This week’s RADL Wire highlights the continued convergence of performance innovation, athlete-driven marketing, and investment capital shaping the racquet-sports economy. In apparel, heritage tennis brand BOAST deepens its role within the emerging INTENNSE™ Challenge Series, while Lululemon pushes further into competitive tennis with the debut of its sweat-concealing ShowZero™ fabric, introduced on court by Frances Tiafoe at the BNP Paribas Open.

This Week’s RADL Wire:

• Apparel News

• Racquet 360 Secures $9 Million to Accelerate U.S. Padel Ecosystem

• Marking the start of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open

APPAREL

BOAST Returns as Proud Apparel Partner of INTENNSE™ Challenge Series

INTENNSE™ announced that BOAST will serve as a Proud ApparelPartner of the INTENNSE Challenge Series for the 2026 season. The partnership extends and expands a relationship launched last season.

Under the renewed agreement, BOAST will design and provide official on-court uniforms for all INTENNSE Challenge Series players and coaches.

The INTENNSE Challenge Series presented by BOAST is a competitive pathway designed to identify and elevate rising tennis players into the professional league by placing them in fast-paced Bolts, grouped by metrics such as World Tennis Number, Universal Tennis Rating, and professional rankings, with prize moneyand advancement opportunities at every stage. Held during INTENNSE competition weeks at the INTENNSE Arena at Assembly Studios in Atlanta, the Series runs across multiple days and ends with a high-stakes Challenge Team Arc against INTENNSE pro players.

Lululemon Debuts Sweat-Concealing ShowZero Tech for Tennis

Athletic apparel brand Lululemon Athletica (lululemon) is expanding its push into performance tennis with the debut of ShowZero™, a sweat-concealing fabric technology designed for high-intensity sports, introduced in March 2026 and first worn on court by Frances Tiafoe at the BNP Paribas Open.

According to the company, the new textile innovation aims to solve a familiar issue in high-heat competition: visible sweat marks on apparel during long matches. ShowZero is engineered to conceal perspiration while maintaining breathability, moisture management, and lightweight comfort, making it well-suited for sports with high sweat output, such as tennis.

The technology was developed through a collaboration between Lululemon’s product innovation team and Tiafoe, one of the brand’s global ambassadors. His custom match kit—featuring a “Burgundy Bay” colorway with vertical-striped shorts—served as the on-court debut of the fabric during the ATP Masters event in Indian Wells, California.

INDUSTRY

CRIVIT Taps Stefanie Graf for Global ‘Find Your Move’ Campaign

European sports and lifestyle brand CRIVIT has announced a new international partnership with tennis legend Stefanie Graf, launching a global marketing campaign designed to promote accessible, everyday participation in sport and movement.

Unveiled by parent company Lidl, the collaboration centers on the campaign theme “Find Your Move,” which will roll out across more than 30 countries through a broad omnichannel marketing strategy spanning digital, retail, and media platforms.

Racquet 360 Secures $9 Million to Accelerate U.S. Padel Ecosystem Expansion

Racquet sports investment and development platform Racquet 360 has announced the completion of a $9 million funding round aimed at accelerating growth across its portfolio of leagues, events, retail, and club properties tied to the rapidly expanding U.S. padel market. With the funding round closed and deployed, Racquet 360 indicated it remains open to additional strategic partnerships as it continues to scale infrastructure for padel and the broader racquet-sports market in the United States.

BNP Paribas Expands Community and Youth Initiatives at 2026 BNP Paribas Open

Global banking group BNP Paribas is marking the start of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open with a series of community, youth development, and philanthropic initiatives designed to expand access to tennis while strengthening its long-standing role as one of the sport’s most prominent global sponsors.

Another key initiative returning this year is “Points for Change,” a philanthropic program that converts points played during BNP Paribas–sponsored tournaments into charitable donations supporting youth and community organizations.