Roughly a decade after Yonex released its first-ever tennis racket in 1969, the Japanese sports equipment company pursued one of the most impactful sports ambassadors in history, Billie Jean King. It wasn’t an easy courtship. Founder Minoru Yoneyama repeatedly sent rackets to the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, and each time they were rejected. But countless hours of tinkering in the factory to appease one of tennis’ all-time greats led to the development of Yonex’s famed square-headed racket, which offered a larger sweet spot without sacrificing control, and King, along with her doubles partner Martina Navratilova, began competing with the company’s products in 1980.

“It’s the athlete partnership that challenged him to make better stuff,” says Alyssa Yoneyama, Yonex’s CEO since 2022 and the granddaughter of the company’s founder. “I think that’s the value he saw initially, and that really pushed him and put us on the map in tennis.”

Yonex’s love affair with tennis’ top talent didn’t end with King and Navratilova. The brand’s history includes some of the most prominent names the sport has ever seen, including Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Lleyton Hewitt. These days, Yonex supplies rackets to a small galaxy of tennis stars, including Casper Ruud (No. 9 among the world’s highest-paid tennis players) and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina—who also have apparel deals with the brand—as well as four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and many of the top American players: Jessica Pegula, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.

Despite that all-star roster, and more than 50 years in the business, Yonex has lagged behind its competitors in the American tennis market, ranking fourth in rackets sold at U.S. specialty stores and commanding noticeably less buzz than Wilson, Head and Babolat. Meanwhile, Yonex barely registers on the apparel front, miles behind juggernauts such as Nike and Adidas.

But Yonex is finally starting to see the growth it has sought for decades. The brand nearly tripled its U.S. racket........

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