“Ivan Lendl strikes again.� With this claim, Superga^® reintroduces the sneaker endorsed by the champion who made tennis history in the ‘80s.

Superga^®’s history has been intertwined with tennis from its very origins. Few know that Superga^®, the plimsolls of many Italian generations, were born almost a hundred years ago from a brilliant idea of the entrepreneur Walter Martiny, who was based in Turin. Martiny decided to reproduce the texture of the woven rope soles of the shoes his wife wore for tennis by using vulcanized rubber. The successful experiment kickstarted the production of more high-performance sports footwear.

Starting from the ‘70s, Superga^® became the go-to shoe for Italians who were passionate about sports. The brand initiated collaborations with various tennis champions, such as Lea Pericoli, Adriano Panatta, and Ivan Lendl. Lendl’s partnership with the brand began in the early ‘80s, when he played in several tournaments and won the Davis Cup wearing a pair of Superga^® sneakers. Winner of eight Grand Slam titles and a four-time ITF World Champion, Lendl dominated the ATP rankings in the second half of the ‘80s. Nicknamed “Terminator� for his consistently outstanding performance, he secured 94 tournament victories, in addition to another 50 outside the ATP circuit, and six doubles titles. In 2001, he was included into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, celebrating the greatest tennis players of all time.

Over forty years later, Superga® reaffirms its sporting heritage, tied to the world of tennis, and the connection with Lendl through a contemporary redesign of the sneaker. Today, under the name “Lendl Match�, the sneaker features clean lines, a soft leather upper, a more comfortable fit, minimalist graphic details like the stitching that outlines SupergaSport’s iconic swallowtail logo, and the champion’s signature.

The brand celebrates the launch of this reboot with a lighthearted communication campaign, emphasizing the natural transition of this shoe from the tennis court to a sports-related yet definitely “lifestyle� context. The video, shot at the Sporting Tennis Club in Turin, stars a group of friends unwinding with an aperitivo after a tennis match. In the background, images from Lendl’s glorious past are showcased, and with one of his formidable swings, he literally “breaks through� the screen from the past to the present, knocking the glasses over and leaving the guys stunned. From the past, Lendl smiles and offers a gesture of apology to the guys, but the present speaks loud and clear: “Ivan Lendl strikes again.�

 

Superga® is a brand of the BasicNet Group, also owner of Kappa®, Robe di Kappa®, Briko®, Jesus® Jeans, K-Way®, Sabelt®, Briko® and Sebago®. BasicNet’s leader brands are present in the sports and leisure apparel, footwear and accessories market. It operates worldwide through an international network of entrepreneurs, licensees of the brands, which produce or distribuite the products. BasicNet offers to its network services of research, development, industrialization of the products and global marketing. All the company processes occur only through the Web, making BasicNet a “fully web integrated company�. BasicNet, with headquarters in Turin, Italy, is listed at the Italian Stock Exchange since 1999.