Babolat, Oldest Tennis Manufacturer In The World, Enjoying Rise In Sport

Jan 29, 2024

Babolat has a ready mix of young players, such as 2022 U.S. Open Champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, ... [+] to market to a new generation of tennis lovers. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Musical instrument string maker Pierre Babolat made the world's first tennis strings in 1875. Pierre's great-grandson, Eric Babolat, leading the brand since 1998, says the world's oldest tennis brand is still growing, 147 years later.

As the pandemic pushed the sport forward in 2020, the tennis growth hasn't showed any signs of slowing for the French-based maker of strings, rackets, shoes and apparel. "This is really new," Eric Babolat says. "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 how important sport is and people wanted to be together having fun and exercising and racket sports seems to be a good solution. There has been a boom."

Babolat, which first made rackets in 1994 and within 10 years was the top racket maker in the world, is still at the top of the racket game in the tennis specialty market. For Babolat, the United States is the leading market and the second is the ever-growing Japanese market. "Japan is loving the game," Eric Babolat says. "They love it."

Babolat athlete Leylah Fernandez offers a fresh face for the brand. (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ... [+] Images)

Eric Babolat sees the reintroduction of the sport to many folks a powerful way to draw a new generation to tennis. And the cultural popularity of tennis—non-tennis-focused brands have stepped up interest in tennis, whether through apparel collections or advertising campaigns—has only served to help brands already focused on tennis.

"At some point it will go back," Eric Babolat says about the boom. For now, though, "the demand is still there."

During the sport's time of popularity, Babolat is taking the opportunity to connect with a younger audience. The summer launch of the new Pure Aero racket highlighted three young stars as the faces of the franchise, with Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez. "Let's talk to the younger audience," Eric Babolat says. "We love (Rafael) Nadal, but the next generation of the sport is Auger-Aliassime and Alcaraz, that is the generation. It is their generation."

Alcaraz already gave Babolat a major win by capturing the 2022 U.S. Open title in September with the updated frame.

Another young face for Babolat, Felix Auger-Aliassime, recently won the ATP European Open Tennis ... [+] tournament in Antwerp. (Photo by DAVID PINTENS/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

Bryan Ogle, Babolat's U.S. national sales director, says the brand puts a focus on connecting with the expert player and tennis lover. "It is in our blood, it is who we are," he says. Instead of turning to a mass market for the rackets, Babolat has focused on the specialty realm, prioritizing the top-level tennis frames. "We live in that space," Ogle says. "A tennis lover is going to visit a specialty tennis shop or a well-heeled online warehouse. We talk about where the tennis lover shops, where they play and where they live, and we are a brand that is in the ecosystem of where they live every day."

"We take care of the people who love the sport," Eric Babolat says. And while Babolat focuses on the top-end rackets used on the professional tours, they also create frames that trickle down in price point and technology to meet 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 within the line designed so different levels of players can maximize their enjoyment of the game. "If for your first time you pick up and swing a Pure Aero 98, it may not be a great experience," he says. "But a Boost Aero, you may say, 'Hey, I like this, I get some pop off of it,' and it is a good experience." At $109, Babolat sells plenty of those frames too.

As Babolat continues to zero in on rackets at the top end they've started to differentiate between playing styles even more. The Pure Aero, known as the brand's spin line, now has frames within the line focused on differing styles of spin players, which Eric Babolat says addresses the specific performance needs of a variety of spin-focused players and changes in the generations.

Rafael Nadal has long served as a face of Babolat, but the brand no longer relies on just Nadal. ... [+] (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

"I think a one-size-fits-all approach would be completely wrong for this level of player," Ogle says about the expansion of the Pure Aero line.

This focus on frames never strays too far from strings for Babolat, with the company quick to point out that roughly 50% of a racket's performance comes from the strings. In 1875 Babolat invented tennis string with natural gut. Around World War II the brand evolved into adding nylon, synthetics, a big change. Then came electronic stringing machines. The evolution increased under Eric Babolat with the staggered introduction of frames across multiple markets starting in 1994, the addition of balls in 2000 and shoes in 2002, helped by a partnership with Michelin on technology and American tennis star Andy Roddick to give the brand added visibility.

Babolat continues to build on that visibility, outfitting its share of top players with rackets but also keeping the sport's younger players and clubs outfitted. Eric Babolat says they aren't interested in fighting with general athletic brands in spending money for the head-to-toe apparel and footwear deals for the top players (Babolat has outfitted Auger-Aliassime since he was 12, but as his marketing value grew, he signed more lucrative clothing sponsorship deals and Babolat focused on his racket deal), instead choosing to direct attention on its core equipment and marketing to tennis lovers.

As a new generation of tennis fans matures, Eric Babolat says Babolat remains focused on those who love the sport, just like Babolat has done since 1875.