The Idea – 2007
While hiking Jebel Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, struggling with sleep at high altitude, I woke up in the middle to make a few sketches of how a topspin training aid might work.
The Hula Hoop – April 2009
I ‘borrowed’ my daughter’s hula hoop and lashed together my idea with a coat hanger and a tennis ball.
The Steel Prototype – June 2012
In June 2012 further prototypes followed, including this one oddly forged out of metal by some steelworkers I’d met in a nearby business park.
Steve The Industrial Designer – 2013
In 2013 I met Steve, the extraordinary industrial designer responsible for the striking design of the TopspinPro.
Meeting Doug – 2014
In 2014 I talked Doug into getting involved. Initially exchanging tennis lessons for web design.
BTCA Conference – 2014
In December 2014 I took a working prototype to the British Tennis Coaches Association annual conference. Doug and I were up in the wee hours of the night getting the site ready to take payments. Which was just as well because the next day we pre-sold 42 TopspinPro’s and we realised we were onto something!
Kickstarter – 2015
In June 2015 we ran a short Kickstarter campaign to raise capital and raise global awareness of the TopspinPro.
Stock Arrives – Friday 27th June
On Friday the 27th June, by some miracle, the truck with the first 1000 TopspinPro’s arrived at my house in London. Quite literally hours before the first event!
LTA Conference – Saturday 28th June
On Saturday 28th June we exhibited at the LTA’s Annual Coaches Conference for the weekend.
Staff Training – Sunday 29th June
On Sunday 29th I invited the youngsters who had signed up to help promote the TopspinPro over for an evening training session in my garden on how to use the it and to prepare stock for our Wimbledon sales.
Wimbledon – Monday 30th June
On Monday the 30th we headed to the streets of Wimbledon. Mark Stalley, who runs Wimbledon Park Sports, had kindly agreed to allow us to use the pavement in front of one of his stores. An incredible two weeks followed. I still hear from customers who say that met me en route to Wimbledon!
The TopspinPro was launched!
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