Daily Racquet

The Color Purple at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open

Usually when you think of the Color Purple, you think of  the pulitzer-prize winning novel by Alice Walker, or the moving film by Steven Spielberg but this year when you think of the Color Purple, you might conjure up scenes at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open.

From the courts to the players outfits, purple prevails.

The most striking is the new tied-dyed purple and pink dress that Venus Williams is wearing. She debuted the new Eleven design during the Sony Ericsson Open Fashion Park on Saturday, March 29th.

EleVen debut in November 2007 to rave reviews at Steve & Barry’s and is the largest fashion collection ever launched by a female athlete. The EleVen line features a wide assortment of active lifestyle and performance looks, high performance and casual footwear, denim jackets and jeans, accessories and much, much more. While the company continues to struggle and the stores have closed, Venus continues to sport new designs.

"I love tie-dye. It's cool to do the tournament colors, too. Just trying to do something different in tennis that hasn't really been done. It's a lot of fun to wear," said Williams of her new outfit.  "Yeah, matched the courts. I was coordinating."

While the verdict is still out on the dress, the match play on the purple courts has been getting rave reviews.

For more information on EleVen go to elevenbyvenus.com.  For tickets or information on the Sony Ericsson Open go to sonyericssonopen.com.

LACOSTE To Celebrate 75 Years of the "Crocodile" Myth

For over 75 years the LACOSTE brand has been associated with Crocodiles. It began in 1925, when Rene Lacoste, the founder of the brand, made a bet with Pierre Gillou, the French Davis Team Captain, the prize being a crocodile skin suitcase that Rene had spotted in the shops of Boston. To win the bet Rene Lacoste had to win his next Davis Cup match against the Australian player Anderson, during the days that followed the story of the bet was recounted to George Carens a local journalist. After the match, which Lacoste did not win, Carens said, “The young Lacoste has not won his Crocodile skin suitcase but he fought like a real crocodile.”  The nickname stuck and Rene Lacoste adopted the crocodile as his emblem and soon had a crocodile embroidered onto the outside pocket of his jacket and the legendary brand logo was born.

To commemorate this association LACOSTE is releasing a collection of 9 shoes that celebrate the legend of Rene Lacoste and the Mythologies surrounding crocodiles around the world. The special collection begins with the release of their Tiller Egypt, Revan NYC, and Tennis 91 West Africa models. The shoes will be released over three months starting in April and will only be available from an exclusive selection of stores globally.

Each shoe is packaged in a special edition box and contains a booklet and postcard pack which outlines the stories behind the myth and the legend of Lacoste.

The release is already creating excitement amongst sneaker lovers and fanatics worldwide!

In addition to the growing publicity, Lacoste will be launching a website for the collection on March 30th – the details on this are currently top secret, but it is sure to entertain.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Go Green With Watergeeks Filtered Sport Bottle

With a Watergeeks Filtered Sport Bottle you can have fresh, filtered water wherever you play, not to mention making great strides in saving our planet from too many plastic water bottles! Made with food grade, BPA free plastic, this 16 oz. filtered water bottle will treat up to 80 gallons of water, approximately 3 months of use under normal conditions. The level 2 filter removes chlorine, bad taste and odor, as well as a significant proportions of heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and copper. Simply fill bottle with water and drink.

Available online at Watergeeks.

Get in the Swing of Spring With Adidas Neon Yellow Competition Tops

Put a spring in your step with this season's bold spring colors in the Adidas Competition line — the Neon Yellow will dazzle any crowd.

The Men's Competition Crew will definitely add a little extra sizzle and intensity to anybody's game. This performance-minded design has a mesh back panel that offers optimum ventilation — the ClimaCool technology keeps you cool and comfortable in even the warmest conditions by actively expelling heat and sweat away from your body. ForMotion follows every curve of the athlete's body for a better fit and greater comfort while in motion. The shirt features a crew neck with contrasting trim on upper back and breathable mesh panels under arms and back of sleeves. The Adidas 3-Stripes are on the sleeves and a screen printed adidas logo is on the center chest.

Women will play hard for the win in the Competition Tank. This lightweight top features a V-neck, contrast binding around neckline and armholes, mesh around the neckline and upper back with contrasting stripes on the sides, and a printed adidas logo on left chest. Like the Men's Competition Crew, the Competition Tank features the Climacool and ForMotion technology.

Breakout of the winter doldrums and brighten your game in an Adidas Competition top. 

Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

Tennis Head and Wrist Bands Make a Comeback!

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Tommy Haas and Mardy Fish are but a few of the players making their   presence known on the tennis court, not just for their games but for their trend-setting head and wristbands.

