A Racket for Her...
Several of the top tennis racket manufacturers including Wilson, Head and Fischer have launched lines of tennis rackets specifically designed for women. Head, which interviewed thousands of women in focus groups, playing sessions, etc., has its “Airflow” series endorsed by Steffi Graf while Wilson has its “W Line” which is used by Serena and Venus Williams. Fischer launched its models during the recent U.S. Open. Neither Prince nor Babolat have rackets specifically designed for women. In other sports, such as golf, skiing, etc. manufacturers have also launched product lines specifically targeted at women. So is this a marketing gimmick or really a revolution in racket technology? Well, these new rackets are generally lighter, less head-heavy and have a yoke/throat design which provides a larger “sweetspot.” The grip handles are also designed to fit a women’s hand and work better for a two-hander. However, they don’t come cheap, e.g. the Wilson line tops out at $270! Clearly, these innovations benefit women who tend to have less upper body strength, but they also could benefit beginners of both genders who lack the arm strength and technique of more frequent players. Therefore, these new product lines may initially target women, but future marketing efforts could conceivably be targeted by playing level, e.g. marketing rackets with a larger sweetspot and lighter weight for beginners as is currently done with kids’ models.
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