business perspective, we were inspired by the WTA’s inherent qualities<br />
of leadership, fearlessness and shared purpose, and aimed to deliver a brand strategy and<br />
visual platform that players and tournaments could use to amplify this powerful message,” said<br />
Jessica Murphy, General Manager of Landor Australia. “Fans are enthralled by individual skill<br />
and athleticism, but they also invest deeply in what motivates these head-turning women on and<br />
off court. Exploring these driving forces - the similarities and differences - is a key element of the
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INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
Universal Tennis Brings UTR Pro<br />
Tennis Series Tour to U.S.<br />
UTR Pro Tennis Series Tour in the United States. As part of its three year global UTR Pro Tennis<br />
Series Tour investing over $20M and enabling 140 worldwide annual events, it will feature<br />
40 events (men and women) in select venues across the USA in 2021. Each event will <strong>pro</strong>vide a<br />
minimum of $20,000 in player prize money and create more opportunities for elite junior, collegiate<br />
and <strong>pro</strong> players.<br />
The UTR Pro Tennis Series Tour offers an innovative format, <strong>pro</strong>viding aspiring <strong>pro</strong> players with<br />
more opportunities to compete, im<strong>pro</strong>ve their game and support themselves with prize money. All<br />
events will be single gender, singles only, entry based on Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), and feature<br />
a 32 player group round robin followed by a World Cup-style playoff format. This format guarantees<br />
more player competition and results will count for UTR, the world’s most accurate global<br />
tennis rating system.<br />
“As part of our mission to support all facets of tennis, the UTR Pro Tennis Series Tour is founded<br />
on our desire to create a development tour to support elite players, coaches, organizers and<br />
Federations worldwide. The UTR Pro Tennis Series Tour will create more opportunities for aspiring<br />
<strong>pro</strong>fessional players with UTR rankings of 200 to 2000 globally to compete and earn a living while<br />
working their way up to the highest level <strong>pro</strong> tours,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman<br />
and CEO.<br />
The USTA has collaborated with Universal Tennis as it relates to scheduling to ensure that these<br />
events are complementary to the competitive calendar. The Series will kick off with 15 events for<br />
men and women before the end of the fi rst quarter of 2021 alone and will be held at four marquee<br />
venues across the United States. More events and locations will be announced shortly.<br />
“At Charleston Tennis, it’s a guiding principle to support the game of tennis from recreational and<br />
junior players through to the highest levels of <strong>pro</strong>fessional tennis. The UTR Pro Tennis Series Tour<br />
will fi ll a valuable role by <strong>pro</strong>viding eager, talented players additional opportunities for high level<br />
competitive match play and at the same time the ability to earn a better living. We applaud Universal<br />
Tennis for identifying a need and are thrilled that this partnership will allow us to be part of the<br />
solution,” said Bob Moran, President Charleston Tennis LLC.<br />
12<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
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INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
Slinger Bag Announces New<br />
Technology Platform and App<br />
Slinger Bag (OTC: SLBG), a sports brand focused on innovating game im<strong>pro</strong>vement equipment for ball<br />
sports with an initial focus on the global tennis market, announces that it has commenced development of<br />
a new technology platform and mobile app to be powered by award-winning artifi cial intelligence (AI) sports<br />
technology. Slinger Bag has identifi ed strategic partners and launched development plans to release this<br />
new consumer platform and app in 2021.<br />
Later this month Slinger Bag will <strong>pro</strong>duce its 20,000th Launcher since introducing the brand earlier this year<br />
and the company is now excited to be able to enhance its innovative <strong>pro</strong>duct.<br />
“Today’s announcement is a signifi cant milestone for Slinger Bag,” said CEO Mike Ballardie. “The global<br />
market validation of the Slinger Bag concept over the past year has been incredible, with the recent holiday<br />
weekend in the US delivering our two biggest order intake days so far. The global impetus from our new<br />
distributor team coupled with the ever-growing consumer demand in the US market ensures that this momentum<br />
will continue well into 2021. Technology has a signifi cant role to play in the future of Slinger Bag,<br />
whether that be directly through the hardware itself or the development of this <strong>pro</strong>prietary software and new<br />
app.”<br />
To develop its technology platform, Slinger Bag is partnering with Gameface, an award-winning sports AI<br />
company based out of Sydney, Australia. Gameface analyzes sports video footage for performance data<br />
and unlocks insights for athletes and coaches. Its technology has been recognized at leading industry<br />
events such as the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, the World Football Summit Asia, and in 2019<br />
they ranked as one of the best systems benchmarked on EPTS (Electronic and Performance Tracking Systems)<br />
standards by FIFA.<br />
“We are <strong>pro</strong>ud to join forces with the team at Gameface to develop cutting-edge technology. We have a<br />
wealth of tennis knowledge on our team and look forward to building an engaging technology platform that<br />
Slinger Bag users across the globe are going to love,” said Ballardie. “Starting with more relevant tennis<br />
