We were fortunate to be invited by HEAD to enjoy a day with the team ahead of the French Open. Testing new products, meeting pro players and much more.
The day started with a Jannik Sinner-inspired breakfast in arctic conditions. We were worried that the whole day would be plagued by freezing winds, but it got better after an hour or two. Which meant we could test new racquets and shoes with Nuno Borges and Lorenzo Musetti.
We will give you more information about these new products, as well as full-scale reviews, when they are revealed. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and/or social media (Instagram or Youtube) to keep up with the latest from Tennisnerd.
Breathing is important
After breakfast, we had an interesting challenge. We did tennis drills with our mouths taped up. Why you might ask? Well, to work on our nose breathing which will allow deeper breaths. Working on your breathing patterns has a number of benefits, one of them being that you can alleviate anxiety during a key moment in match.
Using the tape really illustrated the importance of optimised breathing. We also did some breathing exercises lying down on yoga mats. Overall, it was kind of eye-, or should we say nostril-opening.
After some breathing and running, we were all hungry for lunch and then, of course, more hitting.
Tennis with Borges and Musetti
Before Nuno Borges arrived to join in on some Dingles play, we did practice drills on three courts with various coaches. We tested both HEAD shoes and racquets during this section of the day.
I think everyone relished in the opportunity to hit some balls with a strong ATP pro like Borges. It reminds you how good the pros are and how there are many different levels to the sport we all love.
After hitting with Nuno, we were handed new racquets by none other than Lorenzo Musetti, the current world number 8. When you watch Musetti up close you cannot help to be impressed by his elegance and flair. While hitting with him, it feels like he can do whatever he wants with the ball. And even though we had some strong players among us, we all gasped at his skills.
Farewell Gasquet
In the evening, there was a celebration for Richard Gasquet and his illustrious pro career, including 16 ATP tour titles at a time when the three GOATS ruled the circuit.
The event included Mansour Bahrami and French tennis federation officials among many others and felt like a good send-off before he had played his last match. At the time of writing, he is still in the draw of the French Open, his final tournament.
Gasquet had his various racquet models displayed (find out about Gasquet’s racquet in this post) and he got a portrait made by a local artist.
Overall, a nice event where you got to have a glass of wine and chat with fellow tennis nerds.
Thanks HEAD!
Thanks to HEAD for inviting us to the event and arranging some excellent tickets for the first round. We really appreciate the support.
You can read more about HEAD tennis racquets here.
