Hi, this is Pete Sampras and I've been using a bad blad string for the past 10 years and
you've just purchased a bad blad string.
Welcome to the team.
So what is it that motivates professional tennis players day in and day out?
Well the fundamental requirement is a love of the game.
I love to play tennis, I like to play tennis and since I was young I was dreaming to be
a good tennis player and on the court I'm trying to enjoy, I try to do my game and try
to have fun because it's the most important thing.
I really do love the game you know and I'm still enjoying it.
I think if I would lose that passion and motivation I think it's going to be time for me to step
down.
I like competing.
Every week I have the chance to compete in a different tournament.
That's what motivates me to keep on improving and to play for a few years to come, to keep
competing and be recognised as a tennis player.
The main thing with me is I like to compete and by competing a lot I'm picking the confidence
and that's the main point of my game.
The motivation and passion are there.
For me I love playing, I love tennis.
Obviously I love the game, I really love to compete.
For me to stay on top is a challenge, it's what keeps me motivated and working hard and
playing hard is to try to stay number one.
I still have some fun and whatever but when it comes to time for my priorities to my tennis
I take it very seriously.
But the game's best players allow time to have fun and enjoy life off the tennis court
too.
Pavel is the best thing in the world because it combines everything, feelings and power
and that's the main thing in tennis right now.
Now let's take a look back at some of the best action from around the ATP Tour.
Here are some of the most exciting moments from 1997.
We start with Goran Ivanishevich in Vienna.
Ivanishevich demonstrating the perfect cross court drop shot with touch.
Jonas Björkman has risen to number four in the world.
Here's one reason why.
Terrific movement and perfect execution.
Jason Stoltenberg appeared to have little chance of winning this point from the Atlanta
final but somehow he turned things around.
I just love this one.
Mark Zappras in Hanover giving Kofelnikov a ground stroke lesson.
Spidey size Mark Filippousis can slip and slide with the best of them.
The Aussies no fool on clay and clay quarter Carlos Moya is no fool indoors.
Take that.
Porovkini must have wondered what was going on.
Carlos flying into action.
Richie Renneberg has been defusing the brutal power of the youngsters for years.
This is how to do it.
Heart pounding legs hurting no problem.
Magnus Gustafsson now let me guess loads of running and a massive forehand to finish.
Now there's a man who finds it totally unacceptable to let the ball bounce twice.
Playing on the doubles court is always fast and furious especially when the Woodies are
playing.
And last but by no means least Alex Kuretsche showing off his topspin forehand to win the
title in Stuttgart.
As you can see here all the Babalat team players have a black double line on their cross strings.
Many other players use Babalat strings as well.
In fact about 75% of the world's top players play with Babalat.
In 1997 over 50% of the players participating in ATP Tour finals had the double line logo.
Historically the Babalat double line team has won more than 40 Grand Slams.
You can see the proof of quality.
This tradition of excellence explains why Babalat was selected by the ATP Tour to be
its official string.
I've been with Babalat for my whole career past 6-7 years and I get a number of rackets
strung each year.
In one year I got about 800 rackets done.
It's very tight with thin gut and Babalat string is the best string that's made so that's
why I use it.
Now we look closely at how to hit the perfect ground strokes.
Many players have good forehands but some are renowned for this particular shot.
No one knows how to hit one better than world number one Pete Sampras.
Preparation is the key.
Getting your feet in the right position to hit the ball.
I mean that's the key to every shot in the game but especially on the forehand.
Pete Sampras is having the best forehand.
Sampras has got the best forehand.
Sampras has got a great forehand.
All the players acknowledge this shot, one of his many strengths.
When I see a wide forehand I try to get there as soon as possible with hopefully in balance
and take a pretty good crack at it.
I think my technique in my forehand is pretty good because I put a little bit of spin to
keep the ball in the court but still have enough pace to be aggressive.
Sampras' forehand is only one style of forehand.
The Spaniards for example tend to use more topspin for added clearance over the net in
baseline rallies or to make their passing shots dive at the feet of net rushing opponents
as Carlos Moyard demonstrates here.
By hitting the ball on the rise you generate maximum power.
The backhand is equally important.
The positioning of the feet and a good follow through are vital.
As far as backhands go it's not as common for a player to be known for having a good
backhand but me, Cedric Piollin, I'm one of the players with a good backhand.
As he demonstrates here in Copenhagen.
So what are the essential components for executing the perfect backhand?
If you get early to the shot and then you have time to prepare and just to turn your
shoulders and your racket in the back and just try to hit it harder.
I think to play a good backhand in my case I have a backhand two hands.
It's very important to take the ball very early and when it's going up it's better
to attack.
And another legendary backhand, Evgeny Kafelnikov.
Positioning and control, he makes it look easy.
Playing the ball early is the secret to Jonas Bjorkman's potent backhand return of serve.
Well I'm having the 125 or season and I think I've been using it for two years now and for
me it fits very good and I like it a lot.
Pete Sampras started playing tennis at the age of seven and joined his sister Stella
in devoting his career to the game.
