January 28, 2011 – London, UK – Prince, global tennis equipment leader and master of the physics and design of tennis weaponry, is proud to officially announce the extended equipment partnership with the current No. 2 ranked woman in the world, and top-ranked Russian player, Vera Zvonareva.

Zvonareva made the switch to her current weapon of choice, the Prince EXO3 Black, early last year and subsequently enjoyed the best year of her career. After picking up the racquet, she went on to reach her first-ever Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon and US Open) and shot up the rankings from No.7 to No. 2 – a career high.

As Zvonareva heads into the semifinals of her third straight Grand Slam quarterfinal this week at the Australian Open, she is well aware that EXO3 technology has played an integral role in her improved play.

“I picked up the EXO3 Black early last year and immediately knew it was something special. Hi-speed video shows that pros frequently hit the ball out of the direct center of the string bed, as do players at other levels. The sport at our level is played at such a fast pace and along the smallest margins and with less reaction time that it is unavoidable,” said Zvonareva. “For me, EXO3 technology allows me to do more with every ball, even those that I hit on the run or at full stretch – and those few shots can often be the difference between winning and losing. I have a lot more wins since picking up this technology.”

What is EXO3 Racquet Technology?

EXO3 is a high-tech, patented racquet design, which utilizes large holes and String Suspension Inserts to deliver a superior, effective hitting area compared to competitor racquets with the same head size. The strings in an EXO3 racquet are completely liberated from restrictive, response-strangling grommets, allowing the strings to respond more freely – even at the outer edges of the string plane for balls hit off-center. This technology delivers a larger, more consistent hitting area – at ANY head size – giving players at all levels the advantage of hitting better shots, more often because even balls hit off center feel and respond more as though they were hit in the center of the string bed.

Today, other top touring pros including John Isner, Marion Bartoli and Shahar Peer join Zvonareva in wielding the EXO3 Black at the game’s highest level. EXO3 technology is not only embraced by top ATP and WTA touring pros, but also by elite, next generation juniors globally. including both 2010 year-end world’s No. 1 ranked juniors Russian Daria Gavrilova and Colombian Juan Sebastian Gomez. Both rely on Prince EXO3 technology with Gavrilova arming herself with the EXO3 Black and Gomez with the EXO3 Rebel. In Europe alone, there are approximately eighty No. 1 ranked juniors in their respective countries and age groups dominating with EXO3 racquet technology.

This year, fans will see players on tour using EXO3 racquets from one of three families: The EXO3 Black, the EXO3 Rebel (Mike and Bob Bryan, Gael Monfils, etc.) and the new EXO3 Tour (David Ferrer, Sam Querrey, Juan Carlos Ferrero, etc.)

Zvonareva continued, “I trust the dedicated engineering team at Prince completely and it inspires confidence on the court to know that there is a team off the court working just as hard to deliver products grounded in scientific research and providing a real, visible competitive edge. To know that nearly every player who has made the switch to this technology has either reached their highest career ranking or won their biggest career title is impressive proof. Prince has my back, and that is a good feeling to have as a player.”

Fans can listen to Zvonareva and other ATP and WTA touring pros such as David Ferrer, Mike & Bob Bryan, Gael Monfils, and Marion Bartoli discuss the benefits of EXO3 racquet technology via a new video from Prince, located here: http://www.youtube.com/princetennis1#p/a/u/1/fZvT_T-8GiI. I

In addition, consumers can learn more about the various EXO3 models within the 2011 performance racquet line by visiting http://www.princetennis.com and even use a digital racquet selector to determine the ideal EXO3 racquet for their individual skill level and style of play.

“We are extremely excited to have Vera as an athlete ambassador for the brand and our patented, proven racquet technology,” said Zach Perles, Vice President of Global Communications for Prince. “We will continue to work to provide Vera, and all players, with 360 support and arm them with proven, futuristic and forward-thinking technologies which deliver genuine performance benefits that help them achieve their goals. Vera is a passionate, hard-working and intelligent athlete who sets a strong example for future champions.”

Lucas is a triple amputee. More than a decade ago he missed a step while trying to board a train. He fell underneath it. His next memory is of waking up in hospital missing both legs and his right arm. He was ten.

“Bekunzima (it was hard). I remember the first morning I woke up in hospital, I couldn’t think. I was disorientated, trying to feel my limbs and not being able to.”

