Tennis & Fashion

Seen Venus’ latest outfit? She is wearing it in Key Biscayne. Self-designed of course. Thought it was interesting to read that although she won a good match, the first 8 question in the post match press conference were about her dress. Venus said, “"The motif is really about sporty sexy, and kind of that whole attitude of bringing that to my game," she said. I usually don't wear red. This is kind of new for me.” Her and everyone else!

I must say though, one of the great things about tennis is how much it has ventured into the fashion world. I guess we have to thank Ted Tinling for recognizing the opportunity to design great outfits for women. The greatest impressions have always been made by women. Here are a few of my favorites:

Gussie Moran – first to show her knickers, and at Wimbledon to boot!


















The Anne White Pony body suit at Wimbledon





























Kournikova practice outfits


























Serena’s cat suit



























What are your favorites?

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR DIGITAL TENNIS FIX?

I took some time last night to find out where the majority of American’s go to get their tennis “fix” online and what I found was a little surprising.

I thought maybe the websites of the major tennis superstars would lead the list. The Roddick’s, the Williams’, the Blake’s, the Oudin’s, etc. But according to Alexa.com, the internet’s auditing service for web activity, none of these sites made the top 10 (non-general sports sites; such as ESPN or MSN.FOXSPORTS) based on general “Tennis” activity. In fact, only one athlete was in the top 10 at all; www.rogerfederer.com came in at 6th.

It is also pretty clear that the web is all about what’s hot and what’s happening and users see a premium on today, versus yesterday or tomorrow. Of the 4 grand-slam sites, the least popular for American TV viewers annually, the Australian Open tops Alexa’s tennis rankings right now coming in at number 2,621 in overall traffic rank and 1,116 in US specific traffic ranking. TENNIS.com was next, followed by USTA.com, the home site of the before-mentioned greatest player ever (with all do respect to Sampras, Borg, etc.), and MENSTENNISFORUM,com at #5. The later is an interesting tennis social community site where members log on to discuss equipment, surfaces, tournaments, their own games and tennis heroes.

With the recency syndrome we all suffer from in today’s 24-hour cable news and internet world, quite a few of these sites will have more peaks and valleys throughout the year than the stock market when you look at them over the last 24 months. Take the US Open and USTA sites for instance. They rank #10 and #3 (for today anyway) but come the start of the USTA Spring and Summer Leagues and as the US Open Series heats up in August, these sites will rocket up to the top 2 or 3 spots, as will the Roland Garros and Wimbledon sites during the late spring and early summer. This rise and fall moves as players and fans roll through the roller coaster ATP and WTA calendars each year.

So who as staying power throughout the year? To start with, look at Tennis Magazines site- www.tennis.com. The URL says it all and it is the most consistently highly viewed site in the US and one of the highest in the world. Yesterday they were at #2 with a world rank of 17,482 and an American ranking of #6,921. And don’t sleep on internet retailer TENNIS-WAREHOUSE.com. They are a powerhouse in tennis web traffic. Maybe the largest most complete selection of tennis goods and apparel coupled with Talk Tennis, their social networking site, gives them a world of tennis power on the web. If they offered news, they would bolt ahead of TENNIS.com and USTA.com with a US ranking of 3,328…wow!

By comparison, our site, www.leetennis.com is 11,194,789 in the world as of yesterday…that only puts us 11,194, 788 spots beyond Google, the Roger Federer if you will of the web. We will typically run up inside the top 1,000,000 sites the world during the clay court season though. Needless to say, we have plenty of work to do to improve this.

No matter where you go to get your tennis on, keep supporting our sport and if you get time, go check out your favorite site on Alexa.com… and please check out www.leetennis.com and our sister site, www.playtheclay.com and help us break into the top 10 million next week. Your help and the opening of the clay court season in the US this spring should help us greatly. Have fun and stay warm this winter!

Randy Futty
General Manager

Coming Clean or Selling Books???

