Our Heritage

We are Dunlop

We’re driven by an all-consuming passion for the game – playing it, improving it, sharing it. And the game belongs to everyone. No matter where, how well, or how often you play.

So we give every player access to the same, beautifully designed, technically sophisticated sports products. Empowering you to wring every drop of joy from your game and to make every match you play the very best it can be.

We do this by understanding there is no end goal. Just an unending series of incremental improvements that make our products lighter, stronger, faster. That help you take control of a crucial match. To find that little extra something to chase down the next victory. Then the next.

For more than 130 years, this love of the game is what’s driven us.

This is our story

1888

John Boyd Dunlop invents and patents the pneumatic tyre for racing bicycles. An invention that revolutionised the cycle and automotive industry.

1889

Commercial tyre production begins and the Dunlop brand is born.

1909

Dunlop enters the sports market by launching its first golf ball. Dunlop opens its first tyre factory in Kobe, Japan, now the global headquarters for the brand.

1923

Dunlop enters the tennis ball market with a new chemical-inflation and vulcanization production process. This results in much greater product quality and consistency.

1932

Dunlop launches the revolutionary and iconic Maxply tennis racket. A model that would become the world’s most famous racket for the next 50 years and was used by some of the game’s true legends, including Rod Laver, Virginia Wade and John McEnroe.

1936

For the first time, there are more Dunlop rackets at Wimbledon than any other brand. Helen Jacobs is the first Ladies Champion to win with Dunlop.

1956

Lew Hoad wins Wimbledon and the Australian and French Opens with the Dunlop Maxply racket.

1960

Dunlop introduces the new ‘Flying D’ logo.

1962

Rod Laver wins all four Grand Slams in a single year using Dunlop Maxply rackets.

1967

Dunlop legend Jonah Barrington wins the first of his seven British Open squash titles.

1969

Rod Laver achieves his second, career-calendar year Grand Slam using Dunlop Maxply rackets. He remains the only man in history to have achieved this.

1980

Dunlop launches the game-changing 150G racket – the first injection moulded carbon fibre racket.

1981

John McEnroe signed for Dunlop and beat Bjorn Borg in the Wimbledon final with the Maxply Fort racket.

1982

Dunlop launches the legendary 200G, injection-moulded, carbon fibre racket.

1988

Steffi Graf becomes the only player in history (male or female) to win the ’Golden Slam’ - all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic Gold in the same calendar year – all using the Dunlop 200G racket. Dunlop sells its one millionth injection-moulded racket.

2002

Thomas Johansson wins the Australian Open with the Dunlop Muscle Weave racket.

2006

Amelie Mauresmo wins Wimbledon with the Dunlop M-FIL 300 racket.

2009

Amr Shabana wins the last of his four World Open squash titles using the Dunlop Aerogel Ultimate racket.

2010

Nick Matthews wins the first of his three Commonwealth Games Gold medals.

2015

Greg Gaultier wins his first World Open squash title.

2017

Sumitomo Rubber Industries acquires global rights to the Dunlop sports brand.

2018

Team Dunlop player Kevin Anderson reaches the men's final at Wimbledon by setting the record for longest ever men's semi final match. He also climbs to a career high #5 in the world rankings.

Dunlop becomes the Official equipment partner of IMG academy.

2019

Dunlop becomes the Official Tennis Ball of the Australian Open and the ATP Tour making Dunlop the #1 ball used on the ATP Tour.

2019

Dunlop launches new CX Series. The first of many racket series across all sports featuring Sonic Core made with Infinergy® foam developed by BASF.

2019

Dunlop becomes the Official equipment partner of Mouratoglou academy.

2022

Max Purcell wins Wimbledon men’s doubles final.

2023

Dunlop Sports celebrates 100 years.

Love the game

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