The relationship existing between RADO and the world of tennis is of exceptional intensity. Year after year, the brand from Legnau widens its presence to new tennis courts around the world; a sport, where it has been the Official Timekeeper for a while. One feature that sets RADO apart from standard partnerships is that the manufacturer is the official timekeeper (i.e. measuring the time on tennis courts); a privilege that will further grow with the debut of the Next Gen Finals that will take place at the Rho Fair (Milan) in less than two weeks’ time between 7th-11th November. The name says it all already; during this tournament, young talents under the age of 21 have their chance to showcase their skills. The tournament structure is slightly simpler than that of a classic ATP tournament; the player who wins 4 games per set (with a tie-break rule in case both players have already won 3 sets each) is the winner of the match, there are also reduced warm-up times before every match (a maximum of 5 minutes per warm-up time from the moment the second player has entered the court). These times will all be measured by digital measurement systems developed by RADO itself.
The same systems will also clock the seconds elapsed between each point (25 seconds max). This formula will improve the show itself and the speed and the engagement of a large number of participants too. The event does not end here, however, as it is also open to non-professional tennis players. RADO has created a competition, where every tennis enthusiast in Italy will be able to share a video showing their best shot. A selected jury will assess the videos and select eight finalists, who will join RADO at the finals of this tournament. As a pioneering brand of product innovation, RADO has already shown in the past a big involvement and resources investment in young artists, thus promoting their growth and visibility – as we personally witnessed during the RADO Star Prize event – and the manufacturer continues on the same path in the world of sports too; an example of philanthropy coming from the world of watch-making.
(Photo credit: courtesy of RADO)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
