For the third time in the last 10 years, a junior player wins a Grand Slam tournament playing with a Völkl Tennis racquet. After Barbara Strycova (2 x Australian Open) and Roman Valent (Wimbledon), Ricardas Berankis scored big in New York winning the Championship in style, with-out loosing a single set!

In the finals, Ricardas dominated his opponent from Poland Jerzy Janowicz 6-3, 6-4. He is the first Lithuanian to win a junior Grand Slam title and it represents a breakthrough performance. Ricardas was the 15th seeded player in the draw and beat the number 3 and 8 seeds to reach the final. Ricardas was hot coming to New York, as he won the Canadian Open Junior Championships just one day before the start of the US Open. After this convincing performance, he is now the second ranked junior player in the world.

“It feels very good. It’s just an unbelievable feeling,” said the 17 year old afterward the finals. “It was actually the third Grand Slam I played pretty well in, but now I won it, so it feels good.”



Just an hour after winning the finals over Janowicz, there was no time to rest. Ricardas found himself on court again, this time hitting with Roger Federer. Federer asked Ricardas to help him warm up for his men’s final against Djokovic.

In recent months, both players have become friends. As posted earlier, Federer invited Ricardas to practice and prepare for the US Open with him in Dubai in July. The result was evident in New York, the practice sessions clearly helped his confidence and his game.



Berankis, who was born in Vilnius Lithuania, reached the semi-finals in two junior Grand Slams this year already (Australian Open and Wimbledon) and won the third major. “I like playing in New York very, very much. I like all the grand slams but this one is probably my favorite,” he said. What else would you expect after this performance.

Ricardas has been a Völkl Tennis team member for nearly 3 years now and has been playing with the DNX 8.

Congratulations on this strong performance Ricardas, now ranked number 2 in the world.


To listen to the interview after his victory:
http://www.itftennis.com/shared/medialibrary/audio/mp3/IO_28590_mp3.MP3

In what is being labeled as the best match of the 2007 US Open so far, the battle between Radek Stepanek and Novak Djokovic had the spectators on the edge of their seats. The match lasted 4hours and 46minutes and saw the deciding 5th set be decided in a tie-breaker. In the end Radek lost to the number three seed in a dramatic match filled with fist-pumping gestures on both sides. With a combined score of 7:6; 6:7; 7:5; 5:7; 6:7 it could not have been any closer. Long ground-stroke rallies along with attacking net play, this match featured everything a tennis fan could hope for and had the 10'000 spectators in attendance giving several standing ovations.



"Of course I am disappointed, but i must admit that I was having so much fun out there. I came so close, but the energy of the crowd and the competition is why I love this sport so much and why I practice so hard. I will get him next time," said Radek after the match.



"What a great match for people that love tennis," added Petr Korda, who is accompanying Radek at this years US Open. "He came so close, but in the end Djokovic was luckier. Radek's results in recent months just prove that when he is healthy, he can play with anyone. I am optimistic for the future, watch out Radek is back."



Last year Radek was ranked as high as number 8 in July, before he was slowed down by injuries. By the time the hard-court season started in July/August, Radek was healthy again and recorded his second ATP tournament victory in LA and reached the semi finals in Montreal & Gstaad.

Radek continues to play with his DNX 9 and is ready for the next tournaments in Asia. As Petr Korda said: "Watch out, Radek is back!"



Congratulations Radek, get him next time

Congratulations Mailen!

The hard hitting Argentine MAILEN AUROUX has just produced back-to-back victories on the Challenger level. Her first successful campaign came in Projutple, Serbia where she won the finals against Indire Akika from Croatia in three sets 4/6 6/1 6/3.

The second tournament that she won was held in Craiova, Rumania. In the finals she beat Chayanne Ejwich from the Netherlands in three sets 6/7 6/2 6/2.

Thanks to her outstanding performances at these clay-court tournaments, Mailen climbed the rankings and has now reached a career high 513 in the WTA ranking. She has come a long way, since starting the year ranked 839.

