Australian Open 2010

Set-Up and Qualification --- January 12, 2010

The Wilson Tour Stringing Team barely had time to finish set-up before the player's racquets began flowing in. Qualifying starts tomorrow and the team has already strung over 500 racquets on the Wilson Baiardo stringing machine. Today alone, on the eve of qualies, the Wilson team strung 295 racquets! As always, the weather is hot, reaching a whopping 40C today. However, the Wilson team and Baiardo machines are comfortable in their new home in front of Rod Laver Arena. Taking a break from stringing, the team was able to enjoy a filling meal in preparation for their exhausting fortnight of stringing.

The 2010 Wilson Tour Stringing Team is (see picture below):

Peter Mineo, Tour and Sponsorship Manager, Wilson Australia

Jarrad Magee, Australia

Ron Rocchi, Global Tour Services Manager, Wilson Racquet Sports

Toru Yusuki, Japan

Leigh Jarram, Australia

Tadashi Hosoya, Japan

Dickie Lee, China

Joel Disbro, Lead Racquet Technician, Wilson Racquet Sports

Joe Heydt, USA

Linda Steinbock, Australia

Todd Mobley, USA

Scott Schneider, USA

Phil Conlan, Australia

Len Filatov, USA

The Action is Heating Up --- January 13, 2010

Day 2 of qualifying is underway and the courts are filled with young and old hopefuls, trying to make the main draw, and earn a spot for the main draw. The Wilson Tour Stringing Team has only had a few “on court” racquets...player Matthew Ebden (AUS) 22yr old sent one in during his match. Atlanta, GA native stringer Todd Mobley knocked it out in 14 minutes! The Wilson Team has just passed the 800 racquet mark and all is running very smoothly.

The stringing room received a shipment from Luxilon yesterday, ADRENALINE, and has begun seeding it to the professional players. Early feedback is very positive and players are starting to ask more about this string.

Stringer's In Action --- January 14, 2010

The Wilson Tour Stringing Team and Baiardo are hard at work keeping racquets fresh for the players in qualifying as well as working with main draw participants to find the correct set-up for the Australian heat. Check out the team below!

Wilson Stringers Hut --- January 15, 2010

Attending the 2010 Australian Open? Visit the Wilson Stringers Hut located outside of Rod Laver Arena! Look in the windows as the Wilson Tour Stringing Team use Baiardo to string and customize your favorite players racquets.

Calm Before the Storm - January 17, 2010

The qualies have wrapped up and the big names are beginning to arrive from the Kooyong, Sydney, and Hobart tournaments for the start of action tomorrow. During qualies, the Wilson Tour Stringing Team strung 12 on-court racquets and string times ranged from 14-20 minutes. The full team of 12 are all on-site and ready for the main draw. Most of the day was spent stringing racquets at a wide range of tensions for players like Nadal and Verdasco as they try to find the optimum tenison for the conditions. The Wilson Tour Stringing Team also strung some extra frames as top players participated in the "Hit for Haiti" to raise funds for victims of the earthquake.

Play Begins --- January 18, 2010

The Wilson Tour Stringing Team has already strung over 1500 racquets using the Baiardo and main draw play does not begin for a few more hours! Today alone, the first day of the main draw, the team plans on stringing over 300 racquets for the players. Atlanta native stringer Todd Mobley is the most prolific stringer thus far having strung 176. Others with impressive totals are: Scott Schnieder (165), Joe Heydt (150), and Dickie Lee (146).

As it has been cool the last few days, tensions have been changing quiet a lot, and players are struggling to adjust between the 43C days and the 16C temp today. Patricia Mayr, Prince O-Zone Tour @ 74.5 lbs has been the highest tension, while we have a few players at 37 lbs, Marcelo Melo, Aussie Peter Luczak, Henrik Holm, Ioana Raluca Olaru, and Leonardo Azzaro.

Busy First Week --- January 22, 2010

The Wilson Tour Stringing Team has been very busy during the first week on the tournament, stringing nearly 300 racquets each day! The most racquets strung to date has been 309 on Tuesday. Interestingly, at the Australian Open, the Team and Baiardo string more “on court” racquets than any other tournament. On Tuesday, still 1^st round, the Team had 15 “on court” racquets in a single day, and at one point there was 5 in the room at the same time!

The Finish Line is Within Sight --- January 29, 2010

As the 2010 Australian Open winds down, the Wilson Tour Striging Team and Baiardo can now see the finish line. The team has worked extremely hard to produce top quality string jobs and meet the player's world class demands. Below is string log detailing the preferences of The Top 25 men and women for the fortnight. Check back periodically final racquet totals and more detailed string log information.