When tennis player Andre Agassi admitted all of his personal demons was he seeking peace or was it a means of trying to sell books? I can remember watching a young Agassi and thinking that he was hungry for attention. The punk rock hair style and the flashy headbands in my opinion were just Andre saying look at me! I believe Ivan Lendl described a young 17-year-old Agassi best in a scouting report at the Stratton Mountain Tournament in 1987 when he described him as “a haircut and a forehand”.

We all know that people change. The change that we witnessed in Andre may be the best change that has ever happened to tennis. We witnessed a young, attention hungry kid grow up and become the guy that played with more heart than any other player on tour. He changed from the guy who you wanted to see lose to the guy you wanted to watch win. I can remember Agassi’s last US Open and being fortunate enough to watch his last match in person. The guy could barely walk due to his bad back, yet he played every point with everything he had. He chased down every ball and then would hobble his way to the chair during crossovers. It was one of the most incredible performances I have ever witnessed. I remember leaving the Open and walking outside and as I was doing so I actually witnessed Agassi laying on the hot concrete sidewalk waiting for the shuttle back to his hotel because his back wouldn’t allow him to stand up. It was an effort like this that made me forget about that attention craved 17-year-old kid and made me think that Agassi was the poster child, role model for all young tennis players!

Now comes Open, the autobiography where Andre comes roaring back into the spotlight and shocking the world with his recreational drug use confessions. What was he trying to do? Did that 17-year-old attention hungry kid resurface in a means of selling books or was it the gutsiest performance of his career? I tend to believe that it was his gutsiest performance ever. Andre has found peace in the truth and I’m not sure how many of us out there can stand up and face our personal demons in the way Andre has. What do you think?

Tracy Lynch
Wholesale Accounts Manager
Lee Tennis Court Products

Recent Trip to Australia

I just got back last week from a trip to Australia which revolved partially around the Australian Open and partially around visiting some of the many Tennis Sites around Australia. The people were great, the tennis was great, and the country was beautiful and very interesting. I was really impressed with the friendly folks I meet and they are great tennis fans as you may have surmised from the enthusiasm you saw on TV during the tournament. I got to see the Ladies play on Thursday in the semi’s and saw Serena bounce back from losing her cool at the US Open to win her next Slam opportunity. She was impressive but so was her opponent Li Na from China who gave her a great match and all she wanted on this particular day. Having two Chinese women in the semi’s is a big deal for the Chinese and based on information from our contractor in China may put Tennis as the number 3 sport in China. There is certainly more “Respect” for the game now in China and that is very important to the Chinese.

The main message that I would like to share today is about the commitment both these countries are showing towards training their kids on clay. Both of the countries have reached the same conclusions that we have here in the U.S., that the best players in the World have for the most part, developed their games around clay courts. It was especially interesting to learn while down there that the Tennis greats from Australia like Laver and Rosewall grew up playing on clay. Yes, the Open Tournament was on grass back then but the grass wasn’t available all year and at least half of their development time was on the clay. If you ever saw them play you could see that they had the diversity of weapons that come from learning to win on Clay and these greats that are legends of the game were displayed prominently at the Stadium site. The Stadium in Melbourne was very impressive and they have made heavy commitments to expand and add even another covered stadium to their center. Equally important they have made commitments to get some Aussie’s back in contention like the old days. Tennis Australia is really taking growth of the game seriously and that includes putting in Clay for the main training centers throughout the country. We were able to visit several of these sites and are working now to get some of our Har-Tru courts in some of those key locations. We to are committed to introducing them to our Har-Tru courts and that will hopefully happen soon at a couple key locations where they want the best and where they have shown a keen interest in both our Har-Tru court and the HydroCourt underground watering system.

