Advantage tennis once more for Dunlop Spain, according to CMDsport. The elder racquet sport’s hardgoods have regained the ground they lost to padel last year and once again account for 60 percent of the brand’s country sales. Sales tennis balls are up 10 percent year-on-year.
The remaining 40 percent consists mostly of padel, with small contributions from table tennis, badminton and squash.
Padel reached a peak segment share, also of 60 percent, last year, while it still enjoyed a post-lockdown boost. The current year, according to Dunlop’s General Manager for Spain, Richard Jackson, has been “another year of market adjustment for padel,” because excess inventory lingers, while for tennis it was “a very positive year.” Jackson expects the padel market to “heal” soon, without “big liquidations.” In addition, Dunlop will over the coming months be making its entry into pickleball.
Dunlop’s market share for tennis is far lower in racquets than in balls, Jackson concedes, but “we’re continuing to work on both product development and brand promotion, and we’re on well on our way.” New collections, like the SX line of racquets, are set for release in 2025, and Jackson highlights sponsorships with the players Jack Draper (UK) and Alexei Popyrin (Australia).
