Reebok Court Victory Pump

1989 was a big year in tennis history especially here in Germany: two german tennis player won Wimbledon on July 9th. Steffi Graf and Boris Becker, two colorful characters in the tennis world caused an enthusiasm in Germany that was never reached again so far. On the other side of the big pond was an extraordinary tennis talent as well that made history this year. Fresh out of highschool and next to Agassi and Co. erroneously underestimated the Chinese-American Michael Chang won the French Open in a breathtaking match of 4 hours and 43 minutes and became with 17 years the youngest winner of a Grand Slam title of all time. While other players like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras catched the attention of the media with their role as mavericks and bad boys Michael Chang was considered a determined and focused player that did not get worked up by his own temper. His down-to-earth attitude was the essence of Reebok marketing for the Court Victory Pump that was released under Chang's name the same year. "Beat those Rock n'Roll tennis guys" was the slogan of Reebok's commercials and a little dig towards opponent Nike that had "wild" players like Agassi under contract. Just like Michael Chang on the court Reebok's Victory Pump could beat other well-known tennis shoes. Its design and the technical features behind it made the Court Victory Pump an ace in Reebok's range.

For the first time Reebok introduced the Hexalite cushioning that supported Changs style of play from baseline to baseline while the Dura Trac outsole provided high stability on grass courts just as much as on clay courts.