Babolat has a ready mix of young players like 2022 US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, … [+]
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Musical instrument string maker Pierre Babolat made the world’s first tennis strings in 1875. Pierre’s great-grandson Eric Babolat, who has run the brand since 1998, says the world’s oldest tennis brand is still growing 147 years later.
As the pandemic propelled the sport in 2020, tennis growth has shown no signs of slowing down for the France-based maker of strings, racquets, footwear and apparel. “This is really new,” says Eric Babolat. “It was flat plus for us and flat minus for the market (pre-pandemic) and there was this unexpected boom. Covid made a lot of people realize the importance of sport and people wanted to have fun and work out together and have racquets Sport seems like a good solution. There was a boom.”
Babolat, which first manufactured racquets in 1994 and within 10 years became the world’s leading racquet manufacturer, still leads the racquet game in the specialty tennis market. For Babolat, the United States is the leading market, followed by the ever-growing Japanese market. “Japan loves the game,” says Eric Babolat. “They love it.”
Babolat athlete Leylah Fernandez gives the brand a fresh face. (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty … [+]
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Eric Babolat sees the reintroduction of the sport as a powerful way for many people to attract a new generation to tennis. And the cultural popularity of tennis — brands not focused on tennis have increased interest in tennis, whether through apparel collections or advertising campaigns — has only served to help brands that are already focused on tennis.
“At some point it will go back again,” says Eric Babolat about the boom. At the moment, “the demand is still there”.
During the sport’s popularity, Babolat takes the opportunity to connect with a younger audience. The summer launch of the new Pure Aero racquet highlighted three young stars in Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez as the faces of the franchise. “Let’s talk to the younger audience,” says Eric Babolat. “We love (Rafael) Nadal but the next generation of the sport is Auger-Aliassime and Alcaraz, that’s the generation. It’s their generation.”
Alcaraz already gave Babolat a big win by winning the 2022 US Open title with the updated frame in September.
Another young face for Babolat, Felix Auger-Aliassime recently won the ATP European Open Tennis … [+]
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According to Bryan Ogle, Babolat’s US National Sales Director, the brand is focused on connecting with experienced players and tennis enthusiasts. “It’s in our blood, it’s who we are,” he says. Instead of turning to a mass market for the racquets, Babolat has focused on the specialty and prioritized the top level tennis frames. “We live in this space,” says Ogle. “A tennis lover will visit a tennis specialty store or a well-heeled online department store. We talk about where the tennis lover shops, where they play and where they live, and we’re a brand that’s in the ecosystem of where they live every day.”
“We take care of the people who love the sport,” says Eric Babolat. And while Babolat focuses on the top-end racquets used on the pro tours, they also create frames that trickle down in price and technology to hit people so they can find something “appropriate”.
Ogle says the recently released Pure Aero highlights this, with the Pure Aero at the top of the pyramid and then two step-down frames down the line, designed to allow players of different levels to maximize their enjoyment of the game. “When it’s your first time picking up a Pure Aero 98 and swinging it, it might not be a great experience,” he says. “But with a Boost Aero, you can say, ‘Hey, I like this, I’m getting some pop from it,’ and it’s a good experience.” For $109, Babolat also sells a lot of these frames.
As Babolat continues to focus on high-end racquets, they have started to differentiate between playing styles even more. Known as the brand’s Spin line, the Pure Aero now has frames within the line that focus on different styles of spin players, which Eric Babolat says reflects the specific performance needs of a variety of spin-focused players and changes across generations appeals.
Rafael Nadal has long been the face of Babolat, but the brand no longer relies solely on Nadal. … [+]
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“I think a one-size-fits-all approach would be totally wrong for these players,” says Ogle of expanding the Pure Aero line.
This focus on frames never strays too far from the strings for Babolat, with the company quick to point out that about 50% of a racquet’s power comes from the strings. In 1875, Babolat invented the natural gut tennis string. Around WWII, the brand evolved to add nylon and synthetics, a big shift. Then came electronic stringing machines. Development accelerated under Eric Babolat with the staggered launch of frames in multiple markets beginning in 1994, the launch of balls in 2000 and shoes in 2002, aided by a partnership with Michelin for technology and American tennis star Andy Roddick to bring the brand to life to give additional visibility.
Babolat continues to build on that visibility, outfitting its share of top players with racquets, but also outfitting the sport’s younger players and clubs. Eric Babolat says they’re not interested in fighting with generic sports brands to spend money on the top-to-toe clothing and footwear stores for the top players (Babolat has been outfitting Auger-Aliassime since he was 12, but as As his marketing value grew, he signed more lucrative clothing sponsorship deals and Babolat focused on his racquet deal) rather than focusing attention on his core equipment and marketing to tennis enthusiasts.
As a new generation of tennis fans mature, Eric Babolat says Babolat will continue to focus on those who love the sport, just as Babolat has done since 1875.
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