Doubles Only Tennis Podcast

Tennis Gear Deep Dive: Dampeners, Grips, Bags, & Training with ADV Founder, Lavie Sak

• Will Boucek • Episode 272

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0:00 | 39:24

This episode is a little different. I'm diving into tennis gear, everything except the racquet and shoes, with the founder of one of my favorite brands, ADV. I use their bags, dampeners, and even sweat bands.

Lavie Sak has a tech background, plays tennis, and used to coach as well. We explore how his company lets players lead the design of its products. From dampeners to grips to their popular bags, ADV innovates as well as any company in tennis. Lavie shares the messy first prototype, the tough cuts, and why ADV chose quality over mass pricing while partnering with pros who give real feedback.

  • How ADV got started
  • Dampener testing across 27 racquets and sound profiles
  • Tennis grips - how to choose between dry and tacky
  • Designing the ADV Pro bag and prioritizing features
  • How they develop an idea into a finished product
  • Feedback loops that shaped V2 and V3 of the bag
  • Why ADV makes two backpacks
  • Curated training kit components and use cases
  • Pricing tradeoffs, materials, and longevity
  • Doubles tips on serve variety and aiming middle
  • Partnerships with Sem Verbeek, JP Smith, and Zus Tennis

I use the ADV Pro for travel and the Flex bag locally around Fort Worth.

Links:

Learn more about ADV & follow:

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SPEAKER_00

You're about to hear my conversation with the founder of one of my favorite brands in tennis ADV. Lavi Stock founded ADV about a decade ago, and I wanted to have him on to talk about the company that he's running today and just tennis gear in general. So this episode is a little bit different than your normal doubles focused episode, although it is very much related to your doubles game. You want to make sure that you have the right gear when you're on the court. And ADV quickly, when I first found out about them in 2020, became one of my favorite tennis bag companies. I reviewed their very first bag. I provided some feedback, and they are one of the few companies that actually implemented my feedback into version two of the bag. So they take feedback from their customers and they continue to innovate and develop their products, which I believe tennis needs more of. So we talk about the product development side of different tennis gear, including dampeners, grips, as well as bags. We also talk about how a product is created from scratch. After that, we dive into pricing on the products, and then we do talk about doubles towards the end. So Lavi is a former tennis coach. He still plays doubles occasionally as well. So he gives us uh some of his favorite doubles tips. So if you want to learn more about ADV, check them out in the show notes. I'll link to uh all of their bags. I use the ADV Pro when I'm traveling and when I need to carry more gear. And then recently I've been using their new Flex bag uh just locally around the Fort Worth area when I'm playing tennis. So check out their products, enjoy this conversation. Um, again, this episode is a little bit different, but I know a lot of you are gear nerds, you're looking for really high quality products, and ADV and Lavi can shed some insight uh into how those products are created, which I personally uh enjoy uh listening to all the behind-the-scenes stuff like this. So without further delay, enjoy this conversation with the founder of ADV, Lavi Sock. Hey everyone, welcome to the show. Today we have the founder of ADV tennis on, Lavi Sock. Lavi, welcome.

SPEAKER_01

Hey, well, how are you doing? That's uh I'm good.

Lavi’s Path From Tech To Tennis

SPEAKER_00

Um, thanks for coming on. This is uh a different little different episode. So we're we're normally focused on doubles, and this is very doubles related, but it's not directly uh impacting their doubles game, more of an indirect thing. We're focused on tennis gear today. I've done this a couple of times in the past with um functional tennis, uh tennis nerd as well. We talked Jonas and I talked about rackets a lot. Um, but today we're gonna talk about your products. Um, and I'd really like to have people like you on to share the stories of basically just products that I use myself and love and companies that I I really trust and that are doing a good job. Um, so why don't you start with like how ADV got started and and also your story, how you got into tennis and and got into um creating products?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so I I spent most of my career or the start of my career um in tech. And it was uh, you know, I I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I also enjoyed tennis. It was a big part of my life growing up. So I knew I wanted to be involved in tennis, and I started a company called Shot Stats in the very beginning. Um, I say very beginning was in in grad school.

SPEAKER_00

And how many years is this?

