Condition

8

10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor

| Rarity

10

10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller

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About This Racket (Aka ADS 041)

Adidas were the worlds largest sports brand and witnessed the success of Donnay, Wilson and Dunlop in tennis during the 1960s and wanted to grab some of the action. They entered tennis in 1970s with some excellent models. Initially they sponsored Stan Smith in 1971 to wear their shoes and had unexpected success so they sponsored Nastase who was with Dunlop. Adidas developed a series of wooden rackets for Ilie Nastase, Yannik Noah and Boris Becker starting with this Haillet racket. Yes this was the first and iconic Adidas tennis entry and they got a lot right. It carries the code ADS 0550 but it is highly likely they outsourced production.

Where did the Haillet come from? After Adidas introduced its first tennis shoe in 1963. Adi’s son, Horst, spearheaded the effort with the first-ever leather model, beginning a long line of classic designs starting with the Robert Haillet shoe, named after the French tennis professional. They borrowed this name for their first racket. When Haillet retired, adidas signed Smith, one of the game’s top players and the 1971 U.S. Open champion, to an endorsement deal that allowed the same shoe to continue under a different name. The Stan Smith model became wildly popular and during the 1970s, evolving into both an athletic and lifestyle shoe in the United States.

Looking in historic newpapers I found the Haillet GUT for sale in 1980 for £52.50

Historic Gallery

Specifications

Gallery

Adidas History

The adidas brand is one of the most famous brands ever. This German company has an iconic name and a characteristic logo of three stripes – 3 stripes, which are inherent to this brand, which are known all over the world. Adidas is currently one of the largest manufacturers of sports and leisure clothing, footwear and accessories in the world. What is the history behind this fashion and sports icon? They started in the washroom in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. Adi Dassler started in his mother’s washroom, registered “Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik” in 1924 and began to provide athletes with the best possible sports equipment. A few years later, runner Lina Radke won a gold medal in Amsterdam in his sneakers.