Eric Babolat is CEO of the sporting goods manufacturer Babolat and has one of the greatest athletes of all time as a figurehead in Rafael Nadal. In the tennisnet interview, the Frenchman reveals details about the collaboration with Nadal and the weighting of the French Open in Paris.
Eric Babolat was born in 1970 and is the fifth generation to run the Babolat tennis products company. At the age of 28, Babolat took over after his father and former CEO, Pierre Babolat, died in a plane crash in September 1998. For some time now, Zet has been one of the most important racket manufacturers in the tennis scene and can boast several prominent names as advertising faces alongside top star Nadal.
By Jörg Allmeroth
tennisnet: Mr. Babolat, Rafael Nadal stormed back into first place in the world before the French Open. He can now win his eleventh title in Paris. How important is your partnership with Nadal?
Eric Babolat: Of course it’s a stroke of luck that we’ve been connected to him for so long. Babolat and Nadal – that’s a very long story. It goes back to the moment when Rafa, at the age of nine, decided against a football career and decided to pursue a tennis career. He didn’t want to leave home to play football in Barcelona, so it was tennis he loved just as much. The family then went to a sports shop in Manacor and were recommended a Babolat Pure Drive for Rafa. As a professional, he never played a brand other than Babolat. I can already say that we are proud of this relationship, of its success. I think Rafa also fits well with a company that has the greatest tradition in tennis. We produced the first tennis strings as early as 1875, with these strings more than 100 Grand Slam titles were won. Not to mention: We also supported the legendary French musketeers.
tennisnet: But you haven’t been producing tennis rackets for very long.
Babolat: No, only since the 90s. We are still a very young brand. But we are all the happier that someone like Rafa, but also other professionals, club players and hobby players feel comfortable with our clubs. We started producing rackets in 1994 – and in 1998 Carlos Moya won the first Grand Slam title with one of our rackets. That is why we are celebrating a small anniversary in 2018, 20 years later.
tennisnet: How do you discover players at an early age who are interesting for a partnership?
Babolat: We have built up a good network, we are strongly represented in the clubs and have good contacts to club coaches. But of course, as the example of Nadal shows, the shops are also an important pillar for us to interest tennis players of all generations in our products. The great champions who play with Babolat are very important to us. But just as intensively we take care of the recreational player and his needs.
tennisnet: The French Open is probably the most important tennis showcase of the season for Babolat.
Babolat: Of course, it’s a home game in a way. We have a strong partnership with the French Open. And now one of our stars, Rafael Nadal, has also become the unrestricted king of Roland Garros, the ten-time winner. Of course this Grand Slam is outstanding for us, now we have taken Rafa’s extraordinary success as an occasion to launch the racquet “La Decima” on the market. It is also an emotional tribute to this master player. We also provide the official Roland Garros Ball, are responsible for the stringing service. However, I would like to remind you that we are in partnership with Wimbledon – and thus with two traditional tennis locations.
tennisnet: How did you yourself experience your friend Nadal’s ascent?
Babolat: I don’t think many people have really realized the incredible performance he achieved in Paris in particular. This Grand Slam is the most challenging of all slams – and this man wins it ten times. It’s gigantic, nothing more, nothing less. And how many times have he been written off, prophesied to him, in a year or two it will be over. And he always disproved everyone. For me, he is even a role model for our company – in his will to become better every day, never to stop. Rafa also embodies our ideal claim to be a leader in innovation and performance.
tennisnet: Do you already have plans for the time after Nadal’s career? An ambassador role?
Babolat: Yes, we have already talked about it. And I am confident that it will work out. Rafa and Babolat will remain partners. At the moment, our agreement is valid until the end of his career, whenever that will be. The first contract with him ran for ten years, which was quite unusual. But he said he was comfortable with the bat, with Babolat at all – and that’s where the runtime came from.
tennisnet: After the end of her career, Li Na, the charismatic Chinese, also continues to represent Babolat?
Babolat: Yes, she belongs to the type of athlete who not only stands for great victories, but also for a special character. She is an extraordinary woman who has achieved an extraordinary career. And I think that with her we can profit from the beginning tennis boom in China. Tennis is still a sleeping giant there, but I’m sure we’ll see Grand Slam champions from China in the not too distant future.
Interview Part 1: Babolat about Rafael Nadal and the French Open
Interview Part 2: Babolat about the new generation and racquet technology