Two French companies, Babolat, the maker of racquet sports equipment, and HumanFab, a sports science firm, announced a joint collaboration to create and develop a laboratory focused on the study of “the human racquet sports player.”
Merging their expertise, the two companies will scientifically explore and improve the knowledge of players through the application of biomechanics to racquet sports.
“Today, our equipment innovations spring from an empirical understanding of players and a keen observation of the game. Our research is conducted on the court, and with our global network of players from clubs to the highest levels of competition. By adopting a new scientific approach, we will deepen our know-how and further define our expertise, resulting in a more precise offer response,” said Eric Babolat, president of Babolat.
“This is an ambitious and exciting project. Offering a player-centered approach with 360-degree services combining product development, sports medicine support, and training is extremely innovative,” added Jean-Bernard Fabre, CEO and founder of HumanFab. “With complementary expertise, our ambition is to become the global scientific standard for biomechanics in racquet sports.”
The first phase of the collaboration begins in 2021 with the construction of the nearly 27,000-square-foot Racquet Sports Players Laboratory in Aix en Provence, France, which includes a 3.0 tennis court among other features.
