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Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
RIA Eyewear Redefining Tennis Sunglasses
Doubles Hall of Famers Mike and Bob Bryan have been part of RIA Eyewear since 2022. There's a growing sight on tennis courts: tennis sunglasses. In a sport where sunglasses haven't been customary on the pro tour, RIA Eyewear entered the space five years ago with a tennis-specific lens and frame, steadily building a bridge between the world of tennis and sunglasses. 'Sunglasses used to feel like a compromise,' Bob Bryan, 16-time major doubles champion and 2025 Hall of Fame inductee, tells me from Wimbledon, 'either they slipped, fogged up or made it harder to see the ball. RIA changed that. Once players realize they can actually enhance their vision on court without sacrificing comfort or style I think more of them will make the switch.' Current professional Gaby Dabrowski already has, thanks to a conversation with the Bryan brothers. 'What attracted me to RIA in the first place was the fact the iconic Bryan brothers were wearing their sunglasses,' the Canadian tells me about cold-calling RIA to discuss using the product. 'As a doubles-only player, seeing the best doubles duo of all time in the glasses meant that they felt comfortable playing in them.' Gaby Dabrowski wearing RIA's Versa frame while playing in Wimbledon 2025. The tennis-specific nature of RIA isn't a marketing play. Jordan Kemp, RIA Eyewear co-founder, tells me that RIA started by trying to make high-quality protective eyewear with supreme optics for the squash market. The team worked with German-based Zeiss to understand the needs for the racket sport. But when COVID hit, squash play, well, squashed to practically nothing and the outdoor racket sport market took off. 'We took what we learned on how to develop frames and lenses and worked with Zeiss to develop lens technology we thought we could apply to the tennis market,' Kemp says. The first product launched in 2020 and sold out in two months. 'We wanted to build the tennis products with the right partners, testing with athletes to deliver a product meant for the tennis community,' Kemp says. 'It was literally built from the ground up to be for tennis.' That means the frame designs have sport functionality, so they don't move and sit on the face properly. For the lenses, the brand's proprietary Court HD+ lens technology is designed to enhance the contrast of the yellow ball to help players see the ball sooner. There's also no polarization, which can impact depth perception. RIA Eyewear partners with Germany's Zeiss to create tennis-specific lenses. 'The lens tech is dialed in specifically for the demands of tennis,' Bryan says. 'Whether it's a sunny day or the light is shifting, RIA's lenses cut down glare and boost contrast so you can really lock on the ball. I've noticed I'm quicker to pick up the ball's trajectory which is a big edge, especially in doubles when everything's happening so fast.' Kemp says they played with the color science of the spectral curve to suppress blue and green color wavelengths, which allows for yellow contrast. The tint color is a brown-amber lens with a blue mirror on top to help with glare. 'Basically, we are blocking 90% of blue light in the 400 to 420 nanometer range to allow for less stress on the eye,' he says. 'It makes for more comfortable viewing.' With the lens technology sorted, RIA has focused on building frames. The first product was s shield and then they created the same tint in a dual-lens wrap. As they have built out the portfolio, frames all come with a sporty spin and tennis ready with rubber on the nose and temple pads and spring hinges. RIA now has eight frames after a spring launch of the Versa frame, the first designed to service those with a smaller face shape. RIA Eyewear sunglasses, worn by the Bryan brothers, are helping redefine sunglasses on tennis ... More courts. Bryan, a big fan of the Forte for its 'clean, sporty look that works great on court but also feels stylish off it,' says he wears them playing, coaching or just being out in the sun. Part of the allure in working with the brand for a few years is the ability to have input. 'They actually listen,' Bryan says. 'I gave feedback on frame fit and how they sit under a hat or visor, especially during long matches or in heat. Some of those tweaks made it into later versions, which I think made the product even more tennis friendly.' Kemp says that's part of what keeps RIA focused on tennis, the desire to work with top-level athletes to refine the product. 'It was always important for us to be authentic, building products from the ground up,' he says. 'In order to have that, we wanted athletes to be involved giving feedback and competing at the highest level.' Kemp says that having the Bryan brothers and Dabrowski wearing the product adds immediate credibility but also provides value to RIA when making product decisions. As RIA continues to evolve through adding new frame styles—they have three new frames in the pipeline—exploring the international market and working with a variety of racket sports, all while adding new partners (Kim Clijsters signed on in 2024), Kemp says they want to build the brand for the tennis market and be an authority in the space. Specially designed tennis-specific sunglass lenses from RIA Eyewear and Zeiss. Bryan says he now sees the benefits of sunglasses. 'What stands out most for me is the clarity and comfort,' he says. 