Here are some impressions:

After an impressive comeback in July and August, Radek Stepanek will bring his good form to the US Open this week. He started with a strong performance in his first round match beating Carlos Berlocq from Argentina in 4 sets. Also in attendance was former Australian Open Champ Petr Korda. Petr has been very close to Radek for many years and often accompanies him to big tournaments. "Radek has found his game again, he is in great shape and ready to turn some heads," said Korda after the match. Very true, after a disappointing, injury plague first half of the year, Radek is back to his successful game, that brought to Nr. 9 in the world last year. Radek continues to play with his DNX 9 and is ready for a hot 2 weeks in the city.

Thank you for your support over the years. With your help and passion we have established ourselves in the tennis racquet market and have a strong following around the world. This summer Völkl Tennis is celebrating it's 35th anniversary. The tennis division was founded back in 1972 and has always been dedicated to developing real innovations that improve your tennis game. It started with the ZEBRA racquet, the first composite racquet ever, and has continued over the years with the SERVE SOFT, Big Grommets, various Comfort Handle Systems, the Catapult Technology and most recently the use of the revolutionary DNX
material. It has always been our goal to engineer real technologies and not focus on marketing gimmicks.

This year, the company is adapting its philosophy and has made some changes to ensure a bright future. Boris Becker has been a 50% shareholder of the Völkl Tennis GmbH company since 1999. He has actively been involved in developing and marketing racquets ever since. Obviously the R&D department along with the Product Manager develop the racquets & the new technologies and the Marketing Department generates the stories that go along with the products, but Boris Becker has always been a part of the decision making
process from day 1. His play-testing ability should be unquestioned, but he is also an important part when it comes to defining the season’s strategies.

In May 2007, Boris Becker and his partner Hans-Dieter Cleven founded a new company: the BORIS BECKER SPORTS GmbH, which therefore replaces Völkl Tennis GmbH. This however does NOT mean that the brand VÖLKL TENNIS will disappear in the near future. On the contrary, Völkl Tennis will continue to develop new tennis racquets in the future. The company name has changed, but the brand name remains the same.

Both brands will offer high quality tennis products that all of you have come to expect and appreciate. They will however be marketed completely separately and will be positioned differently as they will coexist side by
side.

The newly launched tennis brand BORIS BECKER TENNIS had its kick-off event back in May in Hamburg. For more pictures and information, please visit the newly designed BORIS BECKER TENNIS web-page. You will find the latest racquets and bags along with the new apparel line: http://www.borisbecker.com

Check out the Serveman at http://www.borisbecker.com/en/news/blog/

Introducing Nikki Christopher Roenn

We would like to introduce you to a member of the Völkl Tennis International Junior Team that has been climbing the ranking-lists. Introducing Nikki Roenn from England.

Despite the fact that Nikki just turned 17 in June he has been concentrating on 18U and Men’s open tournaments for more than 16 months now.

In 2006, Nikki rose up in the U18 rankings very well, going from number 271 to number 34. The highlight was reaching the Sunday Telegraph La Manga Finals.

Nikki started to play tennis at the age of 3-and-a-half, at my parents tennis club, but didn’t chose to take tennis seriously until the age of 11. He started to play competitive tournaments outside of England at the age of 13.

Nikki is right handed and plays a one-handed backhand. His game is based on his powerful ground strokes and describes himself as an “Attacking Baseliner”: "I enjoy playing from the back of the court dictating play but I am able to come in and volley at any time. Thus being able to play from any position in the court."

Nikki has also been practicing at the Marco Tennis Academy, in Marbella Spain. This is where he was introduced to Völkl Tennis racquets. He has been playing with the DNX 9 for the last 18 months and enjoys the V-Engine technology.

Nikki also has his own web-site: "http://www.nikkiroenn.com" which is updated on a regular basis.

Good luck from all of us at Völkl Tennis, the future is yours.

Völkl Tennis sponsored Czech Radek Stepanek has been playing on the ATP for 12 years. On Sunday, Radek won his second career tournament when he beat James Blake 7-6(7), 5-7 6-2 in the finals of the Countrywide Classic in LA.



