“I asked Tinker (Hatfield) to design something that would give give me the comfort and breathability of a running shoe, but was closer to the ground to benefit tennis players” that was the original insight from Roger Federer to Tinker Hatfield the VP of Creative Design at NIKE.
The result of that collaboration between athlete and designer was the NIKE Zoom Vapor 9 Tour. First debuting during the hard-court season in early 2012 the shoe immediately joined Hatfield’s long list of iconic athlete-specific designs.

Whilst the original design was created with a mesh upper and used during the hard-court season, the latest update is adapted for the clay court season and will debut in Paris this May. Replacing the mesh that adorned the shoe earlier this is a a synthetic leather that will perform ideally on clay.

By Cara Newman

Most tennis fans are preparing for one of the biggest tennis tournaments of the year: the 2012 French Open. Fans all over the world are discussing the odds of who will win; they’re examining the pros and cons of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, but what about the people behind the scenes? The men and women who work hard to make sure the professionals have what they need to play their best. I’m talking about the racquet technicians. After all, nothing happens in a vacuum, not even winning a major tennis tournament.
I was curious to hear about these unsung heroes. These people whose time, talent and effort go into making sure these tournaments go off without a hitch.
Luckily, I live in Baltimore, MD, home of Holabird Sports, a running and racquet specialty store which employs many U.S.R.S.A. Racquet Technicians, including Jim Downes, who recently strung at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Jim Downes has worked at Holabird Sports since 1988. In 1994, he was recognized by the United States Racquet Stringers Association as a “Master Racquet Technician” — the highest level of achievement the U.S.R.S.A offers. Jim is also a member of the prestigious Wilson Stringing Team which comprises the exclusive on-site stringers at the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
If that wasn’t enough, Jim is recognized as one of the fastest racquet stringers in the world. He finished 2nd in the 2007 Las Vegas Speed Stringing Contest and in 2010 he won the Prince Speed Stringing event in Orlando, Florida. Jim can string a racquet in seven minutes flat.

While speaking to Jim about stringing at the last Sony Ericsson Open, he told me that, “Stringing at a major tournament is an honor and a challenge. Players that have risen to that level require and expect the highest standards for their equipment. After all, a lot of money can be on the line for a single match.”

It follows that qualifying for the Wilson Stringing Team is extremely challenging. According to Jim, “The first requirement is to be able to string a racquet fast (usually under 15 minutes), to achieve this under any circumstance means that the stringer has a lot of experience. The second and most important challenge is to be able to string many racquets fast, all day, with zero mistakes. There are many fast stringers out there and many technically precise stringers. But very few that can be fast and precise at the same time. The current team is composed of some of the best stringers from all over the world. A few of them travel almost full time to service many of the current top 20 ranked men’s and women’s players at international events.”

Hard work and talent are a given in almost every profession. But if you want to become a professional stringer, take Jim’s advice: “Just be passionate about providing the best level of service in every frame you string. The learning never stops no matter how many years or racquets you’ve completed.”

To get your tennis racquet strung by one of the best stringers in the business visit www.holabirdsports.com.

Photo by Dustin Webb

What happens when you combine a crane and a tennis player?

Fine print from Asics: Fictionalization. Do not attempt. Seriously don’t do it. You’d be nuts.

More vids at StopAtNever.com

Article written by Dave

I took tennis lessons when I was a kid. Actually, let me rephrase that, my parent’s signed me up for tennis lessons every year. I didn’t really have any interest, but being that my father was an avid tennis player and ranked as high as number 2 on his high school tennis team (a fact that he was to continually remind me of throughout my formative years as a player) I didn’t have any choice. I not only took free tennis lessons in the park every summer, but being that we lived around the block from a tennis club, I was signed up there in the winter. Every Tuesday and Thursday I was hitting forehands and backhands, just me against the relentless ball machine. However, it didn’t take long for my love of the game to grow.

Tennis racquets have come a long way since the days of wooden and oversized racquets. My dad favored an old school wooden contraption. When I was growing up playing tennis it was all the rage to one of those giant, oversized racquets. They were more equipped for self-defense than optimizing power and accuracy. That’s ok. It was a fad. I found my true racquet when I first picked up a Dunlop Biomimetic 300 tennis racquet. With that racquet, my game improved. Effortless and accurate, the engineering and construction of Dunlop Biomimetic racquets bring tennis to a new level.

What makes these racquets so great? Dunlop Biomimetic racquets are the perfect marriage of nature and technology. Biomimetics is a concept that studies the natural world, and then applies what it sees to the development of sporting technology. They are constructed out of 100% Aerogel enhanced graphite. This makes them lighter than other racquets and easier to control. They are also built with Aeroskin, which reduces aerodynamic drag. The Dunlop Biomimetic 300 tennis racquet is all about power and racquet control. The technology is seamless and beautiful. It is as if the Dunlop Biomimetic 300 tennis racquet was the natural extension of your body.

The right racquet makes all the difference in tennis. How my father could have played with a wooden racquet is beyond me. Then again, those oversized racquets I used to play with were not much better. Technology has changed the game. With a sport as difficult as tennis, it is a good idea to get all the help you can get.

Nike Tennis looks to the Andre Agassi’s line for inspiration. Come Holiday 2012, Nike will release two colorways of the Air Max Challenge. According to the info provided, the upper was inspired by the ’91 Air Tech Challenge with improved fit system. The upper features perforations for breathability, and midfoot shank was added for stability. The outsole was made with GDR rubber for the best multi-surface traction support.

Available this holiday season for $90.

Via theshoegame

Rafael Nadal‘s outfit for Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome:

Nike Men’s Summer 1 Rafa Finals Clay Crew

Nike Men’s Summer 1 Finals Short