Holger Rune looking on (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LONDON – Tennis racket brand Babolat, sponsor of Danish player Holger Rune, is uncomfortable with the fact that the Dane put his smashed rackets up for sale online.
“It is not our intention to promote broken rackets,” Marion Cornu, tennis business leader at Babolat, told CLAY and RG Media.
The world No. 8 recently listed two destroyed rackets on his official online store, priced at $7,231 each.
"Holger Rune’s smashed rackets are ultra-rare collector’s items, used in official matches and only available in very limited numbers. Why? Because Holger rarely lets frustration take over. But when he does, the moment — and the racket — tells a story," read the Shop Holger Rune website.
“We are in talks with his agent. Obviously, it is not our intention to promote broken rackets. We must be consistent with our values, so we are working on this issue with his representatives,” Cornu said in London during the celebration of the French brand’s 150th anniversary. Babolat is also an official sponsor of Wimbledon.
On Tuesday morning, the site was updated. None of the broken rackets were still for sale — only outfits worn by the player, accessories, and other merchandise from the five-time ATP champion, who just lost to Nicolas Jarry at Wimbledon.
Rune assured that part of the money obtained from the sales of his Babolat Pure Aero rackets would be donated to foundations and charitable causes.
“It’s Important to Show the Work Behind It”
Unlike other brands like Yonex, Babolat does not fine players when they break rackets. Instead, the company prefers to raise players’ awareness of all the work that goes into making them.
“Obviously, a player breaking a racket can happen. You have to distinguish between breaking one racket once and doing it repeatedly.
But in any case, we always talk with the player and their team so they become aware that it shouldn’t happen. Above all, for us it’s important to show them the work behind every racket,” Cornu told CLAY.
She illustrated this with the example of Benoît Paire, a specialist in racket destruction. The former world No. 18 was taken by the brand to its headquarters in Lyon, where he saw firsthand how a specialized team carefully crafts each racket.
Did Paire change his outbursts? “He still breaks rackets sometimes, but he says that experience changed his perception of the equipment. He had no idea what happened behind the scenes. It was a great experience for him.”
Sebastián Varela
