‘Tale of the Tape’ to take center court this summer
May 24, 2014
Starting this Sunday, May 25 in Paris the “Tale of the Tape” returns to center court in professional tennis in the first of three Grand Slam tournaments this summer.
While the “Tale of the Tape” is a term typically associated with boxing, for the millions of fans who will be viewing the top tennis pros over the next three months in Paris, London and New York, it refers to the colorful kinesiology tape more and more tennis players are wearing which has become nearly as synonymous with the game as the racquet they play with.
Since the last two summer games in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, kinesiology tape, and more specifically, KT Tape, has become prominent on the courts of professional tennis tournaments around the world.
Less than a decade ago when world pro beach volleyball champion Kerri Walsh captivated the attention of a global television audience by wearing blue KT Tape on her way to winning a gold medal in Beijing in 2008, she unknowingly sparked an interest in kinesiology tape. Four years later, a major movement was ignited when hundreds of athletes in every sport were “going for the gold” wearing KT Tape in London in 2012 in the pool, on the track, in the field, at the velodrome and on the tennis court.
“Because of the amount of stress and strain professional tennis players put on their ligaments today with the velocity they place on their serves and the way they hit the ball compared to a decade or two ago, kinesiology tape and more specifically, KT Tape, has become increasingly popular,” said Clay Sniteman, Director of Medical Services for the ATP World Tour. “Professional tennis players, like amateurs, want their biomechanics corrected without restricting their motion on the court and are turning to KT Tape because they actually can feel the difference.”
The world’s only 100% synthetic kinesiology tape, KT Tape is re-engineered with stronger performance properties and is applied along muscles, ligaments and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, external support that helps individuals remain active while preventing or recovering from injuries. Unlike traditional sports tape which restricts movement and performance, KT Tape features longitudinal elasticity and creates neuromuscular feedback that relaxes or facilitates stronger firing of muscles and tendons.
KT Tape not only provides a physiological and psychological athletic performance benefit but it is designed to withstand sweat, strain and can even be worn in water while providing 24 hour relief per application.
Perhaps as popular as the sports performance benefit KT Tape provides are the colors in which it is available. Athletes take pride in the KT Tape color they wear while competing, often in their nation’s colors. This summer, in addition to the tennis courts, KT Tape will be prominent on the futbol pitch as the U.S. National Men’s Soccer Team sports KT Tape in Brazil along with many of the other competing nations.
KT Tape supports sore muscles & joints without the bulk or limiting the body’s natural movement. It is lightweight, and comfortable to wear and was developed by Utah-based KT Health, LLC., For more information, visit kttape.com.