SPEAKER_01

Man, what is that? Let's see. Dating myself here, 2011, 12-ish? Okay. Um we raised some capital, Rain uh did a Kickstarter, and we developed a tennis dampener with a polycarbonate screen that had that that showed numbers, and these numbers included head speed, um, spin and pardon, RPMs, contact point, and it relayed all that to your phone. Um, and this is way before the time of play site, um, before you know all the computer vision things. So it was pretty novel at the time, and it was it was hard. Hardware was very hard. It's very hard. Um so I learned a lot there, met a lot of cool people. Ultimately, that product did not succeed. We just didn't have enough money to to move forward with it. Um so then I that's when I started my consulting career doing tech stuff. Um, enjoyed that a lot, but I knew I, like I said, I want to get back in tennis. So then started doing ADV, started very small scale, just selling some small products on Amazon that were tennis related. They did pretty well. And as that continued to grow, we continued to grow the brand quite a bit, um, and introduce uh our more flagship products, which we call which are the bags. And that's when my my co-founder Maybelline, who was also my wife, um jumped on on the marketing side of things, and that's when the brand kind of really grew.

SPEAKER_00

So um when you started with the dampeners, did you know you're going to get into bags, or was it just kind of it just kind of happened over time? You just it seemed like the next logical step.

SPEAKER_01

Um, no, it wasn't it was not the next logical step. I mean, to be honest, like when I was I was pretty happy with just dampeners selling them on Amazon. Um it it you know it led to a good amount of profit. It was pretty easy. Um so then I was like, ah, let's let's let's have some more fun. And that was it. I mean, I at that time it was part-time, and I was like, what can I do to bring more cool stuff into the world? Um, so we looked at trying to find better formulas and blends for overgrips. So we had a dry, then a tacky overgrip, and then that did well too. So we're like, oh well, let's do some more stuff. And then uh one thing that always bothered me was wristbands were very plush. Um, and oftentimes when I sweat, it would just get soaking wet and I would put my face and sweat come down. Never liked a big sweater. So we made a compression type wristband made of bamboo charcoal that has less of that effect. Um and then we made hats and then training kits. Um, and then ultimately during during COVID, oddly enough, is when we really started diving deep into RD for the bags. And now ADV is probably most well known for bags.

SPEAKER_00

So I want to go back to the dampeners. Uh honestly, I don't know much about dampeners. Um, I use one of y'all's on my main racket. I also have a racket that has a little like pizza dampener that's just kind of fun and it seems to do okay. Um, I'm not playing like super competitively right now, so I don't uh worry about it too much. But what what goes into making a good dampener? I think I read on your site that y'all tested your dampener on like 27 different frames or something like that. Um what what are all the like details that people should look for when they're like looking at a dampener at the store or online?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's funny because I mean testing is huge because we wanted to make three types of dampeners with uh different sounds and vibration levels, and these are very minute, but tennis players are very particular. Um, even the the smallest amounts of differences in sound and the ping noise makes makes a difference. Um, but we had to make it compatible for all string patterns. And so I went to my friend Dan and shout out to iPlay Tennis at Midtown Atlanta. Um he let me go there and sit there for about two hours and try every single racket he had to make sure dampeners fit in each one. So I'm a master at taking dampers in and out. Um but yeah, we also wanted to make it more more muted in the way it looked. Um, just simple. Our branding is barely noticeable. Like you have to stare if you really want to know what it is. Um, and one fun thing I thought I thought was cool. Um, we have a marble one that's black and white. So um sometimes you spin the racket, you know, the W or M or up and down to see who serves first. Um instead, one damper is black, one side dampener is black, one side is white, flip it over, it becomes like a coin. So it's just a little fun thing like that. But yeah, the dampers were they were a hit because they they were just I think they were approached a little differently than than other dampeners in the market.

SPEAKER_00

What about grips? Um you said you got into grips, you'll have uh a couple of grips that you sell. What are what went all or what all went into that? Developing it, testing it, and then also how should people think about choosing a grip for their racket if they are maybe looking to switch? What should they kind of be looking for?

