High-Performance Babolat Tennis Shoe with Michelin Sole Debuts Today in U.S.
The Team All Court Shoe Selected by Tennis Champion, Andy Roddick
NEW YORK, Aug. 23 -- Leaders in their respective markets, Babolat and Michelin have combined their expertise, passion for innovation and resources to develop the first tennis shoe with a Michelin sole for sale in the United States.
Babolat, tennis specialists since 1875, began the project by analyzing tennis players' movements and their specific needs on different types of playing surfaces. With the technical expertise of Michelin, a special outsole was jointly developed that combines side-to-side boosting, shock absorption and comfort, with abrasion resistance for top performance during play.
"When we started thinking about the sole, it was quite natural for us to turn to Michelin -- the recognized experts in managing ground contact," said Eric Babolat, president and CEO of Babolat. "After our first meeting we realized that our business philosophies, heritage of innovation, technical resources and mutual desire to improve the performance of tennis enthusiasts would complement one another and make for a successful partnership."
The Team All Court is the first in what will be a six-model line of durable, high-performance tennis shoes sold in the United States. Andy Roddick, 2003 U.S. Open Champion and winner of the 2005 U.S. Open Series, recently signed an agreement to wear Babolat tennis shoes starting in January 2006. Roddick has played with Babolat racquets and strings since he was a Junior. The 2005 French Open runner-up Mariano Puerta is already wearing Babolat shoes.
"Babolat has always been there for me and I'm glad to expand this relationship into shoes", said Andy Roddick. "Footwork is a critical part of today's game. I look forward to working together with the Babolat and Michelin teams to develop shoe technologies that will give me the edge over my opponents."
The Team All Court ($99.00 MSRP) will debut in the United States in August. In March 2006, the full line of six Babolat tennis shoes will be available in the U.S. via a network of tennis and pro specialty retailers.
Launched in Europe in 2003, then in Japan, Brazil, and other markets in 2004, the Babolat line of tennis shoes are best sellers in their categories, according to Sports Marketing Survey, a dealer's opinion survey.
About Babolat
Inventor of tennis strings 130 years ago in France, Babolat is the #1 racquet and strings brand used by the Top 100 ATP & WTA players. Distributed in over 100 countries, with U.S. operations in Boulder, Colorado, the Babolat brand provides players with a complete range of tennis equipment.
About Michelin
The world's largest tire maker, Michelin manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle and publishes travel guides, maps and atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs over 23,000 people and operates 20 plants in 16 locations.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Press kit/photos at http://www.babolat.com . Andy Roddick event photos posted by 1:30 p.m. ET 8.23.05