The 19 year old Sampras burst into the limelight on the ATP tour in 1990 winning his first
title in Philadelphia beating Andres Gomez.
With his second title the same year in Manchester he was already being noticed by the best in
the game.
Fred Perry is clearly saying that in the next couple of years I could win Wimbledon which
is very nice to hear, nice things about that but I don't want to put that much pressure
on me.
In the early days he shied away from the attention but it became difficult as he claimed more
and more titles.
The US Open in 1990 and the ATP tour world championship the following year Sampras was
making his mark.
Highly respected by all for his professionalism and ability he began to dominate the men's
game.
In 93 he became world number one, won his first Wimbledon and second US Open titles.
There was no looking back year in and year out Sampras carried on winning and he also
used his status to promote the game wherever he went.
Today he works full time with his coach Paul Anacone and his fitness trainer Todd Schneider.
Team Sampras has had a great 97 with two more Grand Slams and the ATP tour world championship.
The only part of the year that I struggled was over the play court season where I didn't
play quite that well and the French was the biggest opponent but Wimbledon kind of salvaged
you know my year in some way because I played so well until my fourth and I put so much
emphasis on the majors.
A second Australian Open and fourth Wimbledon plus Mercedes Super 9 titles in Cincinnati
and Paris.
I put so much pressure on myself to do well at those tournaments and to come through with
wins is something that's huge and so it's been a little bit up and down at times through
the year but all in all I really have no complaints.
And with a fifth consecutive year end number one ranking there's no reason for any complaints.
It's kind of the icing on the cake for having a good year and you know I've always looked
at the Grand Slams to be much more important than the ranking but if you do well at the
Grand Slams the ranking is going to be pretty high.
And it can't get any higher than world number one Pete Sampras.
I use polymer strings.
They're the most similar to the strings I used before I changed to babylatt.
I've had good results and it's been good.
That's why I'm using babylatt and polymer.
The serves become a vital aspect of the men's game.
The greatest servers today are those who have accuracy as well as power and can alter the
direction of the serve at the last minute.
With me I mean I look straight down the middle at the player.
I don't look at either side and I'll do my directions at the last second just with my
wrist and with my lower arm.
Placement is important but there are some players who have a natural height advantage.
Because I'm tall I have to use my height very good.
I have to use my body weight.
Everything should be in a fluid motion.
I think that's the most important thing that it's very smooth and the smoother you are
the easier it is to generate power.
The serve can be a real weapon in match play and the great players are set apart by their
ability to come up with big serves under pressure.
I think someone like Sampras is efficient.
Some players have faster serves than him that's for sure but he's capable of producing good
serves at crucial points.
Boris Becker is renowned for his great second serve at particularly tense moments.
It doesn't go in all the time but it puts the other guy under so much pressure of knowing
I'm not going to back down the opposite I'm going to go forward I'm going to attack.
The advantage of a good serve means the player can follow with a volley to hopefully win the
point.
And that requires quick reflexes and good positioning around the net.
The most important thing is to try to hit the ball in front of you and bend your knees
to the level of the ball.
Move your feet very well so get in the right position bend your knees and hit the ball
in front of you.
Controlling such a low ball requires fast reactions and real touch.
You need short swings but you need to be there early when you hit the ball and have a good
concentration on the ball.
If the volley is not deep enough then the opponent has the opportunity to lob.
But if you can keep your opponent on the run this is the reward.
The volley is a useful put away shot but if it's played from too deep in the court the
player can be isolated at the net and easily passed as Marcelo Rios demonstrates.
Well I think playing with Babulat and Gad I think is the best string in the tour and
all the good players play with that and I think it helps a lot having like Babulat in
your racket.
In an age when professional sport has reached new heights of athleticism the top tennis
players are under increased pressure to maintain an unprecedented level of fitness.
Behind the thrills and spills of the ATP tour a lot of hard work goes into simply keeping
fit.
You see so many so many injuries these days on the professional circus because the pressure
is too much everybody's playing too much and to avoid this I think you need first of
all special treatment like stretching before the match or even after the match you have
to take care of your muscles.
If the body is a temple for all sportsmen then tennis pros are definitely in the business
of worship.
If you want to have 100% of your game you need to warm up and to be in good shape to
make a good stretch and to make some movements and like this you can play for sure better.
You really got to take things seriously because if you don't have your body you don't have
anything.
In a profession where physical exercise is a key factor the ultimate fear is injury and
the chances of injury differ from one surface to another.
A concrete surface is seven times more likely to cause injury than a clay court.
Tennis elbow is also a common problem and you can combat it by using the right equipment.
A player's racket is essential.
The racket shouldn't be too heavy and the string should be of moderate tension 22 to
24 kilos.
The equilibrium is important too and having too much weight on top of a racket can put
pressure on the wrist and the elbow.
To avoid injuries which are common in the elbow and the wrist you can use special gadgets
such as shock absorbers for the frame and strings and also elbow and wrist supports.
If a player can maintain his precious health it increases his on court confidence as the
world's number one trainer Todd Schneider explains.
