Sponsored players selling their rackets?

[anonymouselbow]

I found a Facebook Marketplace ad recently posted by one of Canada's top players Schnur selling 13 brand new Babolat Pure Strikes. Earlier in the summer I found a kijiji ad posted by a coach selling his Prince sponsored junior's racquets on their behalf. So, I'm wondering if this is normal when a company sponsors a player that they can sell whatever they have no use for anymore. Thanks.

 

[Raizu]

It’s normal for tour players to give their racquets away after each quarter of the year when they get new batches for the clay and grass season and then another back for the hard court and indoor season. What people do afterwards is up to them but most of the guys I know on tour will put them in a closet or leave some with people they meet around the world as a gift or a thank you and sign it.

 

[0xatlantis]

from a contract standpoint, we're not supposed to sell our sponsored equipment. donations and raffled prizes for foundations etc are a different story though.

 

[anonymouselbow]

It’s normal for tour players to give their racquets away after each quarter of the year when they get new batches for the clay and grass season and then another back for the hard court and indoor season. What people do afterwards is up to them but most of the guys I know on tour will put them in a closet or leave some with people they meet around the world as a gift or a thank you and sign it.

Give away because they are used racquets? The ads I found were for new racquets.

 

[anonymouselbow]

from a contract standpoint, we're not supposed to sell our sponsored equipment. donations and raffled prizes for foundations etc are a different story though.

This is what I assumed.

 

[Raizu]

Give away because they are used racquets? The ads I found were for new racquets.

Yes sometimes they have unused racquets and they will give them away instead of keeping them. The guys in the top 50-100 get fresh racquets 2-3 times a year. The guys I knew inside the top 20 got racquets as needed.

Although I will say companies are a lot more strict than when I played juniors and futures in the late 90’s and early 2000’s back then they gave away so much stuff it was amazing.

 

[anonymouselbow]

Yeah, back then I remember companies even had promotions for the general public on shoes that will last 6 months or return them for a replacement.

 

[stronzzi70]

Renzo Olivo did all the time

 

[codonnell]

I wish more could sell their old frames, just to be able to buy more older molds or pro stocks. Im surprised we don’t see as many pop up, theres only like 2 1/2 sites to buy them from unless someone else has another resource they can send me .

 

[Bambooman]

He probably needs the money.