Babolat bets on Carlos Alcaraz again with seven-year contract extension ahead of US Open

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NEW YORK—World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has lifted both of his Grand Slam trophies after using Babolat’s 2020 PureAero VS to carve through the competition. He looks poised to win even more in the future, as the reigning Wimbledon and US Open champion has renewed his contract with Babolat for another seven years.

Eric Babolat, fifth-generation CEO of the French racquet company, shared the news at a pre-US Open event which featured Alcaraz coming straight from a practice session with Jannik Sinner at Arthur Ashe Stadium to Manhattan to sign the new contract in person.

“We’re older than Wimbledon, not a lot of people in tennis can say that,” Mr. Babolat told press on Thursday. “The best way to show that our products work is to have the top players in the world playing with them, and winning.”

Founded in 1875, Babolat has been synonymous with quality tennis equipment since the earliest days of the sport. While their heritage lies in strings, they broke into the racquet game after Spain’s Carlos Moya, using the Pure Drive, became the first player to win a Grand Slam with a Babolat frame in 1998 at Roland Garros.

Then came Rafael Nadal, another Spanish tennis legend, who lifted 22 Grand Slam trophies—including 14 at Roland Garros—armed with his signature Babolat AeroPro.

The 20-year-old from Murcia may be following in his famed countrymen’s footsteps, but he’s also writing his own chapter in the tennis history books. Having competed with Babolat racquets for about as long as he can remember, Alcaraz signed his first contract with the company at the age of 10 and never looked back.

“The first memories I have were my first trip in Spain, an international tournament,” Alcaraz told Forbes in a recent interview. “I was playing with Babolat. It was amazing the first time I tried it and I never changed.”

To mark the occasion, Mr. Babolat also presented Alcaraz with a custom racquet bag that features a detail commemorating his Wimbledon and US Open wins.

“I never think to play with another brand… I’m so happy to sign this extension, and I hope we have to change the bag soon!” Alcaraz grinned.

No. 1 seed Alcaraz will kick off his US Open title defense on Tuesday, when he takes on Dominik Koepfer during the Arthur Ashe Stadium night session.