Being able to go into the fifth set knowing that your fitness is not going to let you
down is a huge factor for the players because it gives you the confidence knowing that you're
not going to tire and that you can run for every ball that you don't have to save yourself.
The tennis player has to think of his quest for ultimate fitness every time he sits down
for a meal.
Diet is also the main thing.
You have to watch what you eat before the match or certain amount of hours before the
match or even before you go to the bed.
It's like it's combined.
It's very important what you do.
You too can improve your fitness.
Think of jogging or stretching before playing.
Eating lots of carbohydrates and as a result you could build up your shoulders to perhaps
have a serve like Goran Ivanishvich.
I think the best thing is not for me.
You can see top ten guys.
I think everybody's playing with Goran.
Tennis isn't just about hard work.
There's time to have some fun too and believe me there's no shortage of amusing personalities
on the ATP Tour.
So I'm looking forward to it.
It's kind of a time to kind of cash in a little bit because there's a lot of money.
I just said that.
Hi, this is Mark Woodford.
And this is Totten.
Hi, I'm Felix Mandia.
And let's take a look at the rankings this week.
Hi, I'm Mark Fulpusus.
Stay tuned.
I'm wanting...
Sorry.
Stefan Eberg, he was the winner of...
Why do I say a member of...
Jeez.
Sorry, I curse you, Captains.
That's it for this week's show from me, Stefan Edberg.
Goodbye.
I'm using like a VS all season, 130.
And it's a great string.
I think it gives me a lot of power and also a lot of control at the same time.
And it's good because you can play a spin or topspin or flat and it's good for my game.
When did Babolat start making strings for tennis rackets?
1950.
1920s.
1875.
Babolat's made natural fiber strings for musical instruments since the middle of the 19th century.
When in 1875 an English major came and asked my great great grandfather to make some special
length strings, they were actually for tennis rackets.
The headquarters are in Lyon, in France.
For a century Babolat produced only natural strings.
Today Babolat offers players a wide range of strings as well as other products for tennis.
From what do you make natural gut you strings?
Cat gut.
Cattle intestine.
The natural gut used in strings comes from cattle, to be precise bovine intestine.
How many cattle do you need to make for one string?
One?
I don't know.
2.5.
First, we collect the bovine intestine and cut the intestines in straps made of two coats.
Then we separate those coats keeping only the best part.
16 to 18 straps are then needed to make one tennis racket.
This means that we can use the intestines of between two and three cattle for each set
of VS.
All these straps are gathered first to go through a process of salting and then spend six weeks
in a sterilized room to eliminate the excess water.
Following this all the straps are placed in ten different baths over a 24 hour period
to give them elasticity and resistance.
After further dripping and drying the straps will have merged to become one strong and
elastic string.
While the string isn't yet perfect, it's time to file any rough edges away to ensure
a gauge for all the strings.
Treatment such as all season are applied to the string to protect VS from humidity.
After the final steps of control and packaging, VS is ready to ship to your store.
You'll find there the same product used by players on the ATP tour.
So what string is best for you, a natural gut or a synthetic gut?
Well it depends on the characteristics of your game.
Bablat offers a large range of synthetics and guts which can give you power, control
or resistance.
I think it's special, it's very individual for everybody.
That's my string, that's the way I like it.
I'm sure I will never change it, I will continue to play with synthetic on the play and with
gut I will play on the faster surface.
If you want power, think of the tension and choose a thin gauge.
You also need a string with an elastic structure.
Natural gut is great, but Bablat offers also very elastic synthetics.
They are complex constructions, multi-fibres, a combination of small strings or double wrapping
which means two other layers over a string with a thin gauge.
Did you see what to do about tension?
Do you need a higher or lower tension for more power?
It depends, higher, lower.
If you string your racket with low tension your strings will act as a trampoline and
give more power to your shots.
Now if you want more control you need a string which can keep the tension you choose for
a certain time.
Once more the VS is best in this respect.
Bablat has also made impressive headway on its synthetics technology.
The new fibres are now approaching the performances of the VS concerning the tension maintenance.
With these products you'll really get some precision in your shots.
So what about high tension?
This means the strings are less elastic and you can control the ball more.
Finally if you want a resistant string because you break your strings often by using a lot
of topspin you can think first of opting for your usual string but with a thicker gauge.
If one string lasts less than 10 hours think of using a solid synthetic monofilament type
in polyester or multi filament in aramid.
Be careful with products which never break because they won't provide much feel or control.
Think of asking your stringer for advice.
He'll analyse the break before changing to a stronger string.
The RDC racket diagnostic centre is a machine that Bablat conceived after more than a hundred
years of experience with rackets.
It's used by all the biggest tennis magazines and all the racket producers to evaluate the
performances of the rackets on the market.
The RDC measures the weight, balance, rigidity and flexibility of the racket and displays
the performances of both frame and strings in terms of power, control and manoeuvrability.
This allows the stringer to recommend a string that will improve your play without dramatically
increasing the risk of breaking.
Don't forget that strings lose their efficiency even if you don't play.
Think of changing them at least twice a year and ask for quality.
Work for Bablat.