Building Smart Dampeners Players Actually Want

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I mean it we tested a lot of materials and then tried different treatments on them. Um I like this treatment where it's it you kind of feather the grip a little bit to make it a bit more of a velvety feel. Um, but essentially there's two types of grips. Um, and I don't think there's a perfect grip that has both these qualities. So it's either a dry absorbent grip grip. Think of um, you know, think of the turnas, right? Those type of grips, and that's the similar to our fell tack. This is a more comfortable, um, not super tacky, but as water goes onto it or sweat goes on to it, it kind of soaks in and then dries out. Um, the other approach is which we call it max tack, is is moisture wicking and very tacky. So when your hand goes onto it, it just you you grip it and you feel stickier. However, if it gets a little bit wet with sweat, that sweat won't actually go into it. It's on you to to wipe it off or just take it off. Um because it's not meant to absorb. Um so typically felt tack is great for summer as you sweat more. Um, and then max tack is good for the winter when you don't sweat as much, but you do need that security of that like you know, that really grippy grip.

SPEAKER_00

Interesting. That's really well explained. I've never been able to like articulate it like that. But like, so for me, I I don't sweat a lot. Um, but I do like the the drier grips for some reason, but I don't think it's for the the sweat reason because I don't sweat that much. I think it's actually because I like to feel uh it feels a little more smooth when I'm like changing grips from like my forehand grip to my volley grip or something like that. So so where when I'm like um when I have a very tacky grip, I feel like my hand gets kind of caught as I'm switching grips. Maybe it's on return of serve or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I mean it yeah, switching grips, I mean like just having to move your hand on and off, like that little bit of resistance here does bother some people. It's it's a super personal thing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, all right, so let's move on to the bag. So talk about uh the pro bag is the one I use most consistently. Um, I just got the flex bag a few weeks ago, which I've I've liked a lot, and I'm I'm probably gonna start using that more and more um just for like you know, ease of use and it's a lot smaller. Um, but when I'm traveling and when I'm playing more, I'll use the pro bag because it just carries so much. But uh that's the original bag, right, that y'all created. Talk about the creation of that, what all went into it, um and some of the features as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so it's the tennis, the tennis pro. Yeah, at that time there was no V because it was the first version. Um version two, V2, and then V3. Um I wanted to build uh something that I wouldn't use. I wanted to build something that was better. The approach we took is we we wanna we always want to uh act like we don't know anything and be really good listeners. Um so we sent surveys out, we asked and interviewed people what are the biggest pains people have with the bags, um, what are some workarounds they do with the current bags? Um so things that came up all the time was they just wanted a lot of organization. Organization, and but at the same time, people also wanted dumping grounds just to quickly, like after a long match, just want to get the stuff in there and go. So it's like these two conflicting things. It's like they want a big dumping ground for stuff, but they also want the most organized bag ever made. Um so it was kind of on us to see how we can figure this out. Um, so I we hired a really kick-ass designer um who actually used to work at a another tennis rec company, um, Prince. Um and yeah, I mean he did some some work there, but the the briefs, you know, like like what he was to design wasn't as complex or like or you know, like as as demanding. Um my brief right now was like two or three pages long of just like all these details and features and stuff, and just like it was overwhelming. Um so we got concepts together. Um, we made some cardboard prototypes, so literally just putting cardboard together to see the shape and the feel of the bag. Um and then we found a we found a good supplier of factory based in Vietnam and we shared it with them. And then probably maybe I would say a series of five to six one hour calls at like you know 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. at night. Um, we we got to a point where they had the first sample. And we got that thing back, and it was it was it was nuts. It was it was like it was super heavy, had every pocket known demand. It came out to be at cost like I think$200, which would make it have to retail for like$800 or whatever, right? Um, and we're like, well, this this won't work. Um, so I learned a lesson. It's like we have to be very selective in what can go in and how we how we really do it. So the second sample, we spent a lot of time and just really prioritizing. And the the hardest part of all this is we hear all these features people want, and the hard part is cutting out, cutting things out and just say prioritizing.

SPEAKER_00

Um so things So what did you what did you cut between that first sample and the second?