Lucas went to Philadelphia Secondary School in Block L, Soshanguve.

There he met two teachers who were instrumental in piquing his interest in tennis. Teachers introduced him to tennis and the Wheelchair Tennis South Africa organisation.

His first tournament was at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria in December 2005. He made it to the top 16. But it was during the following year that he fell in love with the game, when he saw what his future could be-and he grabbed the opportunity.

“That’s what I’m working on. I can see it in front of me. I’m on the right path.” The 23 year old from Newcastle, Natal ranked sixteenth in international wheelchair tennis last year. His long-term goal? To be the best of course! But Lucas isn’t rushing, he is allowing himself to take baby steps to reach that ultimate goal.

“I want to be in the Paralympic team in 2012. Then I want to be one of the world’s top 10 competitors – maybe in the next five years. The long-term goal, not to set my sights too low, is to be number one. That’s the path this accident is leading me to.”

Between 2007 and 2008 Lucas’s accolades were too many for the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD). He was competition internationally in tennis, basketball and athletics. He had amassed no less than 18 medals and two trophies – not counting his tennis accolades. SASAPD had him narrow down his activity; choose one sport and stick to it. He opted for tennis.

“Tennis is not just a sport – it’s life. It teaches you everything you need to know about life. The court is like the world, showing you how to interact with people. Tennis has everything, a wide spectrum like the seven colours of the rainbow.

You learn self-discipline, respect, how to be selft-motivated. You learn about dignity, Ubuntu – and that’s just the half of it. “

Lucas hasn’t let his physical condition hinder him. He uses public transport and it works just fine for him. What annoys him about able-bodied people is that they think less of people with disabilities. He says on shouldn’t underestimate anyone because of their physical challenged or other attributes.

“People think we’re crazy and abnormal,” he says, laughing, admitting that there may well be some craziness floating around him. “They think we can’t do anything, but often we can do better – we’ve accomplished so much.”

The Paris native was contesting his 12th ATP World Tour final and improved to a 3-9 record after winning his first title since Metz in September 2009. He earned 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €103,900 in prize money.

“I am so happy about this title, and it’s even more special because it is in France and in front of my crowd,” said Monfils. “Today I was again very solid I think in my game, but also emotionally. I am extremely happy about the title, about my concentration throughout the week and about the level of my game. I feel I have been working on many things on and off the court and the results are now showing.

“It was a fantastic event, I really enjoyed coming to Montpellier, I felt really comfortable over here from the first day. I really hope to be able to come back next year.”

World No. 15 Monfils saved three break points and broke serve twice himself in the fourth and eighth games as he raced to a one-set lead against Ljubicic, whom he had beaten only twice in six previous meetings.

The Frenchman looked to have assumed a commanding lead in the match when he then broke serve to lead 3-1 in the second set; however Ljubicic hit back with two breaks of serve to level the encounter. Undeterred, though, Monfils reeled off five straight games at the beginning of the third set before wrapping up victory in one hour and 52 minutes.

“Today I didn’t make as many points with my serve unfortunately, which I also expected because he is a fantastic returner,” reflected Ljubicic. “I think the first set was the key to the match because I had break points in almost every game and I couldn’t convert them. He started well in the second [set], but I managed somehow to come back and win the set from a break down.”

The 24-year-old Monfils improved to a 39-17 match record on the season after becoming the fourth different French player to win an ATP World Tour title this year, joining Michael Llodra, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon. He was competing in his third ATP World Tour final of the season, after runner-up efforts in Stuttgart (l. to Montanes) and Tokyo (l. to Nadal).

World No. 17 Ljubicic dropped to a 10-13 record in ATP World Tour finals, including 3-3 in France. The 31 year old was hoping to cap his best stretch of the season by winning his second ATP World Tour title of the year, having beaten Andy Roddick to win the Indian Wells trophy in March. In the past four weeks, he has reached three ATP World Tour semi-finals.

“I played a lot these past weeks, I played many matches,” said Ljubicic. ”I think the match against Nieminen (in the quarter-finals) took a lot out of me this week. I would have had maybe more energy today if I had won in straight sets. But I can’t be sad, it was a fantastic week for me over here.”

Final Report

ATPWorldTour.com caught up with Troicki after his maiden title.

This was your third ATP World Tour final, did you approach this final differently than the other two?
I was a little bit more relaxed; I had a little bit more experience in finals. It was not easy to play against Marcos; he is one of the top players. Today I played great and I’m really happy that I won my first time.

