Tennis is moving into the focus of the antitrust authorities
According to a report by derstandard.at, the antitrust authorities are targeting the Austrian market for balls and racquets. Tennis-Point plays a major role in this.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Feb 24, 2022, 06:17 pm
Derstandard.at had already reported on the aggressive expansion of Tennis-Point in November, and now, according to a report by the quality newspaper, the Austrian anti-trust authorities have also taken on this problem. This emerges from an article dated February 24 .
Accordingly, the interest of the Federal Competition Authority in tennis has increased massively in the recent past. The reason? Tennis-Point is supposed to build an empire that puts massive pressure on small retailers.
First complaint was dismissed
These see themselves being pushed out of the market in Austria. One of them is Friedrich Steinhauser, who runs the Tennislife business. Next week, the entrepreneur will file a complaint with the authorities, as he emphasized to derstandard.at: "I want to prove that Tennis-Point is using its market power to the detriment of other retailers." Steinhauser's first attempt failed for lack of evidence.
Stefanie Mayer, who sells rackets and balls under the "Tennis 96" brand, will join the new complaint. In addition, independent of the two other dealers turned to the antitrust authorities. Investigations have already been initiated, a spokesman confirmed. It is currently unclear whether there will be any investigations.
The role of ÖTV
The complaint is based on the fact that Tennis-Point could create a monopoly on the Austrian tennis market. Steinhauser found out firsthand how this is supposed to succeed. He rejected a takeover bid by Tennis-Point last year, and a little later Amer Sports terminated his contract for the Wilson brand . The brand's best-selling rackets and balls are now only available at Tennis-Point. Dunlop also no longer supplies Steinhauser.
The Austrian Tennis Association (ÖTV) also plays a role in the cause. Although the exclusive contract with Tennis-Point expired last year, numerous state associations continue to work closely with the company. Tennis-Point itself was initially not available for derstandard.at to comment on the investigations by the competition watchdog.