Elaine's Story

tenez® was born in Harpenden, near London, in a century-old tennis club! It is a tribute to friendship, hospitality, and community spirit, and a touching testament to how Elaine—a Chinese woman lost in England during the isolation of the pandemic—found refuge at the Harpenden Lawn Tennis Club, where she formed deep, respectful, and warm friendships beyond anything she could have imagined.

When Elaine arrived in England in 2017, she was at the height of a career in International Marketing that had taken her all over the world. She had lived in various regions of China and the United States, gathering a wealth of expatriate experience—but she knew little about British culture, which she assumed to be cold and distant.

Very soon, she faced unexpected challenges, including the difficulty of being a single mother in a country under strict COVID-19 lockdown. Utterly alone in a foreign land, with no friends and only her partner Laurent—who had not yet joined her in the UK—and her 6-year-old child as family, Elaine coped with her solitude by throwing herself into work.

In 2020, Laurent settled in Harpenden too and he introduced Elaine and her little boy Yipeng to his sport: tennis. Elaine quickly fell in love with the game.

“It’s a unique sport because it combines strategy, technical skill, and mental strength”, she says.

The family joined the Harpenden Lawn Tennis Club (HLTC), and little by little, Elaine formed strong friendships there, eventually becoming a well-loved and indispensable member. Passionate and competitive, she progressed at lightning speed in this demanding sport and took part in all the club’s activities.

Surprised by the kindness and warmth she encountered, Elaine realized the British weren’t as cold as she had thought—in fact, they possessed tremendous generosity of spirit. In time, she found a second family at the club and finally felt at home in this faraway land.

A stylish woman by nature, Elaine firmly believes that “women should remain elegant in all circumstances—including in high-performance sports”. She drew admiration from many of her fellow players, who often asked where her tennis outfits came from.

A recurring comment stuck with her: “It’s so hard to find good tennis clothing in England—something both comfortable and elegant.”

And in 2025, tenez® was born from that very thought!

Together with her friend Anna, Elaine launched the brand tenez® under their company e&a, officially registering it in the UK.

Why the name? Tennis comes from the French “tenez”, the formal imperative form of the verb “tenir”, to hold, meaning "hold!", "receive!" or "take!", an interjection used as a call from the server to his opponent to indicate that he is about to serve.

tenez® thus became a professional retail platform for sportwear and accessories for active female tennis players.

In April of 2025, Elaine identified two high-quality designer-manufacturers and secured the rights to represent their collections in the UK. The Activewear line features women’s tennis apparel, while the Jewellery collection offers sport-inspired jewellery. She also formed an advisory group of female players to help guide product selection and business development.

A Global Asset Manager in the Agrochemical Industry, Laurent suggested that tenez® should focus on women sportwear, a growing segment in the sport sector and that the clothing should allow both performance and elegance. This is how a slogan was chosen: “Command the Court with Elegance”.

In June 2025, the HLTC supported the brand’s launch by co-hosting the first tennis fashion show and product exhibition at the clubhouse. The atmosphere was warm and enthusiastic, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The apparel earned a unanimous 5/5 for quality and 4.7/5 for design.

The first orders came through the website, www.tenez.shop , which officially launched on June 19, 2025.

An agreement was then made for tenez® to display its collections at the club during the final week of the HLTC’s annual championship. In exchange, tenez® sponsored Finals Day. The event was a major success—half of the female finalists had purchased tenez® dresses and proudly wore them on the day of the finals and Laurent even won the Men Single Non-Leaguer 40+ category!

With this first venture proving successful, orders pouring in, and feedback glowing, Elaine and Laurent decided: tenez® will live on!

The real adventure starts here and we hope you will be part of it!