It was a tight match all the way, Radek even saved three set points in the opening set before winning it in the tie-break.

Last year Radek was ranked a career-high No. 8, after making the Wimbledon quarterfinals. But he missed the remainder of the year due to a neck injury that caused nerve problems in his lower right arm and hand.

The beginning of the year was also tough for the Czech player, he had not passed the second round in eight consecutive ATP tournaments before last week when he reached the Gstaad semifinals on clay. He came into Los Angeles with a modest 13-15 record on the season.



Radek: "It's an incredible feeling to win my second title at the age of 28. The start of the year was difficult for me and I was struggling. I worked very, very hard and it's paid off. It gives me a lot of confidence for the
next tournaments in the US Open Series. I know what I went through. It's been very difficult. Emotionally, this title means a lot more than the first one."

Now, Radek is ready to climb up the ATP ranking latter again. When he is healthy, he is difficult to beat when he swings his DNX 9. Keep it going Radek, best of luck to you this hard-court season from all of us at Völkl Tennis.

Völkl Tennis sponsored Junior Ričardas Berankis from Lithuania has a bright future ahead of him. In 2007, Ričardas has already reached the Semi Finals of the Junior Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the Quarterfinals at the French Open. He also won his first Futures tournament in Portugal this year and currently has a combined ITF ranking of 16 in the world. Now, the tennis the season is about to start on his favorite surface, hard courts. It will only get better!



Just as things could not get any better for Ričardas, they did this week! He was personally invited by none other than the top ranked player in the world, Roger Federer, to practice with him in Dubai to prepare for the US hard-court tournaments. What an honor for Ričardas, but it shows that other players on tour are taking notice of this talented young man. "It will be a great experience to practice with the best player in the world," said Ričardas. "I will show him everything I've have, but there will also be a lot for me to learn. I am excited."

Ričardas has been playing with the DNX 8 for the last 18 months and ever since, his performance has been improving.

Great news for the future, Ričardas Berankis from Lithuania is on the rise! Good Luck Ričardas from all of us at Völkl Tennis, see you in New York at the US Open.

Check out Jamie Baker in the Daily Mirror (UK). Jamie has been wearing the BORIS BECKER Team Line through-out the Wimbledon Tournament and has been turning some heads. The Daily Mirror has a circulation of 8 million readers and featured this story on Jamie Bakers progress as a player July 4th. Not only is there a great close up of the the apparel, but even his DNX 10 got some coverage.

The BORIS BECKER Apparel Line is coming on strong. Look out for the newest collection at a dealer near you.

Völkl Tennis and Boris Becker Tennis form a strong doubles alliance in Wimbeldon. The Doubles Team of Peter Pala and Benjamin Becker have reached the Quarterfinals in the Men’s Doubles competition. In a thrilling 5 set match, Becker and Pala beat Robert Lindstedt SWE and Jarkko Nieminen FIN 8:6 in the final set to be among the final 16.



While Benjamin is playing in the new Boris Becker Team apparel line, Peter continues to play
with his Tour 10 MP V-Engine.

"While visiting the ITF for their anual technical meeting in London, our R&D Manger Christian Haas and Product Manager Tom Römpke took the chance to meet some of our players during Wimbledon. It is always good to Talk about the latest news in the tennis industry along with exchanging thoughts about newest products and technologies.

Check out some impressions ..



Jaroslav Levinsky from the Czech Republic plays double with his friend David Skoch. They are the 13th seeded dpoubles team! See Jaro in action during their first round victory. He still loves his Tour 10 Mid V-Engine..





Melinda Czink looked good on court, but did not have much of a chance against the 6 seeded Ana Ivanovic. Melinda ist he number one player in Hungary and has been with Völkl for many years. She is currently still playing with the Tour 10 MP Gen II.



Peter Pala together with Product Manager Tom Römpke. Peter is playing doubles with Benjamin Becker and they beat Cyril Suk and Robin Vik in the first round. Peter Pala still plays with the Tour 10 MP V-Engine.



