TENNIS/NAOMI-OSAKA

Yonex Co., Ltd., the leading sports equipment company from Japan, is proud to announce that it will serve as the Official Stringer for the 9^th year at the 2024 Australian Open.

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This agreement is the result of the Yonex team’s proven technical expertise in racquet stringing, and the high-performance, proprietary stringing machines that they use. One of the most prestigious tennis tournaments, the Australian Open appointment comes at the request of both athletes and the tournament organizers.

Over the nine Australian Opens that Yonex has supported including this year, it expects to use a total of approximately 700 km of string for 57,000 racquets.* This is almost the same distance as many will travel from Sydney to Melbourne to watch the event!

* Approximately 12 meters of string is necessary to prepare one racquet.

The importance of the stringing

The quality of the stringing can make or break an athlete’s game. Factors such as temperature, humidity, and even the playstyle of your opponent can change the way that the ball bounces off a racquet. For this reason, players constantly look to change their strings to maximize their competitiveness – even from one match to the next.

Being able to deliver the ideal racquet experience requested by the athlete comes down to the skill of the stringers. The Yonex 2024 stringing team consists of 20 stringers from 14 countries, and this team is supported by the high-performance proprietary machines “PRECISION 9.0” that excel in precision stringing.

Naomi Osaka to return to the AO

The twice AO champion Naomi Osaka (JPN) from Team Yonex, who will return to a grand slam tournament after a break for the 2024 Australian Open, is one example of an athlete that relies on the quality of her strings, and a specific way that her racquets are strung, to maximize her performance on the court.

For her return, she has tested different types of strings. "I chose the combination of Yonex’s POLYTOUR STRIKE to bring power and POLYTOUR PRO for a softer feel”. It realizes long-lasting tension and excellent control, so I can stay on the offensive even in tough matches,” Osaka said. Osaka also typically takes one racquet with a slightly higher tension into matches, just to be prepared.

She relies on the Yonex team to have all of this ready for her. “I trust the Yonex team to string quickly and exactly how I want it,” Osaka said.

Interviews with the Yonex Stringing Team at the Australian Open are also available.

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