metrics and incorporating better coaching insights, we are focused on creating an immersive experience<br />
for all tennis players, from those using their Slinger Bag for practice, drills, fi tness and fun right through to<br />
teaching <strong>pro</strong>s, competition players and tour <strong>pro</strong>fessionals.”<br />
Data and technology have been key to the adoption and success of innovative<br />
consumer fi tness <strong>pro</strong>ducts, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Slinger<br />
Bag aims to reach millions of new tennis players around the world and convert<br />
them to Slinger Bag users through combining their use of both the Slinger Bag<br />
and this new platform. Ballardie continued, “Our smart technology will have the<br />
potential to change the speed and quality of game im<strong>pro</strong>vement for all levels of<br />
players in a very meaningful way. We intend to roll this out on a tiered subscription<br />
basis, which will create a new layer of revenue for the Company while offering<br />
the best user experience possible.”<br />
Additionally, as part of this new technology platform, Slinger Bag is announcing<br />
a signifi cant partnership with PlaySight Interactive, the leading global sports and<br />
tennis video technology company. PlaySight will integrate its portable GO video<br />
technology into a new Slinger Bag <strong>pro</strong>duct offering, enabling users to broadcast<br />
live streams, record video and even monetize content from their on-court sessions<br />
with their Slinger Bags.<br />
14<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
ITF Moves Billie Jean King Cup<br />
Back to April due to COVID<br />
The ITF has announced that the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Play-Off ties, initially scheduled<br />
for 5-6 February 2021, will move to 16-17 April 2021 as the tennis calendar continues to be<br />
impacted by the pandemic. The calendar is subject to continued assessments relating to health<br />
and safety, international travel policies and governmental ap<strong>pro</strong>val of sporting events.<br />
Eight two-day home-and-away Play-Off ties will now take place during the week of the Finals,<br />
which will be held from 13-18 April 2021.<br />
The decision <strong>pro</strong>vides increased certainty for competing teams and has been made by the ITF Billie<br />
Jean King Cup Committee in consultation with the WTA.<br />
The home-and-away ties are an integral part of the World Cup of Tennis competition - which was<br />
rebranded the Billie Jean King Cup in September <strong>2020</strong> - and feature 16 national teams who will<br />
compete for the chance to <strong>pro</strong>gress to the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifi ers in 2022. The eight losing<br />
nations will compete in their respective regional Group I event in 2022.<br />
The Play-Off ties will take place in eight different cities around the world whilst the Billie Jean King<br />
Cup Finals 2021 will be hosted in Budapest, Hungary, for the fi rst time. Up to 140 of the top players<br />
from 28 nations will be in action across nine countries during an exceptional week of international<br />
team tennis culminating with the crowning of the 2021 world champions.<br />
Katrina Adams, Billie Jean King Cup Committee Chair, said: “We are looking forward to what will<br />
be a fantastic week of international team tennis, showcasing the best of the Billie Jean King Cup<br />
competition. We would like to thank all of the national associations, hosts, captains and players<br />
involved for their understanding and fl exibility as we continue to respond to the challenges posed<br />
by the pandemic.”<br />
All events will be subject to strict health and safety guidelines.<br />
The eight Play-off ties are:<br />
Poland (c) v Brazil<br />
Great Britain (c) v Mexico<br />
Serbia (c) v Canada<br />
Latvia (c) v India<br />
Japan (c) v Ukraine<br />
Romania (c) v Italy<br />
Argentina (c) v Kazakhstan<br />
16<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
TIA UK Webinars <strong>pro</strong>ve big success<br />
A series of 6 ‘Business of Tennis’ webinars <strong>pro</strong>duced by the TIA UK and supported by the LTA<br />
have <strong>pro</strong>ved to be a big success. Broadcast in November, they have had nearly 500 views so far.<br />
This is the fi rst time the TIA UK has used this medium and is already making plans to do more next<br />
year.<br />
Sponsored by the TIA UK’s legal partner, BLM, the webinars examined a number of key tennis<br />
club operational areas including parks tennis contracts, coach recruitment and management and<br />
managing risk. There were also sessions on sustainability (in conjunction with the All England<br />
Club), ‘healthy’ clubs and innovation in tennis.<br />
Phil Sandilands of TIA UK said: “We have been very pleased with the reaction to the webinars<br />
and the support and participation of the the LTA in them has been excellent. We will be discussing<br />
plans for the 2021 series with the LTA early in<br />
the new year to further support British Tennis<br />
and the LTA’s strategy.<br />
All 6 webinars can be viewed via the TIA UK’s<br />
You Tube Channel<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
The LTA has signed a new three-year deal with Superga, which will become the Official Leisurewear<br />
Shoe Partner from January 2021. The Italian shoe brand will have branding rights at the<br />
LTA’s summer <strong>pro</strong>gramme of major events, as well as activation areas at selected tournaments.<br />
The terms also include an option to create and sell an LTA branded shoe, as well rights to offer a<br />
range of discounts for LTA members.<br />
17 <strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
Tennis Channel and ATP Media,<br />
the broadcast arm of the ATP, have concluded<br />
amultiyear television and digital rights deal<br />