How does it feel to win your first career ATP World Tour title?
It feels really unbelievable. I was waiting for this title for a really long time and this has been one of my goals for the past two years. Always when I saw other players winning their first titles, I was like ‘I hope it’s going to happen to me.’ This week it did and I’m really happy about it. I hope I’m not going to stop here. I hope I go for some more titles.

You have been playing well lately, getting to the semi-finals in Tokyo where you had match points against Rafael Nadal, and then winning your first doubles title in Bangkok. Do you feel you are playing the best tennis of your career?
I’m playing really good now. I feel good, I feel confident. I had a great week in Tokyo; I was a little bit unlucky to lose against Nadal, but it was a great match there. Here I got the title and I can say it was some of my best tennis of my career, for sure.

Your father is Russian, does it feel extra special to win your first title in Moscow?
He was born in Serbia, but his parents came from Russia when they were young, so I could say that I’m half-Russian. It means a lot to win in Moscow. I think anywhere would feel great, but in Moscow maybe better, if it couldn’t be Belgrade. I always play pretty good here and I’ve always felt good; I hope I’ll come here next year as well.

You dropped the opening set in your first two matches and then won your next two matches in straight sets. Did you feel you were getting better as the week went on and was there a part of your game that you were most pleased with that enabled you to win the title?
What I learned from this tournament is you should never give up. I was 7-5, 3-0 down in the first round against [Dmitry] Tursunov and came back fighting in that match. Today I won the title. So, this is, for sure, what I’ve learned in this week. From match to match I was playing better and better. It worked out for me, so I feel good now.

Now that you have won your first ATP World Tour title, what other goals do you have?
The Davis Cup final. We are going to go for the title. It would be a highlight of all our careers. For our whole country it would be great.

What are your thoughts on playing France at home in December in the Davis Cup final? What would winning the Davis Cup title mean for your country?
Well Serbia has had world champions a lot of time in basketball, volleyball, water polo; we have a big sports tradition. It would be the first time in tennis. At the moment, tennis is really popular in Serbia and people are really looking forward to the final. I think it would be huge if we won it. It’s not going to be easy, definitely. They (France) have great players, but we are playing at home in front of 20,000 people and we are really hoping for the win. We will try everything to win it.

Is there anyone who has been an influence in your career to help you get where you are today?
First I would like to thank my parents; they made it possible for me to play tennis in the toughest times in Serbia. They gave nearly everything they had for me to play tennis and I owe them everything.

The next person is my first coach, Nenad Trifunovic, who I worked with since I was five. He helped me a lot, not just in tennis, but in life also. The other person is Milos Jelisavcic, who is my physio and conditioning trainer who is here with me, he helped me a lot. Also my coach right now, Jan de Witt, who is German and he helped me a lot. We started working together four years ago and since then my game has really improved; he has really helped me a lot in my tennis.

The unseeded pair beat the 16th seeds 6-1, 7-5, 7-5 on Centre Court.

Melzer and Petzschner take home £240 000 between them, while the runners-up receive £120 000 to share.

It was the first time since 2005 that an unseeded pair had reached the Wimbledon final.

Both pairs had reached the Wimbledon final in their first season together, and all four players were looking for their first Grand Slam men’s doubles title.

Melzer and Petzschner first teamed up at Brisbane this year and have already won the Zagreb title. Wimbledon was their seventh tournament as a pair.

Petzschner was the first German to reach a Grand Slam men’s doubles final since David Prinosil at the Australian Open in 2001, and the first at Wimbledon since Michael Stich won it in 1992 — the only previous time that a German had won a men’s doubles Grand Slam title in the Open Era.

Melzer was only the second Austrian man in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam men’s doubles final, after his former doubles partner Julian Knowle.

In the Wimbledon singles, Melzer was knocked out by the top seed Roger Federer, while Petzschner took finalist and second seed Rafael Nadal to five sets.

“But at the same time,” added De Jager, “Kevin left me with hope that he would end his two-year absence from the Davis Cup against the tough Germans – something we definitely need if we are to get back to the elite World Group from what is an awkward away encounter.”

The good news emerging from the team captain is that all South Africa’s other leading candidates for the Davis Cup squad, Rik De Voest, Izak van der Merwe, Raven Klaasen and doubles specialists Wesley Moodie and Jeff Coetzee, have intimated they will all be available to face the German team.

