A Head start for Reddy, Natekar

Natekar, who had been using Prince for the last 12 years, will now play with a Radical Tour 690, currently used by Andre Agassi and Cedric Pioline. “Now that my contract with Prince is over, its time for a change. The Prince racquet is great, no complains. But I have tried this (Head) also and the oversize racquet will give me extra hitting zone,” said Natekar.

“However, I will know the results only after I start playing matches with it, starting with the National grasscourt in December,” he added.

Reddy will use the Prestige Classic 600 (also used by Goran Ivanisevic) and is in the final stages of fixing a deal with Sportif apparels.

Vikram Venkatraghavan is another who has joined the Sportif team. “Vikram is a flamboyant character. Good for the sport, good for us,” said Vahanvaty.

The advantage with Head, Vahanvaty explains, is direct link with Head’s pro-player team in Australia. In case the player breaks the top 200, he is entitled to custom made racquets from the company.

“Gaurav has been a top ranked player for many years and Vasu (Reddy) is one of the most consistent in the circuit,” explained Vahanvaty giving reasons for signing both.

Along with them, the Kirtane cousins — Sandeep and Nitin, who are nearing the end of their one-year contract with Head — are likely to renew theirs. “This time the deal is better,” said Nitin Kirtane. “Last time we got four racquets, now we are getting six.”

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are now in the Adidas team. The world No 5 doubles pair will now sport Adidas apparels and shoes, custom made by the company. Though the agreement has been made, it hasn’t been signed yet, said Paes.

The deal came into effect after the World Doubles championships at Hartford.