Here is Cyril Suk with his DNX 10s together with R&D Manager Christian Haas. Cyril had a tough draw and lost in the first round to fellow Czech and fellow VÖLKL TEAM player Peter Pala.



Check out Jamie Baker in his first round match against Frenchmen Edouard Roger-vasselin. Jamie is the next generation players from the UK. He is sponsored from head-to-toe with us! His racquet of choice is the DNX 10 MP and he is wearing the new Boris Becker TEAM apparel.

Völkl Tennis was present at the WTA Tournament in Zlin (CZE). The newest racquets and products were on display and for sale. “The DNX range of racquets is still by far the most talked about and liked. Especially the DNX 6 has been very well accepted. The ATTIVA concept makes sense and the ladies appreciate that we are doing something for them,” said Libor Lalas the Völkl Tennis Sales Manager for the Czech Republic.

Hard work is paying off in the Czech Republic. Keep up the good work and show them what we have to offer ...

The Nottingham Open is one of only five ATP tournaments staged on grass across the globe and takes place at the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre the week before Wimbledon.

Völkl Tennis UK was present with a booth and had all the racquets and bags on display. One of our top ranked British players Jamie Baker also made an appearance at the booth.

Jamie has a current ATP singles ranking of 243 (195 in the race) and is ranked No.6 in the UK. He was part of the British Davis Cup team this year and at 21 years of age has a promising career ahead of him. Jamie trains at Saddlebrook in Florida, The Nottingham Tennis Centre and at the new LTA headquarters in London.

Jamie plays a 2 handed backhand, and always rights inspiration notes on the back of his right hand before going onto court!!!

He writes a tennis column for the Times, and is currently writing a book about his tennis life to date.

Jamie reached the final of the challenger in Hawaii recently after having to come through qualifying. He recently beat Alexander Peya of Austria (ATP 105) the 1st round of the Artois tournament at Queens. In qualifying for the Nottingham open this week he beat Chris Guccione (ATP 95) of Australia.

Jamie is on track to reach the top 150ATP by the end of 2007 and is currently playing with the DNX 10.

All the best Jamie and keep training hard.








Not that easy playing tennis in England

Rain during the Nottingham Open is as traditional as strawberries in Wimbledon. So, this year was no exception, with rain showers interrupting mtach play on a couple of days. Here is Greg McGowan who was working at the Völkl Tennis booth, demonstrating how difficult it can be to play on a grass court in England !!! The rain did eventually disappear and the tournament continued as scheduled.

The newest Völkl Tennis shooting star Dominika Chibulkova has been very active in recent weeks. First she fought her way through the Qualification Tournament at the French Open to earn a place in main draw and continued to win the next two rounds to advance to the third round. What a great accomplishment for the 18 year-old Slovakian player. Dominika has been our spokesperson for the new ATTIVA range, comprised of racquets developed for today’s female tennis players. With characteristics such as the rounder grips and the new Sensor Plus Handle Dampening System, the ATTIVA racquets were designed to support the anatomical differences of the female players. Dominika has been playing with the DNX 6 since April of last year and continues to improve here game.

Great having you be a part of our team, Dominika. Check her out during an autograph session in Michalovce (Slovakia). It is all about giving back and helping grow the sport of tennis. Keep up the hard work!

Peter Seidl defended his title in singles and doubles at the 2007 German Wheelchair Championships. The tournament took place in Düsseldorf last week and Peter beat the number one seeded player Sommerfeld 6:7, 6:4 und 6:4 in the semis and crushed the second seed Hiller 6:2 und 6:1 in the finals. Solid Performance with the new DNX 4, DNX and CATAPULT Effect in an unbeatable combination. Keep up the good work Peter ...

The new Distributor in Taiwan Leo Page is promoting the brand. "I am
pleasantly surprised at how much interest there is for the Völkl Tennis and
Boris Becker Tennis brands. We will have a lot of success in the future."

Looking good Leo, keep up the good work.