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ERSA pro stringer 10- 2020

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www.ersa-<strong>stringer</strong>s.com<br />

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 />

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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 />

www.isospeed.com


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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