Prince Tennis Rackets
Prince was founded in 1970 in Princeton, New Jersey, the source of its name, as a maker of tennis ball machines.
The oversized racket
Howard Head, founder of the Head brand, became chairman of Prince in 1971 and developed its oversized aluminium racket, the Prince Classic. Professionals first ridiculed the design, but it gained acceptance once players such as Pam Shriver used it successfully. By the late 1970s and 1980s Prince held around 30% of the US racket market.
Ownership
Prince was sold to Chesebrough-Pond’s in 1982 and was later owned by the Benetton Group. It passed to Lincolnshire Management in 2003, then to Nautic Partners, and in 2012 the brand was acquired by Authentic Brands Group.
Frequently asked questions
Did Prince invent the oversized racket?
The Prince Classic was patented as the first oversized model, developed by Howard Head after he joined Prince. An earlier oversized frame, the Bentley Fortissimo, did exist.