One more word of thanks for the hospitality that was shown to me all during my trip. It was great to see such dedicated folks who love the game of Tennis “Down Under”

John Welborn, Lee Tennis

World Class Standards

Our last trip to Beijing included meeting the head of a government committee charged to write construction specifications for the Peoples Republic of China. The committee requested assistance in writing a “standard” for clay tennis court construction for their country. What an opportunity! In an emerging market where GDP has increased by nearly 9% in the past year, clay tennis is just beginning to grow. Introducing standards now will help ensure the success of tennis long before projects get off the drawing board, into the ground and beyond.

I’ll bet you know the specifications and standards for your racquets and string. Did you know the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) has construction standards available for your tennis court? If not, request a copy from your builder, the ASBA (www.sportsbuilders.org) or the manufacturer of your tennis surface today. Understanding basic construction is the first stop on the “road map” to success for your facility. Long-term success of the court begins with a foundation and build from there, just like your game. And making the most of any opportunity to help ensure the success of the game is another standard worth aspiring to.

Ed Montecalvo
Director of Consulting Services
Lee Tennis Court Products

It’s Time for “Timelessness”

Having just finished reading a great article by Russell Versaci on the newest trends in home architecture, I asked myself the question – Why isn’t tennis court construction more trendy?

In the article entitled, “Fashion Reset”, Mr. Versaci talks about how the recession has forced a “reset” of sorts in home design and construction, and how there is a growing trend to build more traditional, more authentic type homes.

I would call it a return to “timelessness.”

In the world today, there are very few timeless places. The grand Cathedrals of Europe are timeless, The Great Wall of China is timeless, the classic shingle style homes of Nantucket are timeless, the Magic Kingdom at Disney World is timeless…

…and in our business, the manicured lawns at tennis clubs like Merion and Longwood Cricket are timeless, the “dirt” courts at camp houses in Maine and Vermont are timeless, Cambier Park in Naples, and the oak sheltered courts at Amelia Island Plantation are timeless.

I can only hope this reset in design will find its way into tennis construction. Close your eyes and think about a time where construction wasn’t all about the fastest, the least expensive and the easiest. Courts were built by hand with skilled and apprenticed craftspeople who put their own identity on every job. Courts had subtle nuances that were created to “fit the site” or blend into the surrounding grounds. Local materials were used for fencing and curbing and design elements were chosen to compliment the site and the landscape around the court. A builders brand was forged on quality of construction and not on quantity or on efficiency.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for saving time and lowering cost whenever possible, and I wonder how, and if, we can strike a balance between taking the time to care for every small detail and yet still live in the iPhone society we find ourselves in today.

Later in that same article, Versaci writes “I’m encouraged by America’s younger generation who seem hell-bent on seeking cultural, context, and vivid social interaction in the places the choose to live…the essence of traditional architecture is to provide meaningful places for social interaction, and the power of this notion is not lost on the young.” Let’s hope it’s not lost on our designers and builders as well.

It’s a tough challenge I know, but I truly hope that the builders and designers of tomorrow’s tennis facilities will look back and embrace design elements that have stood the test of time…and create facilities that are truly timeless.

Randy Futty
General Manager
Lee Tennis Court Products

A Short History of the US Clay Court Championships

Found this short history of the US Clay Court Championships on the Supernetters blog - http://supernetters-teejohn.blogspot.com/2009/12/14us-mens-clay-court-championships.html. Its amazing to me that this is the only men's ATP clay event in the US. If the governing body of our sport is truly committed to bringing clay into the mix and inspiring our young players to spend time on this surface that will have to change.

It seems to me that there is a clear opportunity in the schedule. After the Australian we have a mini hard court season in the US with San Jose, Memphis, Delray Beach, Indian Wells and Miami. Meanwhile the clay court players are getting entrenched on their favorite surface in places like Vina del Mar, Costa do Sauipe, Buenos Aires and Acapulco. Why not transition one or two more US events to clay and give our guys a chance to play at home? I can't believe Federer or Nadal or any of the Europeans or South Americans would complain if Miami went to clay. A few might even stay to play in Houston.