After a tennis-court screening of the documentary film Who is Stan Smith? at our Seaport Racquet Club, we sat down with the tennis icon and business legend for a chat between the lines and sidelines of tennis, through the growing world of padel, and into the heart of legacy-building, meaningful moments, and the global reach of a simple white shoe.
Tennis, with its tradition and rigor, was always the starting point, but Smith’s reach now extends far beyond a perfectly placed serve—the adidas shoe that carries his name long ago surpassed 100 million units sold. In a wide-ranging chat with Racquet, Smith discusses how the racquet-sport space is changing from the recreational padel boom transforming sporting cultures, creating social clubs and lifestyles, and making room for new stories and opportunities. Smith is both observer and participant—his company helps blend business with passion, turning once-insular court games into global, democratized experiences.