The Yonex color theory: "Blue means power"
Michael Schwarz has been representing the Yonex brand on the Austrian market for a little over a year. The development during this time is impressive.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Sep 01, 2022, 08:54 pm
tennisnet : Mr. Black. How anchored is Yonex in the Austrian market?
Michael Schwarz : Yonex has been represented in Austria for many years. The contacts you maintain are crucial for the growth of a brand. And that you are present in all parts of the country. Austria is looked after by Yonex Deutschland GmbH, and I am responsible for the Austrian market due to my many years of experience.
tennisnet : How has Yonex developed over the past twelve months?
Schwarz : This can be determined by various parameters. In the sales area, we have had a very positive development in all categories - racquets, strings, shoes - in the last 18 months. Yonex is number four in Austria behind Head, Babolat and Wilson. And well on the way to conquering further market shares. The changed market position could also be seen in Kitzbühel this year: last year we had one meter of retail space available there, this year five. And the end consumers were really well informed about our products and players. Who played where and how.
tennisnet : How important are the driving forces in a relatively small market like Austria?
Black : Players like Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka are extremely important. With Kyrgios you never know what will happen. But when he has found his set-up like he has in the last few months, you can see that he is playing very, very well. Unfortunately he didn't get any points at Wimbledon. Casper Ruud was also important, especially in Kitzbühel. Registered as the defending champion, Casper unfortunately had to withdraw after winning the tournament in Gstaad. But Ruud has already made a big impression by reaching the Roland Garros final. Also in terms of fair, sporty appearance, like in the quarterfinals against Holger Rune.
tennisnet : In Wimbledon, Yonex also did excellently for women.
Black : Tatjana Maria's semi-final and Elena Rybakina's victory were of course extremely important for us. But at the moment it really feels like you have a Yonex racket with you for every game on the tennis tour. Sometimes it's Hubert Hurkacz, then Alexandr Bublik - the visibility of our brand has increased enormously.
tennisnet : What are the differences in the rackets that Nick Kyrgios and Elena Rybakina play, for example?
Black : To put it in color terms: Yonex's red racket, the V-Core, is one that promises players a lot of spin. Blue means power. And the green racquet that Hurkacz plays with is the racquet that offers the most control.
tennisnet : Tennis players are creatures of habit. Club changes are rare. But there were a few examples in Austria recently...
Schwarz : First of all, there is Gerald Melzer. He played his traditional material for many years and then decided to switch to the E Zone (Kyrgios, Osaka, Ruud) within a very short time. And Neil Oberleitner also switched to our rackets within a very short but successful test phase. Neil also chose the E Zone (98). It offers good power, the 98 face gives him the desired control and the flexible shaft gives him the necessary feedback.
tennisnet : Does the ambitious hobby tennis player notice that?
Schwarz : I can speak from my own experience: yes. I picked up Denis Shapovalov's red racquet and immediately felt comfortable with it. The isometric head shape and the softer frame in the shaft - every tennis player can feel that.
tennisnet : And Yonex doesn't just stand for racquets...
Black : The combination makes the difference in tennis. And it's nice to see that almost all of our players also play with our strings. This is the yellow string with the red logo. Casper Ruud plays with it, Nick Kyrgios too.
tennisnet : Where can you find Yonex rackets?
Schwarz : Basically, I tried to place our products with tennis specialists and pro shops where the end consumer has competent contacts. Because our racket is something special ... at least at first glance, thanks to the isometric head shape. One of those partners who supported Yonex even before I arrived at the company was Intersport Winninger, which is mainly represented in eastern Austria. There you can buy our products in several shops from Amstetten to Mariahilfer Straße in Vienna, but much more importantly - to test them! What I also learned in Kitzbühel: Almost every tennis player knows Yonex. But only very few have played our racket so far. The test then surprised and convinced many players.