“And with the Germans boasting 10 players among the top 100 in the world,” said De Jager, “we’ll have to muster all the resources that are available to us.”

Anderson, however, remains an enigma after bowing out of vital Davis Cup ties since 2008.

And while De Jager remains optimistic South Africa’s number one player will finally end his self-imposed Davis Cup exile, the question needs to be asked why he is unable to make a commitment at this stage while all the other players have done so without any hesitation.

India’s Paes and Black from Zimbabwe strolled on Centre Court after Rafael Nadal had won the men’s singles and took their second grand slam title of the year after the Australian Open with a 6-4 7-6 victory against South Africa’s Wesley Moodie and Lisa Raymond from the Unites States.

The title is Paes’s third mixed doubles crown at Wimbledon, following wins in 1999 and 2003, while Black had previously won in 2004.

A topsy-turvy opening set had five breaks of serve as both pairs struggled to impose themselves. But after losing three of the first four games, the second seeds rallied to win five of the next six and closed out the set in 37 minutes.

The second set turned out to be a reversal of the first and it was a tightly fought encounter without a single break of serve.

The tiebreak proved a test of nerve and Black and Paes held theirs with the Indian volleying the winner on championship point to take the match in one hour and 37 minutes.

Nadal came into the final having won six straight matches against Berdych, accumulating 14 sets in doing so, and those statistics were extended to 17 sets with no discernible problem.

This is Nadal’s eighth Grand Slam title and the second time he has come straight from winning the French Open at Roland Garros to lift the Wimbledon title.

A swirling breeze threatened to affect the timing of both of these big-hitters but initially, at least, both coped admirably with the wind and a bright sun, each holding serve to love as they tested out each other’s reactions.

The Centre Court crowd was vociferously behind the Spaniard, with one (male) voice booming out “I love you, Rafa”, soon followed by “You’re a genius, Rafa” from the same section, a fact which the world No.1 underlined with some fine, tight serving in the opening set, in which he conceded a paltry four points on serve.

Berdych stayed in the hunt with excellent serving and heavily-struck forehands until he faltered in the seventh game, offering Nadal a glimmer of opportunity by directing a backhand long to fall love-30 behind. Rafa pounced in a flash with a great forehand pass to open up break points and captured the Czech serve with a backhand service return with which Berdych could not cope.

Now in full, exciting flow Nadal made it four games in a row by breaking Berdych again to take the first set in 34 minutes. Then, at the start of the second, he made it five games in succession, albeit with some difficulty in a service game which lasted 11 minutes and in which the Czech held three break points without managing to capitalise on any, despite Nadal’s best effort to assist him with a pair of double-faults.

After that marathon game, with Berdych shaking his head in despair at the chances he had missed, normality was restored on serve, both men holding with confidence and comfort. Aware that Berdych urgently needed to get back into this final, the crowd were behind him every time he captured a point on the Nadal serve, something which did not happen frequently.

With Nadal leading 6-5 the second set seemed destined for resolution by tiebreak, since the Czech had permitted Nadal just four points in five service games. Then, spectacularly, he imploded, dropped his delivery to love with a forehand driven tamely wide and Nadal was two sets in front with an hour and 28 minutes gone.

Berdych’s urgent need was to get into the Nadal serve, get a break somehow and get himself back into a match which was inexorably draining away from him. But the Spaniard was not in a “giving” mood, bearing down as he headed towards another triumph on the lawns of London.

In a rare moment of relaxation, Nadal permitted Berdych a break point in the third game of the third set but the Czech dumped a backhand into the net and the opening was lost. For the rest, the howitzer that is the Nadal forehand was running the show.

And it was that forehand which decided it in the tenth game as Berdych served to stay in contention. A couple of Nadal forehands had the Czech groggy at deuce and when he over hit his own forehand to offer Rafa his first championship point, it was all he needed, clinching his second Wimbledon with a stupendous cross-court forehand before falling flat on his back in the baseline dust and then executing a celebratory forward roll.

Williams, the No.1 seed, and Zvonareva, No.21, went toe-to-toe from the baseline in the first six games of the match, but from 3-all Williams’ big stage experience really began to shine, as she took the power level up a notch – particularly on her serve and crosscourt backhand – and she took a 6-3 first set.

