Tender a Sensitive Area for Lta

Major tennis brands are up in arms about the way the Lawn Tennis Association handled the invitation to tender for companies wanting to be its official equipment supplier. The LTA's chief executive, Roger Draper, said last week that his organization's costs for balls alone amounted to £250,000 a year and it was in the process of negotiating a cut-price deal for equipment.

Wilson, Prince, Head and Dunlop-Slazenger were asked to submit sealed bids to formalize a relationship with the LTA as its primary supplier. The LTA sought a cash payment in return for the brand association but mainly wanted major discounts to underpin the huge task of providing balls and rackets for every primary school in the country before 2012.

Sources at Head and Prince said they were informed at the time of the close of the tender, in April, that their companies were the final two involved in the bidding. Then, both report, within two weeks they received a further telephone call to inform them that the bidding process was being re-opened. Dunlop-Slazenger, owned by the billionaire retailer Mike Ashley, subsequently won.

"Head and Prince had a phone call to say we were the last two in the tender," said a source. "Then one or two weeks later they put out the tender again and Dunlop-Slazenger won it. Obviously they put some serious money on the table."

The LTA's commercial director, Bruce Philipps, yesterday said the tender process had not been reopened and that no announcement had been made as to the identity of the successful bidder.

Deal or no deal

The LTA's decision to rip up its £1m-a-year deal with the brewer InBev, which funded the Artois Championships, was born of a belief that it can earn £20m-£24m from the four-year multiple sponsorships it has on offer. Highland Spring has signed up as official drinks supplier and - as explained above - Dunlop-Slazenger seems set to be the equipment supplier, but the LTA also wants deals for official clothing, sports drinks, cars and airlines. Sources say it is too early to assess the outcome but with London 2012 making a much higher-profile offering on the same territory the LTA has set itself an exacting task.

Dad's the word

Tony Henman, the father of Tim, used to make a speciality of square-jawed silence in the Wimbledon families' box but suddenly, with the threat of a new eco-town on his Oxfordshire doorstep, he has found his voice. "Gordon Brown said he'd be a listening prime minister and he's only got to listen a little bit and he'll realize that he's got a thoroughly bad idea - unrealistic, unsustainable and definitely not wanted," he said.

Venus shopped

Venus Williams said at last year's US Open that she "feels free" because "I've really slowed down on my shopping for once in my life. Finally I don't need anything". It is an honour, then, for the fragrance section of Elys, SW19's answer to Selfridges, to have brought Wimbledon's defending champion out of retirement on Friday. This column refuses to say why it was on hand as a witness.

Sky scotched

Despite rumors that Sky was making a play for the Scottish Premier League rights, Setanta yesterday renewed its association until 2014. The deal, for 60 live games a season, is worth £125m.