It’s said that strings are the soul of the racket, though despite this, many players will spend much more time meticulously choosing a tennis racket than deciding on or learning about the strings. Just as technology has dramatically improved rackets over the last 20 years, strings are just as responsible for advances and changes in the game. These days there are very few bad strings, however not all strings are right for all players. Here are a few aspects to consider when making your string and tension selection.
Playability
Playability is usually at the top of the list when choosing strings for your tennis racquet. Playability is dependent on the material, construction and thickness of the string. Though playability means something different to every player, Tennis-warehouse.com describes a playable tennis string as “resilient, which means it snaps back quickly upon ball impact.”
Durability
Whether you are a pro playing on Center Court at the U.S. Open or a recreational player in a match at your neighborhood park, the last thing you want to do is break a string in the middle of a point. This is where playability and durability coincide. Tennis-warehouse.com reports that thicker and more abrasion-resistant strings will be more durable, however they are generally less elastic and resilient than the thinner, nylon strings, which means less snap back when the ball impacts the racket.
String Gauge
Strings come in a range of gauges, from thin, at 1.00 mm, to thick at 1.49mm. Thinner strings offer improved playability and provide more spin by allowing the strings to embed into the ball more, while the thicker strings are more durable and therefore will break less often.
Materials
Despite the usual reference to cats, natural gut tennis strings are made out of cows’ gut. Stringforum.net says that their main features are superb elasticity, tension stability and liveliness. The negatives are that they are very expensive and sensitive to weather.
Nylon is the most frequently used string type and are usually made of a single nylon core with various resistant wraps. Stringforum.net recommends nylon for players who have normal or high string consumption.
Polyester strings are considered monofilament, which means that they consist of a single polyester fiber with a thin coating. They come in various gauges, which allow you to choose among different elasticity and durability levels.
Multifilament strings consist of many microfibers twisted together to a string and wrapped with a resistant cover. Stringforum.net says multifilament strings offer higher elasticity and better playability, but they do tend to break soon once the outer wrap is damaged.
Tension
String tension is a combination of personal choice and technology. Rackets strung at lower tensions will provide the player with more power, while tighter tensions will provide more control. However, as Tennis-warehouse.com explains, that is only a very general rule of thumb, “A beginning player may need more control but tighter string tensions aren’t the solution. This player needs a soft, forgiving stringbed that lower tensions provide due to the frequency of off-center hits. Advanced players who swing fast and hit hard usually need more control and will, therefore, benefit from tighter tensions.”
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