Pro Shop is bringing museum-level curation to tennis retail
The roaming concept shop launches its online store today, but for founder Vicente Munoz, IRL is where the heart is.
Vicente Munoz doesn’t take to things easily and that makes his curation at Pro Shop, the roaming tennis concept store he launched in April, all the more interesting. “There are so many people creating stuff [in tennis right now], half of which is crap, and I’m trying to weed through it and only sell what is worthy,” said Munoz, who laments the dying out of Barneys-style curation in multi-brand retail—an approach that never quite made its way to tennis.
Munoz, a creative director and artist from Ecuador who played D1 tennis at Penn State, is trying to fill that void with pop-up shops and, as of this week, a small online store. But unlike the famed department store that shuttered in 2020, Pro Shop leans heavily into tennis nostalgia—vintage Ellesse polos, rackets used by Marat Safin, MacGregor Championship balls from the 1980s. “I’m trying to elevate memorabilia to more of an artwork or collectible-like territory,” explained Munoz.
Appropriately, the five shops Munoz held over the summer in New York City were staged more like galleries than your average Soho pop-up, showcasing rare tennis magazines and displaying player-used rackets like pieces of art alongside hand-painted tennis ball replicas. This is not surprising when you learn that he comes from a family with a collection of roughly 50 tennis-inspired pieces of art, and has his own photography and sculpture practice. “We’re all nutty about it and get inspired by artworks that evoke the sport, which I think echoes life in a lot of ways,” he said.
Launching an online shop was a big leap for Munoz, a self-proclaimed skeptic of online retail. “I’m such an in-real-life person, especially after the pop ups this year,” he said. “The conversations I had, the people I met, the things that came out of it—it’s kind of like a drug, and I want more of it.”
But he also wants to give people outside New York City the chance to access some of the rare pieces in his archives, which is why he’s made international shipping available immediately. Outside of Pro Shop branded products like hats and t-shirts, you won’t find modern tennis brands in the assortment of 38 products online—with those already available for sale online on brand websites, Munoz is keeping any curation of those products to IRL pop-ups. Prices on the site range from $15 for Robin Soderling tennis balls to $4,000 for a Wilson racket used by Dan Evans, part of Munoz’s goal to mix the inclusive with the exclusive. “Colette was always a huge inspiration for me,” he said, citing another defunct fashion favorite, the Parisian boutique run by Sarah Andelman. “She created desirability by mixing items that were five bucks or five grand, and giving you the ability to shop them all under one roof.”
But Pro Shop’s appeal extends beyond its product assortment. Offline, Munoz places a huge premium on community, which he says places like New York City are in “dire” need of: “There’s no place to hang out, watch some tennis, and nerd out about equipment.” Modern tennis clubs, while proliferating, are often too exclusive. “The idea of a membership is aspirational, sure, but it’s more pretentious than aspirational,” he said. Rather than make people commit to something long-term, he wants to offer the same tennis lounge quality—where people can come hang out, bring their friends, and talk shop—for free, hopefully scooping up one of his pieces for sale along the way.
Part of that community offering is education and services for casual tennis players, including on-site stringing, racket tune-ups, and general racket consultations, all available for a fee. “This education is fundamental for the way that tennis products are being marketed today,” explained Munoz. “The trend on the rise in the bubble at Erewhon is people buying these super stiff, super heavy rackets just because all of the pros are using them.” Pro Shop will be there to remind you there are other options, ones that don’t involve wrapping your elbow with three layers of neoprene just to hit the ball, he said.
Behind-the-scenes, Munoz is also operating Pro Shop like an agency, partnering with brands like Adidas and On on their own pop-ups and activations to help them create experiences that truly feel unique and act as a sounding board for everything from the creative to the logistical, like who to hire to hit with customers (Munoz’s answer: not influencers, please).
Next year, Pro Shop will be expanding beyond New York City with pop-ups tied to the Grand Slams in Europe. Munoz is not interested in a permanent retail space at the moment. “I like the freedom that I have right now, and that fluidity connects back to the ethos of the tennis tour and the cycle of tennis.”
As for the online shop, he’s hoping the launch will thaw some of his initial skepticism. “I’m going to be running around fulfilling orders, it’s going to be a pain in the ass,” he said with a laugh, “but I want to give more people a chance to access this stuff and I’m excited to see how it helps grow the brand.”
Off-Court
A quick round-up of the most interesting off-court news from this week.
The case of the missing Alcaraz Nike logo — There was a lot of talk during the ATP Finals about why Alcaraz didn’t show up with a custom Nike logo, as he was reported to be debuting the design at the event earlier this year. But in a virtual media conference to promote his upcoming exhibitions in the tri-state area, Alcaraz called those reports “fake news” (triggering) and said he’s still fine-tuning it.
Surprise, Federer is being inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame — Can you believe it? In a wide-ranging interview with the Swiss publication Tages-Anzeiger, Roger discussed the toughest phase of his career, how retirement shifted his perspective on those rivalries, and hinted that he’s gearing up to play some exhos in 2026.
A mental health break for Salisbury —The six-time Grand Slam doubles champ Joe Salisbury announced he’ll be taking a break from tennis until at least April due to anxiety that gives him physical symptoms like heart palpitations and “a feeling of dread.” It’s always good to see athletes prioritizing their mental health despite immense pressure to keep competing.
Chris Eubanks is “evolving” out of tennis — Kim Kardashian voice, “Nobody wants to say the word retirement anymore,” but all signs point to Eubanks retiring from playing tennis. This is both sad and exciting, because we’ll happily accept more insight from Chris in the broadcast booth and Served podcasting chair.
Thanks for reading! If you have tennis news or tips to share, email jessica@hard-court.com.