Choosing The Right Overgrip

SPEAKER_01

A lot of it was material like materials where it just added a lot of weight. So we didn't necessarily find cheaper materials, we found lighter materials. That's one of the one of the bigger things um we did. The number of pockets, and you'd be shocked because it's I think on the Pro there's over, don't quote me on this, I think it's over 20 or 18 to 20 pockets on there ready. Yeah, a lot more than that. Um we try to put them in really smart places, but in retrospect, um we just did it was just too much organization. So it actually helped us reduce that. Um, I think our cooler where you can put like drinks and stuff was bigger. We made that smaller, um, where it could still fit a six-pack if you want it and want to put in there. Yeah, you know, four or five Gatorades. Um but yeah, we we also had like non-negotiables, like things like uh it has to have white KK zippers, um, which are kind of the the cream of the crop. Um they they're smooth, they don't break, etc. Um But yeah, it was it was a lot of uh it was a lot of balancing kind of all the features you wanted with what's realistic.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah, I think about the cooler. I mean the shoe pocket is the feature I probably use the most because like every time I travel I throw my shoes in there and I can it can fit a lot more than just my shoes. Um but uh but the cooler I I think is one of my favorite features. Um and then and then that hidden pocket as well. I I do do use that a lot. Um the hidden pocket and the pocket underneath uh for like dirty clothes and stuff, um, which is all also kind of hidden. Um but yeah, the the organization is super impressive. And I think one of the reasons we're kind of on this this call um is after that first version, y'all asked me to review it. That's when y'all uh first reached out to me and I first found ADV. And I reviewed it, and I I think I had like one or two kind of minor complaints. Um, they weren't a huge deal, but I think maybe I had an extended racket at the time and it just like it didn't quite fit all like correctly. Like it I had to kind of force the zippers. Yeah, um, and then there might have been one other like minor thing that was like not a huge deal, but then y'all released V2 and y'all fixed both of those things. And I was like, oh my gosh, like they are taking feedback and they're actually like implementing it into the next version of their products. Like these people care, and this is like a really good company. So, like, hats off to you for doing that. Um, and that's obviously gotten you where you are today with all the great reviews and stuff. Um, but let's go to the backpacks and the training kits. Just talk a little bit about that. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01

There's one there's one uh no, I appreciate that. First of all, and like it's I come from tech and this the feedback cycles are so much quicker in software. Um here, it's like, oh my gosh, we have all these things we need to fix. And like it irks me not to fix it. Um but one of the one of the more like minor things was one coach was like that that bigger pocket on the side, that just one panel pocket on the side, he's like, Man, it's great, but it just will not freaking fit my vanilla folder. It's just like half an inch too too uh not tall enough. And I was like, I looked at it and the seam was closed, and all I had to do was open it to make that happen. So the next release, it was just you know, it's a super small thing that you would not think of that made his life just that much easier to have all these like papers for his kids and so in the caddy stuff.

SPEAKER_00

So so yeah, these details matter so much. Um, and you don't like I don't know, you don't realize it. I mean, this is I think this is like in my review, but but you don't you don't realize it until you do get like a good tennis bag, like because most of the tennis bags you get from like the major brands, like they're all pretty similar, they're all just about the same, and you're like, well, I don't really care what bag I use. But then you know, I started getting a bag from y'all, I got bags from other brands as well. And um, yeah, like when you get a good tennis bag, you're like, wow, this is like a lot a lot nicer. Yeah. Um so let's move to the the backpack, talk a little bit about that, the training kit, and then also the new flex bag as well.

Designing The Pro Bag: Features And Tradeoffs

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so the bag the the pro the pro is a big bag. Um it's a six racket bag, but it can fit up probably four more in the middle if you want it to. Um it didn't fit everyone's use case, like everyone doesn't need six rackets. Um so then we looked at making a smaller bag, the backpack. And the goal here was to build a backpack that you can use for tennis, but also use it on a like a three-night stay, uh, just traveling, even without tennis. Um, it could be a work and work backpack. Um so that that was the goal there. And the idea was how do we keep the DNA of the the pro the same in the the backpack, which we're now in version two, so a backpack would be two. Um, what things carry over? Like, should they be a cooler? Should they not? How should it hang up? Um so there's a lot of features and a lot of insights we learned from the the bigger bag. Um, and we asked the people who got the bigger bag, it's like what what would you want in a smaller bag? Would you want a smaller bag? So it was just it it helps so much to have that first base audience that knows your products, that can share more feedback. And then we continue to kind of leverage that um as we get more and more products in, just asking them because they they they really care they want they want more bags and they want us to create more stuff um so the backpack was a is a good was a good second bag for them and some folks actually use both it's like one compliments to the other um so it's it's it's pretty cool to see um yeah yeah yeah I think I think the original backpack I used a little bit on the court but I I still use the pro more um but then now you've got this new flex bag which is even smaller and I think that like for me I think that's a better fit.