'On court, every detail matters, the spin on the ball, the depth, your opponent's body language, and RIA helps me see it all with incredible sharpness. They're lightweight, they stay put and they don't distract me, which is huge in a fast-paced match.' He's eager to share this view with others, saying that players come up all the time asking if the sunglasses help. 'Gaby's one example, but I've had conversations with other pros, juniors, even coaches, and once they try them,' Bryan says. 'Most are surprised by how natural they feel.' Dabrowski says she appreciates there's no polarization to interfere with depth perception—especially in doubles—while still providing UVA and UVB protection. Having already developed pterygium in her left eye, optometrists have stressed the importance of eye protection when she's in the sun. 'I have also let my coaches borrow my sunglasses,' she says, 'and they love how clear they are able to see the court through the RIA lenses.' It's an entirely new view in tennis. MORE: Roger Federer And Wilson Launch RF Classics Rackets MORE: Andy Roddick On Becoming A Psycho Bunny Tennis Advisor
Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
My speed-dating hour getting gossip off Wimbledon legends
On Tuesday morning at Wimbledon, I was invited to another speed-dating session with Lleyton Hewitt. It happens every year here. You turn up to see Hewitt, you wear your nicest shirt and you bat your eyelashes and as the hour comes to a close, you realise what you always suspected: that Hewitt wasn't ever going to show. This is an annual event and it's not just me and the 2002 Wimbledon champion. It's the entire media who are invited to spend an hour in a tight scrum while we jostle for talking time with the legends of the game. These are the Hewitts and the Navratilovas who have signed up for the invitational tennis on the outside courts. In times past, we may have called these the seniors' or veterans' events, but no feelings can get hurt if we settle for 'invitational'. And you can't ask Martina Navratilova about this because she doesn't show either. At least there's a Sam Querrey here. You may remember him as the guy who beat Andy Murray in the 2017 quarter-finals. And I have a hilarious conversation with Mike Bryan, one half of the famous Bryan doubles duo, who says that it's great being here because he brings the kids, and they're not old enough yet to realise that he's not actually competing in the Wimbledon, but in another event for people who have mostly moved on to golf as their prime pastime. Bryan's kids have watched him win here with Uncle Bob three years in a row now. He hasn't worked out how he's going to break the news one day that their dad wasn't winning the titles they thought he was. His greater concerns are the bits that are falling apart. 'Bob's got a metal part,' the 47-year-old explains. 'He's got a fake hip.' And he knows this spells trouble because, as he points out: 'We have genetically very similar body parts.' That's certainly one way of explaining how the DNA works when you're identical twins. 'I keep telling him,' brother Bob says, 'it's just a matter of time. Those hips are ticking time bombs. Ready to explode.' Still, they can't be doing much wrong because when I ask Querrey which of this cast of old-timers are in the best nick, he nods in the direction of the twins. The Bryans, however, shrug off the compliment. 'Look at Tommy Haas,' they say, and they have a point because Haas has a full head of achingly luxuriant hair which he carries off even though it's worn slightly too long for most late fortysomethings. And he's in such good, lithe shape that he manages to sidestep any questions about it. 'I seriously think he could still be top 100 in the world,' Mike Bryan says admiringly. We are far more comfortable in the company of Greg Rusedski, who is thinning appropriately. 'I can still serve,' Rusedski says, when we ask what he's got left. 'I can get it up to about 120 [mph] still.' 'Greg's in good shape,' says Todd Woodbridge, another handy doubles player of old. 'C'mon, Todd,' I say. 'Tell us what Greg's really like.' 'He's still got no backhand,' he replies. Same question to Bob Bryan. How's Rusedski holding up? 'The Moose?' he says. 'He's always the one in the training room. There's always tape on his body.' Yeah, well at least he's got two of his own hips, though it's clearly more important to some to remain at something like an athletic peak. Woodbridge, winner of 22 grand-slam doubles titles, says his serve has long gone ('Well, it went well before I finished') and he doesn't mind because he's another 'golf tragic', and there's so much more in his life. The Bryan Brothers need their fitness because they still trade on their tennis identity. So too Mansour Bahrami who, at 69, is doing astonishingly well. 'I have an artificial knee,' he says. 'The other one's going to be maybe next year. But it's OK, I am still standing.' And some just never finished squeezing the competitive juices out of their system. Daniela Hantuchova says that it came completely unexpectedly but the day she retired she realised she 'couldn't care less' any more. The 42-year-old points to Martina Hingis for contrast. Still competitive? 'Yes!' she says. She says Hingis, 44, is so good she could still be playing pro doubles. 'She's very devoted to tennis.' Hantuchova, meanwhile, declares herself another of the golf tragics. As for Hewitt, 44, he was on Court No18 later in the afternoon, still wearing his baseball cap back-to-front, still hitting a good ball, albeit not quite in Haas shape. Maybe next year he'll tell us about it.
