Gear: JOOLA Launches the Trinity Series, Hugo Calderano’s Signature Rubbers
In January 2026, the table tennis world received major news: world No. 3, 2025 Doha Worlds men’s singles runner-up and World Cup champion Hugo Calderano signed with JOOLA, the classic German-rooted, US-operated brand. For JOOLA the signing of the top South American star is a landmark move back into elite table tennis and a way to widen its presence across the Americas; for Calderano, JOOLA’s global operation offers solid backing for the next stage of his career.
A German-rooted brand of the Americas
Founded in 1952, JOOLA was once a classic German manufacturer; after being acquired by American Richard Lee in 2019, its headquarters moved to the US. In recent years the brand has had huge success in pickleball and is now reinvesting heavily in table tennis. Calderano — South American by origin, with a strong following in both Europe and North America — is a natural figure to connect the two continents.
Harder is stronger
Calderano has used German rubbers since his junior years, so the move to a German-rooted brand needed little adjustment. The Trinity Hugo Calderano series was co-developed with the player himself and comes in two models — “Charged” and “Dynamic,” rated 57.5 and 52.5 degrees respectively — which are his current forehand and backhand rubbers. The high-saturation yellow-green packaging carries Brazilian flair, and “Hugo Calderano” is printed on the topsheet to underline the signature status. The hardness figures alone make clear these are built for professional attacking players, with Charged pushing close to the upper limit of German rubber hardness.
Both are tacky rubbers, aiming to keep a sense of power while still accommodating spin and speed. The combination of one hard and one slightly softer sheet matches how many Chinese players like to pair forehand and backhand, and each comes in “MAX” and “2.0mm” sponge versions for different levels.
The 57.5-degree Trinity Charged is noticeably hard to the press; like all German tacky rubbers it has self-generated tack with no protective film, giving a half-tacky, half-grippy feel. Its pips are relatively short and thick — what JOOLA calls “China Intense Geo” — borrowing from domestic tacky-rubber pip design for a very solid feel, good stability on short pushes over the table and fast, precise energy transfer. The Energy X sponge has a dense, even cell structure that stores energy well and gives a strong catapult; as you commit power, the very high hardness delivers a linear, surging output, and the excellent grip means spin performance is also strong. The softer Trinity Dynamic, while still above 50 degrees, deforms more easily, is more through-the-blade and edges ahead on speed — comfortable as a forehand rubber for many club players and demanding real strength if used on the backhand.
As the first signature product of the JOOLA-Calderano partnership, the Trinity series is genuinely high-quality — and likely just the opening act, with more products expected to follow.