SPEAKER_00

I think that the original backpack is great for like travel like you're saying especially if you only have two rackets um but this flex bag is like smaller a little bit sleeker on the go. What was the kind of the feedback that led to that?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah so people are like this backpack's too big I mean simply put like it's too big for me or for me and a lot it was a lot of feedback from women in particular too um and people love the organization the look and feel of it but they just wanted to be wanted it to be smaller and but one one of the gotchas that that led to one of the cool features is the fact that they wanted shoe storage. Shoes are big they just take a lot of room up so the backpack v2 has shoe carpet inside with the flex has a an external canopy it's like a hidden spandex loop or hidden spandex sheet that pulls out and you put put that over your shoes your a bike helmet I put my kids swimming stuff in there um and it's like an outdoor or out exterior enclosure for all the stuff while you have all the stuff in the middle the space in the middle but overall it's it's a smaller footprint it's 27 27 liters compared to 37 liters for the backpack compared to 62 liters for the pro. So there's a little gap in there in liter size that we're going to get into so more to come on that probably but uh but yeah the the flex is a is a it's a flexible type bag that can be used on and off the court.

SPEAKER_00

And the other thing that I'm sure y'all got this as well but the other feedback I got just like playing tennis mostly in um mixed leagues I would show the bag to people and a lot of the ladies wanted different colors and y'all recently released some new colors that maybe are a bit more feminine this is two guys talking about feminine colors but uh maybe they're a bit more like I don't know they're different um because the previous colors were like black with like some light trim and um so talk about the the release of these new colors and then we'll move on to the the training kit.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah so again we asked people what colors they wanted essentially like it was in and we like the survey results we kind of segment them like if they're men or women and see what that breakdown was. And oddly enough it wasn't it wasn't like a clear breakdown like I think men wanted these new colors just as much as the women did. But the new two new colors are are Dune which is a like a beige um sand type color with a mint green accent and then aqua which looks like a looks like a denim kind of denim wash on a bag. Kind of cool that one that one I thought I wouldn't personally like as much but I I I I do like it. I kind of gravitate to to it. So yeah um so yeah and then in the future we we may do like fun drops according to you know like maybe a Wimbledon green or something like that to see how that how that works. But I think people people get hyped up for the different colorways and things like that.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah yeah that would be cool that's a neat idea to do like yeah if y'all could create like a hundred Wimbledon ones or however many and yeah yeah that's that'd be fun.

