subject: The World Of Tennis – The Transformation Of A Gentleman Game [print this page] The World Of Tennis The Transformation Of A Gentleman Game
The sport of Tennis has a global following and is perhaps one of the most glamorous media spectacles. The tournaments are scheduled all over the world and it has spawned superstar players who have a celebrity like following. The business side of the sport is worth billions of dollars in merchandizing, sponsorships, media broadcasting and tickets. The tennis equipment is sold all over the world and is one of the most lucrative merchandizing business.
A recent study in America showed that Tennis is among the top 5 sporting events in terms of commercial appeal and fan following. The profile gets a major boost during the four Grand Slam events that are the most prestigious and marquee tournaments of the tennis calendar. The game has indeed come a long way from the 18th century origins which was started on the croquet grounds of Birmingham in England. The popularity of the game is attributed to
Global media attention and increase in the number of tournaments and matches splayed each year
Superstar status of the top players that have become sports icons
Brand endorsements of not just tennis related products but a diversified portfolio of consumer items like cars, food products and even high-end couture
The Merchandizing Business Global Sales Of Tennis Equipment
A very large part of the success of tennis as a sport is due to the merchandizing of tennis products. There are stores all over the world that sell tennis clothing, racquets, balls and shoes both online and offline. The endorsement of superstars like world No. 1 Roger Federer has had a huge impact on the sales of tennis products. There are many products that have been specially designed keeping his image and lifestyle in mind.
Similarly there are other tennis stars like the legendary Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have brought massive attention and commercial appeal to several tennis products. Over the years technology has played a huge part in redefining and redesigning these products as well.
The Modern Edge And Technology How Tennis Racquets Have Been Revolutionized
In the 60s and 70s the rackets were made of wood and aluminum. We all remember Jimmy Connors popularizing steel rackets with wired string loops from the mid 70s. But the slow and relaxed tennis has paved the way for power tennis. The serves touching over 150 mph is only possible with advent of new technology in tennis racquets and balls.
The racquets are now made of graphite and carbon and the strings are polyester or nylon. This has completely revolutionized the game and its current powerful and super fast shots that have invoked major attention. These latest line of tennis equipment is widely available and distributed across the tennis stores all over the world. So customers can buy products used by professional tennis players
