paint job
n.— «A Yonex brochure found at its store at the U.S. Open shows Lleyton Hewitt, the company’s high-profile spokesman, playing with the racket manufacturer’s RDX 500 model. But at center court Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Hewitt used an older, discontinued racket that was painted to look like the newer model to dispatch Wayne Ferreira in a first-round, straight-sets victory. Those inside tennis circles know that Hewitt is one of many players who use a paint job to disguise their outdated rackets to look like the newer models they are paid to endorse. While top players on the ATP and WTA Tours might be willing to cash a manufacturer’s endorsement check, often they aren’t willing to part with their most prized piece of equipment on the court.» —“The tennis racket” by Darren Rovell in New York ESPN Sept. 1, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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