Iterating With Real Feedback

SPEAKER_01

Um so the last uh thing is the training or the last product here is the training kit so this is something I have started sharing at some of my doubles camps with uh people who who sign up and I use this a lot um because it's got the cones the resistance bands all that uh that's a little bit different from the bag and the backpack um talk about that story how where did that idea come from yeah I mean we try to so ADV we try to make everything for tennis players as that's not the racket essentially um and I spent I I coached for about I want to say eight years I don't actively coach now but I did before um really cool time of life um but I often find myself telling parents um to get XYZ thing um for to help their kids training um so then it it was more or less like you know get this this this this this and it would come out to like 150 bucks 120 bucks of stuff and like it should just be easier than this um and there weren't many curated boxes of training kit training things um so uh we have a pretty cool network of content creators like yourself you know John Pistoke um and we just asked like what what do you think people are gonna need so we asked a lot of high level coaches um what what do players really want or need especially in academy settings and what are in my experience what do they need um so we created a training kit called training kit v2 is a version two um the items come in a nice drawstring bag um there's a reaction ball or a Z ball um bright color I think the same exact color as a tennis ball four cones different colors so you can do target practice or footwork drills there's different reaction or resistance bands for different exercises warm-ups um there's a a pull rope we I call a pull rope I guess it goes by different names but three pull and just kind of you know at that point the fence um so yeah it it was a it was a really it was more of a a solve for a problem I had and I know a lot of coaches have um so hopefully that makes some people's lives a lot easier um but yeah it was a it was a cool product to make yeah it certainly does mine I uh always keep it in in my pro bag and use it all the time um so we've talked a lot about kind of what goes into creating each of these products what do you tell people people who've listened to this so far recognize that like it's a superior bag or whatever it is to to most um tennis bags out there but what do you tell a tennis player or a potential customer who says like girl's bag is just too expensive yeah that's funny because I don't we I don't think I could ever convince somebody who's not really willing to spend you know too much 50 plus on the bag so like it's it's more or less that when we first made this bag the the stuff you want the the materials you want to use the features we want to put into it um there was just simply no way around it like at our especially at our scale we could not get the price any further down. So if I can we can't get our cost down we we simply can't sell it for that price. So the decision at the time was should we cut down features and quality to make this more comparable in price to a a normal tennis bag or should we just really go all in and try to make the best tennis bag for the people who really who really want it. So it was we decided on the latter and essentially it it it worked out because I mean I think there's there's a there's a big audience of people especially in tennis who just want really good gear that will last them a long time that when they use it it just feels good feels right. And then anything that adds to a adds to your tense experience like you know like you and I know like I I when you get to court it's just you have fun and you love it and why not just have all the things that you touch and feel during that experience is better.

SPEAKER_00

So it's yeah yeah yeah 100% yeah I mean it's not I don't know I I I say the same thing with like my my membership um you know some people subscribe to my newsletter and listen to my podcast and they get a bunch of the free content and that's great. And then some people are ready to like you know who are more into tennis they take it a bit more seriously they're ready to invest a bit more in their game. So it's just you know it's different for everybody. So you mentioned you coach as well and I know you play because we hit uh a couple years ago when you were here in uh in the DFW area what are one to three of the kind of most effective doubles lessons that that you've taught on the court over the years when you when you were coaching or or that you teach now yeah um so I I think doubles I think I I mean it's true in singles I think in doubles is not as is understated but just serve variety.

SPEAKER_01

Like I think I think you could do pretty well with four straight body serves. I think that's underutilized often um I I think just especially just when I when I coach a lot of times I see players trying to bomb a first serve and it's not as it's not as sound as just like a clean kick body serve or something. So I think that's one thing I tried to push in some of the teams is try to take that to use that to your advantage. And then let's see I think another one is like whenever you feel pressure or whatever whenever in doubt just go up the middle. I think there's so much like in a in a point like that there's so much going on and so much thinking like where should I put this ball where should my feet go it's just it's keeping sometimes keeping it simple is just going in the middle five straight times would generally lead to good things. In a match it's just there's so many things in your head right it's just try what are some things you can default to I guess yeah that's I like that I've been big on um like challenges over the past year.

Backpacks, Flex Bag, And New Colorways

SPEAKER_00

So when if somebody's like uncomfortable poaching or uncomfortable with running new serve formations or whatever I'll I'll tell them I want you to do it on every single point for the entire set we're gonna do this in a practice set. So I like that just like if you're in doubt go through the middle like I'd be interested to have some players you know you're gonna play a practice set and every single ball I want you to hit over the net strap. Every single ball and let's see what happens. And I I bet I bet a lot of them especially for a certain type of player like I'm thinking of the players who like to go for winners a bit too often like it would reduce their errors so much that it would probably make them a better player. Yeah um yeah so that that's that's a really good one. I like that a lot uh what's something that's helped you most in your game maybe it was the the serve variety or or something else um I mean in doubles specifically one coach told me when I was younger um don't try to win the point yourself like a lot of times it like a like a baseline rally and the two doubles players just kind of hanging out there a little bit I I love that when I was playing doubles I just I just for when I was a kid um but it was more or less what can you do to set the point up for your partner if you have that mentality you're you think a little more on the court and it it it helps right I think that like the the the body surf what do you what what would generally happen if you hit a good body surf that ball is going to be your your partner's perfect put away ball right so like thinking about that I think it's helped me a lot in doubles as opposed to kind of that singles mentality which I think a lot of kids at least when I was growing up that they kind of had that you know it wasn't it wasn't necessarily a team as much as it as it should been so yeah I think that's true of a lot of club player like adult club players too though um one of the things I teach is uh and I got I got this from Craig O'Shaughnessy because he talks about this in singles um he says like you're you're the second most important player on the court in singles so I I kind of took that and said okay in doubles we're actually the fourth most important player on the court so what you just said is like stop wanting the point by yourself that'll kind of get you out of your own head thinking about you know I'm gonna prioritize my partner over myself because they're they're a more important player than me.

