Wilson

History of Wilson

Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in 1914, initially producing tennis racquet strings, violin strings and surgical sutures. It soon expanded its range to include baseball shoes and tennis racquets. Company founder Thomas Wilson acted as president and chairman of the board for 35 years and made the Wilson brand one of the 50 largest industrial corporations in the United States.

Brand development

Over the years, the brand has become an empire in the sports equipment industry. Wilson is already known for producing sports equipment for American football, badminton, baseball, basketball, fast-pitch softball, golf, racquetball, football, squash and volleyball. However, the company has long been recognised as a leader in the production of tennis racquets and balls. Like other brands, Wilson started by making wooden rackets. In the late 1950s, the company made a key strategic move by joining forces with American successful player Jack Kramer. The Kramer/Wilson collaboration led to the Jack Kramer Autograph racquet, which proved to be one of the best-selling racquets of all time. The racquet was known for adding power to the game and was produced from laminated ash construction. The racquet was used by John McEnroe, Tracy Austin, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King and many others en route to winning more Grand Slams than any other racquet at the time. In 1976, Wilson began producing aluminium racquets, which have a larger head size than wooden racquets. In the 1980s, the brand began to develop racquets with a completely new construction made of graphite and kevlar. In 1983, the graphite Wilson Pro Staff 85 racquet is developed, with which prominent tennis player Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slams.

Wide range of Wilson equipment

Wilson is now the most recognisable tennis brand in the world. Wilson racquets are used by players at the top of the ATP and WTA rankings. The most well-known racquet series are: ProStaff, Blade, Ultra, Clash and Burn. In addition to racquets, the brand also offers apparel, footwear, tennis bags and backpacks, strings, replacement grips and overgrips, dampers and balls. Wilson's balls are appreciated all over the world. They are currently used in the Grand Slam tournaments of the US Open and Roland Garros.

Main brand ambassadors

Wilson equipment is used by hundreds of players on tour. The most famous names associated with the brand are:

• Roger Federer
• Pete Sampras
• Stefanos Tsitsipas
• Grigor Dimitrov
• David Goffin
• Borna Coric
• Karen Khachanov
• Pablo Carreno Busta
• Serena Williams
• Simona Halep
• Petra Kvitova
• Maria Sakkari
• Madison Keys
• Jelena Ostapenko