that will make Tennis Channel the exclusive<br />
U.S. television home of the vast majority of<br />
ATP Tour events.<br />
Tennis Channel will be the sole American<br />
broadcaster to all nine of the high-<strong>pro</strong>fi le ATP<br />
Masters <strong>10</strong>00 events. For the fi rst time, Tennis<br />
Channel viewers can watch all these events<br />
live from opening day through the trophy<br />
presentations. In addition, the network will<br />
have exclusive, live television rights to all 13<br />
ATP 500s and 16 of the ATP 250 tournaments,<br />
as well as the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.<br />
Through other rights agreements, the network<br />
also covers most of the other ATP 250<br />
tournaments, the rising-star Next Gen ATP<br />
Finals and ATP Cup national team competition.<br />
“Tennis Channel and ATP Media have<br />
worked tirelessly for nearly two decades<br />
to expand the daily TV, streaming and<br />
ondemand coverage of this <strong>pro</strong>lifi c sport<br />
acrossall popular platforms, and in doing so<br />
are making tennis competitive once again with<br />
other major sports in the U.S.,” said<br />
Ken Solomon, president of Tennis Channel.<br />
“Our combined work with parent Sinclair<br />
Broadcast Group hasmade Tennis Channel<br />
America’s fastest growing<br />
network for the past two years.”<br />
At the Rolex Paris Masters tournament<br />
in November, Rafael Nadal<br />
became the fourth men's player to<br />
reach 1,000 match wins.<br />
The 34-year-old Nadal joins towering<br />
company in Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger<br />
Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1,068) as<br />
the only men in the 1,000-wins club since the<br />
Open era began in 1968.<br />
18<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
INDUSTRY NEWS<br />
Stringer for web and mobile. Created by the developers of the Windows version<br />
being used at one of the Grand Slams today. New updates and features coming.<br />
I am just setting up and testing now but very straight forward and easy to set up. Great for anyone<br />
for a private stringing service to running a Grand Slam. They have lots of experience setting up<br />
software for 2 Grand Slams. Mark Maslowski<br />
Stringer is designed to help manage stringing records and will work on different platforms<br />
PC, mac, mobile, tablet etc allowing you to input information wherever you are.<br />
To see all of the features visit:<br />
https://www.jvc<strong>stringer</strong>.co.uk/<br />
Some of the main features are:<br />
Pre-populated with the most common<br />
Rackets<br />
Strings<br />
Manufacturers<br />
Maintain player details<br />
Name, email, phone etc<br />
Category i.e. male, female junior<br />
Ability to add custom categories<br />
Load players from fi le<br />
Load and re-load multiple players in one go e.g. load a club's membership<br />
Ability to include a membership number or a unique id to allow continual loading without duplication<br />
Maintain restring details for a player<br />
Text and email notifications<br />
Notifi cations are sent automatically when a restring is completed but can be switched on or off<br />
Maintain lists of 1 or more <strong>stringer</strong>s<br />
Allocate <strong>stringer</strong>s to machines<br />
Maintain lists of 1 or more stringing machines<br />
Maintain venues<br />
Maintain custom list values<br />
Collaboration<br />
Invite other Users to collaborate (maintain restrings) on 1 or more of your venues<br />
Reporting<br />
unpaid restrings, most popular strings/rackets etc<br />
Label printing<br />
19<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
<strong>ERSA</strong> ATW<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
Apollo Leisure will be offering a<br />
number of workshops starting in<br />
2021 in conjunction with the <strong>ERSA</strong>.<br />
Look for information coming soon.<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> e-MASTER CERTIFIED STRINGER<br />
Our fi rst online course for <strong>stringer</strong>s who cannot get together with an instructor/tester, was such a<br />
success will be offering in 2021 the new<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> e-Master Certified Stringer. It is a continuation of the fi rst course<br />
covering advanced topics such as Around the World, stringing with natural gut, tunig and more.<br />
The two courses work together covering everything. You can take the fi rst course and test or both<br />
courses and the Master test afterwards.<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> will have a small price increase in January<br />
2021. Save money and renew your membership<br />
before January 1.<br />
Included in your membership :<br />
12 Issues of Pro Stringer Magazine.<br />
Pro Stringer Guide with hundreds of new racquets included this year.<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong>-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com member area access<br />
Discounts from many manufacturers<br />
Discounts on workshops and Symposiums<br />
20<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
Designed for Pro‘s. This monofile polyester string offers ultimate control<br />
combined with high ball speed. Now released!<br />
Diese Monofile Polyestersaite wurde speziell für die Anforderungen auf der Profitour entwickelt. Volle Kontrolle bei<br />
hoher Beschleunigung. Jetzt released nach erfolgreichem Einsatz auf der Tour!<br />
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TIPS<br />
www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />
Check out our YouTube Channel<br />
<strong>ERSA</strong> International for Tips from our<br />
Managers and Testers, some of the best<br />
<strong>stringer</strong>s in the world, be sure to<br />
subscribe:<br />
22 <strong>ERSA</strong> PRO STRINGER // ISSUE <strong>10</strong>-<strong>2020</strong>
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