SPEAKER_01

Um so I like that kind of how you framed that uh as well um so last y'all got a couple of pro players uh that are gonna start using your gear so sim Verbeek who I just had on the podcast recently actually and then um JP Smith they both had an awesome year last year in doubles sim won the uh the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Katarina Siniakova and JP I think reached a career high last year as well um and uh yeah they're both both playing great doubles but how did that partnership come about and is this something you're kind of looking to continue to to develop on the Pro Tour as well yeah so there's more to more to come on this for sure um like official announcements and things like that but I mean both the both those guys are are are great dudes um and usually it's hard it's hard for us as a accessories equipment bag company to to land like these these bigger players um just because nujly contracts are with the rackets and the rackets dictate what bag you have to use um so we actually teamed up with um a smaller but pretty awesome racket company called Zeus um and Zeus actually works or is the rack preferred choice of uh JP and ZEM so by that we were able to work with Zeus then figure out they don't they don't really have bags and they really like our bags so we you know sent our bags through and now SEM and JP news the ADV bag and it's on tour. And for us it's just a it's it's a really good it's it's great credibility right it's on it's on tour and it's honestly like it's one of those things when first started like eight years ago I was like I could never imagine like ADV on a grand slam court. It's just super it's super cool. It's like super super gratifying and it's even cooler just to get to know them too like Sam I spent about I think I spent three days with him in Atlanta when he was doing some neuroscience uh neurological work um where he trains his brain he probably goes into that into in your podcast he he did yeah yeah it sounded fascinating it's super cool um so I spent some time with him um and his team and his coach Jacob which is a great guy also um and yeah I had a couple calls with JP super fun guy um and yeah we have a couple of the pros lined up and yeah we're gonna make some official announcements soon but it's it's it's it's really cool it honestly it brings a smile to my face and just makes me if anything it makes me super happy it's like super cool. But um it's it's great because they they really like the gear and one thing we stress is um we don't want to be like a another kind of sponsor rack company we want a partnership like we want like like Sam if you if there's like five things you don't like about the bag let us know and what most likely fix them and make it better. Yeah so like it's a true partnership and I think they I think the players really embrace that so because it's like I said it's part of their experience and they touch their bag every day.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah awesome well Lavi this was a ton of fun um I already knew a lot about your bags but this was fascinating for me to learn more about kind of the development and the the creation and honestly like tennis needs more companies like ADV like y'all are doing such a good job of innovating and continuing to improve your products and it's something that I feel like I I compare tennis to golf a lot because I also play golf and I feel like golf just generally does a better job of us than than uh it like innovating and creating new products and driving the sport forward and uh y'all are doing a great job. So hats off to you and thanks for coming on.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah I appreciate that it is it's funny because I think I think you're right like golf golf is really quick to innovate like when when shot stats first came out like nothing there was nothing in tennis that was really I mean I think I think at that time like some of the red ball green ball stuff was really kicking off but outside of that um here's a fun fact I actually did my I did my graduate graduate dissertation on tennis like not even joking it was like a I think a 60 page paper on tennis and evolutionists. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00

Wow I'll uh I'll let you read that one day Will if you have a spare yeah yeah send that to me I need the audio version though because I I uh do everything on audio books.

SPEAKER_01

There you go man no this is thanks for thanks for having me um and yeah if if you or anybody in the audience has ideas like we're always we're always open to to hearing new things.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah awesome well I'll link to uh to adv and everything we talked about in the show notes thanks everybody for listening and thanks again Lavi for coming on