After winning the first set at a major Williams was 174-3, and after winning the first set in major finals she was 10-0 – the 28-year-old American’s record was phenomenal in the situation and that trend continued, as she made it 175-3 and 11-0 with a 63 62 victory, serving it out at love and ending it with a big smash.

Williams tied Billie Jean King for fourth most Wimbledons in the Open Era (Martina Navratilova nine, Steffi Graf seven and Venus Williams five). She passes King for sixth most overall majors in the Open Era (Margaret Court 24, Graf 22, Helen Wills Moody 19 and Navratilova and Chris Evert 18 each).

“This one’s very special. Hey Billie, I got you,” Williams said in the on-court interview with Sue Barker. “I want to congratulate Vera. She played amazing here. She’s been through so much in the last year. Everyone should give her a round of applause… she defines what a champion and never giving up means.”

Williams’ serving throughout the tournament was a centerpiece of her success. She was out-acing even the best men’s players in the world (going into the semifinals she had over 1.6 aces per service game while none of the men’s semifinalists even had 1) and she smashed the women’s tournament ace record of 72 (which she set herself last year), finishing with 89 after the final.

“I’ve honestly never served this well,” Williams added. “Whenever I come on this grass, on this amazing Centre Court, I start serving well. I want to keep it up.”

This was Williams’ sixth career Wimbledon final. She is now 4-2 in those, winning in 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2010, and finishing runner-up in 2004 (losing to Maria Sharapova) and 2008 (losing to Venus Williams).

How far is Williams planning to go? She was asked in press: “I love my dogs; I love my family; I love going to the movies; I love reading; I love going shopping. I would love to open more schools in Africa or in the United States, and I would love to help people. I would like to be remembered like, ‘She was a tennis player, but she really did a lot to inspire and help other people.’ That’s what I think about – not about Serena Williams won X amount of Grand Slams.

Zvonareva was playing in her first Grand Slam final. It was the 30th Grand Slam tournament she has played – the fourth-longest wait for a first final after Nathalie Tauziat (42), Francesca Schiavone (39) and Zina Garrison (34).

“I could have done better today, but Serena played really well. She didn’t give me chances to get into the match,” Zvonareva said after the match. “I’m such a perfectionist I wouldn’t consider this a fabulous result, and I feel like I could have done better, but I was able to come through a lot of difficult matches for the past two weeks, and it gives me more confidence moving forward.”

The Russian 21st seed, who knocked out Jelena Jankovic and Kim Clijsters en route to reaching the Wimbledon final, said she felt she could have done better in the Centre Court showpiece – but Williams had stopped her playing her best game.

Zvonareva lost 6-3, 6-2 within 67 minutes, but feels the experience – not to mention her new top 10 status – will help make her a serial Grand Slam force to be reckoned with.

“I’m such a perfectionist that I wouldn’t consider it as a fabulous result, because I always want everything perfect,” the Muscovite said.

“Even if I lose, I feel like I could have done better. Sometimes I can lose some matches and think that, well, I did everything I can.

“But at the moment I’m still disappointed because I could have played better tennis.”

The 25-year-old added: “Perfectionism is something that can help you and something that can destroy you as well. Now I know how to handle my perfectionism better.

“Earlier in my career I wanted everything perfect right now, and if it doesn’t work right now, then I will get so angry with myself.”

Zvonareva, the second lowest ranked player ever to appear in the Wimbledon women’s final, has been dogged by doubts about her temperament.

She has also recovered from serial injury problems that left her doubting whether she could play tennis again.

But her talent was never in doubt and she has been a more confident, mature player during The Championships.

“It’s great to be in the final, and think I will realise that later. But I’m still a bit disappointed with the performance,” she said.

“I could have – not with the result but more the way I played – I could have done better. I did not show my best, and it’s a bit disappointing because it’s the final. You don’t reach the Wimbledon final every day.

“Serena played really well. She didn’t give me chances to get into the match.

“You always take more risks against Serena because you know she’s such a great mover and she can play a great defence.

“So if you going to take more risks, you will have to make more errors. And she was lucky on a couple of occasions.”

Zvonareva, the third Russian woman to reach the Wimbledon final, said she now had plenty of motivation to go on and challenge for more major honours.

“I’ll be thinking about how to get to that final first and then to go one step more. But it was definitely a good experience for me,” she said.

“It’s been a great week. Hopefully it can help me in the future.”