ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA -- The 2019 WTA Future Stars tournament, which was played the week prior to the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen from October 22-27, debuted Triniti, the first eco-conscious tennis ball designed by Wilson Sporting Goods in an effort to support sustainability worldwide.
Wilson Sporting Goods selected the WTA Future Stars competition as Triniti’s first tournament given the WTA’s commitment to developing and supporting the next generation of tennis players and the brand’s focus on creating the next generation of environmentally-conscious tennis gear.
“It is tremendously rewarding to see the future stars of our sport playing with the tennis ball of the future,” said Hans-Martin Reh, General Manager, Racquet Sports, Wilson Sporting Goods. “While the tennis ball has not fundamentally changed over 40 years, it has contributed to landfill issues across the world. We decided to re-engineer the ball from the inside out to be gentler on our world while not giving an inch in performance, actually enhancing it.”
Read more: Meet the WTA Future Stars champions: Reese Brantmeier, Clervie Ngounoue
The Triniti tennis ball integrates a low density plastomer material to the core’s existing rubber compound. This material weighs less than the traditional core of a tennis ball, which allowed Wilson product designers to thicken the ball’s core wall. This thicker wall helps the Triniti maintain its “fresh ball feel” four times longer than a traditional tennis ball.*
Triniti comes in fully recyclable packaging. Five percent of profits from the net sale of Triniti tennis balls will support Wilson Sporting Goods’ worldwide sustainability efforts.
Former WTA World No.1 Simona Halep, who is competing in her fifth WTA Finals this week in Shenzhen, met with participants of the WTA Future Stars tournament to discuss the importance of sustainability and shared how she practices an eco-conscious lifestyle in her day-to-day life.
“Triniti is a perfect example of why I like working with Wilson,” said Halep. “They are always growing through technology and now with the environment, which is great. Everyone in tennis can get involved in protecting the planet with products like Triniti and recycling tennis balls.”
Read more: Halep holds off Andreescu in Shenzhen thriller: 'It was a challenge...a good fight'
Micky Lawler, WTA President, stated, “As the first adopter of Triniti on a competition level, we are proud to offer athletes innovative, mindful products as part of their Future Stars experience. We are committed to finding ways we can help create a better future for tennis and our world, and when our partner Wilson shared Triniti with us, we knew right away we wanted to bring it to our Future Star players.”
The WTA Future Stars platform was established in Singapore in 2014 and began with just 12 markets and 24 players in its first year. This year, 56 players from 24 markets participated, expanding outside of the Asia-Pacific region and attracting participants from Canada, Great Britain and the United States.
The final rounds of the tournament took place on center court of the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen on Sunday, October 27, ahead of the official start of the year-end finale. Clervie Ngounoue from the United States captured the title in the Under-14 category, while her compatriot Reese Brantmeier lifted the Under-16 trophy.
* Based on Wilson LABS tennis ball tests conducted August 2018 – December 2018.