Forget the hats and visors. This spring it all about bands -  headbands and wristbands. They have become the fashion statement in their own right, coming in all sizes, shapes, colors and logos.

Remember the old Bjorn Borg days when wristbands were to actually wipe sweat.

Not necessarily so anymore. 

Look no further than Mardy Fish — If you're looking at his wrists you won't see any wristbands. Fish, like  a growing number of fashion-conscious NFL, NBA and college football players — and countless kids who emulate them — wears his wristbands well above his elbows.

For Federer and Nadal, color coordination is the key — their head and wristbands match their ensemble.

Next time you hit the courts, take a play from the top pros fashion playbook and get a band on your game!

Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

Get In The Swing With Dunlop Aerogel 4D 3Hundred Tour Tennis Racquet

Get in the swing with the new Dunlop Aerogel 4D 3Hundred Tour Tennis Racquet — an impressive racquet that combines Dunlop's 4D Braided and Aerogel technologies to provide maximum control with increased power, enhanced touch and feel and minimal frame torsion.

This 100% graphite racquet has a tight 18/20 string pattern that offers excellent ball bite and a plush and comfortable feel. The large sweetspot provides a stable feel at the net while providing ample power from the baseline.

Dunlop's 4D features a four-directional braided graphite wrapped in an aluminum sheath at the 3-5, and 7-9 o'clock positions around the frame. The 4D braid is designed to increase strength and torsional stability without adding bulk or affecting the stiffness of the racquet. Overall, this stick offers a nice combination of power, spin and control.

The Aerogel 4D 3Hundred is currently used by tennis pros Tommy Robredo and Tommy Haas.

For more information go to dunlopsport.com. Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

Put Some Color In Your Soles

What do you get when you mix a little color with a little rocket science? You get the Nike Air Max Courtballistec 1.3 Men's Tennis Shoes – offering new technology with LunarLite and DragOn X, Nike has produced an extremely durable shoe offering plenty of comfort.

To be worn by Rafael Nadal, the Court Ballistec features Lunarlite technology in the forefoot for a softer and more flexible ride. Max Air unit in the heel for superior cushioning. New DragOn X upper is an evolutionary material that is 30% more durable than the previous-generation DragOn.

A new look, with new technology mixed with a colorful sole, places this shoe one step ahead of the competition.

Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

Maui Jim Kapalua Offers Up Ultra-Light Sport Shades

The Maui Jim Kapalua is the pinnacle of Maui Jim's ultra-light sport designs, these hingeless wrap-around sunglasses eliminate glare and keep the sun out with the Maui Jim PolarizedPlus2® technology. Fashioned from a strong, flexible beta-titanium alloy and combined with impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses, the Kapaluas weigh a mere eleven grams. These ultralight titanium alloy frames are engineered for comfort and durability with flexible temples to hug face for relaxed fit

Maui Jim's exclusive CLEARSHELL coating resists scratches and scuffs, and like all Jims, PolarizedPlus Technology eliminates glare and UV rays. A polarized lens' primary function is to reduce glare that is, light reflected from a flat surface which greatly diminishes color and contrast. Like body of water or a car windshield, tennis courts produce polarized light —polarized lenses are perfect for deflecting this light, giving you a cleaner and safer look at the ball with decreased eye-strain.

These ultralight titanium alloy frames are engineered for comfort and durability with flexible temples to hug face for relaxed fit. Perfect for the tennis courts — lightweight, tough, and very stylish!

For more information go to mauijim.com. Available online at Amazon.com.

Bryans Use Custom Inserts for Prince Frame

Top doubles players Bob and Mike Bryan are customizing their Prince O3 Speedport Black frames with colored inserts.

With the new colored Speedport inserts from Prince, you too, can customize your racquets.

In fact, according to Prince, players can customize their frames with more than 2,400 combinations. Imagine that — every day that you play, you can give your racquet a new customized look.

For more information, visit princetennis.com. Available online at Tennis Warehouse.

Ace Tennis Online — #1 Sports Game for iPhone and iPod

Ace Tennis Online is currently the #1 sports game for the iPhone and iPod. With this fun and inexpensive game, you can play 3D Tennis with players from all over the world! It takes only a few seconds to find a real player to play with, and with the integrated chat, profile and friends list, you will enjoy the game for a long time.

Other features to add to your playing pleasure include:
• Action tennis with realistic physics.
• Easy to control - lob, smash or drop shot with the accelerator! Fast graphics with particle effects.
• Multiplayer match-making; online profile with picture upload.
• Chat, private messages and friends list and an offline mode with tournaments against challenging computer experts.

Available from iTunes.com.