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String Guide
Why re-sTring?
Strings are the heart of any tennis racket, and can alter the way a racket 'plays'. Often players who suddenly struggle with a racket, will look to buy a new one.
Instead, we would recommend considering the strings in your racket, and perhaps getting a fresh set chosen specifically to compliment, and enhance your game.
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This is because strings affect the way your racket feels when you play a shot, and the way the ball reacts.
The type, thickness and tension of the string you use is critical to the way you play the game. Most club players give the matter little thought, but these string characteristics make a big difference to both control of the ball, and how often their strings break.
In this guide we will highlight the options available, and how the right combination could improve your game!
Snapped String
The most common reason to re-string a tennis racket is (of course!) when you snap a string whilst hitting the ball.
If you do suffer a snapped string, then you should remove ALL the strings as soon as possible to prevent uneven stress on the racket, which could lead to frame warping and distortion.
Worn strings
All strings will degenerate over time. The speed of this depends on string type, gauge (thickness) and how hard you hit the ball !
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You could wait until a string snaps on your favourite racket midway through a match … or instead, if you do notice your string fraying (often in the centre of the stringbed) then it is a good idea to proactively get them replaced.
Tension loss
Strings naturally lose their tension, or ‘tightness’, over time. As they gradually become slacker the properties of the strings change, and they can lose their ‘pop’.
This is usually noticeable when you start to feel less control and hit long more than usual. What's more; ‘dead’ strings can cause vibrations through the racket into your arm, potentially leading to injuries like tennis elbow.
Playing style
There are various string types which all have different properties and offer individual intricacies.
So, specific strings can be selected to suit your game whether you're looking for that extra bit of power, more spin or more comfort (in case of wrist and arm injuries).
DID YOU KNOW?
Typically a racket should be re-strung as many times in a year as you play tennis in a week.
So if you play tennis twice a week, it is recommended to re-string your racket every 6 months.
STring types
There are different types of tennis strings commonly available, each with unique playing characteristic.
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The most popular are:
- Synthetic Gut; mid-range strings offering well-rounded performance across the board, lack durability
- Multifilament; alternative to natural gut, these strings offer power, comfort, and hold their tension well
- Polyestor Monofilament; low powered spin-friendly strings that are stiff and durable, tend to lose tension quickly
- Co-Polyestor; similar to 'Poly' but slightly softer for more comfor, at the cost of some spin and durability
- Natural Gut; great power, comfort, tension maintenance and feel, but prone to breakage and moisture
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Also increasingly popular is Hybrid Stringing; where two different string types are used in one racket.
See below for a brief description and a breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
GUAGE
Overveiw
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The gauge, or the thickness of the tennis string, also has an influence on string characteristics.
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Most tennis strings are available in different gauges which are represented by a number between 15 and 20. The higher the number, the thinner the gauge, the lower the number the thicker the gauge. Sometimes gauges come in half sizes, which is represented by the letter L (e.g 16L).
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Unfortunately the guage size is not uniform across all manufacturers, but the exact thickness is usually shown in 'mm' too.
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The most popular string gauges are listed below, alongside the range of diameters that each covers:
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15 = 1.41 – 1.49mm
15L =1.33 – 1.41mm
16 = 1.26 – 1.34mm
16L = 1.22 – 1.30mm
17 = 1.16 – 1.24mm
18 = 1.06 – 1.16mm
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Thicker Strings
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Generate less power
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Generate less spin
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Have more durability
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Have less comfort
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Lose tension slower
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Thinner Strings
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Generate more power
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Generate more spin
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Have less durability
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Have more comfort
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Lose tension faster
Durability
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The thicker the string, the more durable it will be. This is because that when the strings encounter friction, they wear out, and eventually break. So naturally, the more material there is to withstand this friction, the longer it will last.
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Thicker strings also handle harsher impacts better, so mishits near the frame's edge are less likely to break a string when the gauge is thicker.
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Remember that the 'type' of string has a far bigger impact, so a 19 gauge Co-Polyester is still more durable than a 16 gauge natural gut. The best way compare gauge is to look at the same family.​
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If you’re not breaking strings regularly, you likely don’t need to play with anything thicker than 16 / 1.30 mm.
For the majority of players, guages 15, 16, 16L, 17 and 18 are often the most appropriate.
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Spin Potential
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Thinner strings inherently have more spin potential, with thicker strings having less spin potential.
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This is because thinner strings can get more purchase on the ball, which results in more spin. A thicker string bites less into the ball, resulting in a lower potential for topspin.
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However, just like durability, there are many factors at play, a thin string does not guarantee spin - this is down to the player's technique! It does mean though that if you were to hit two identical shots, the thinner gauge string will impart more spin on the ball.
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Power
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Thinner strings of the same type are more elastic, they therefore produce more power due to more ball pocketing. Again, going to a slightly thinner string won't suddenly have you hitting winners, but all of the choices make incremental differences that contribute to the way your rackets plays.
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Feel
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Feel is certainly one of more subjective elements, but most players find thinner strings offer them more feel. Generally, thinner strings will be slightly softer, this creates more ball 'pocketing' and so gives players that more connected feeling.
TENSION
All rackets will have a recommended tension range from the manufacturer typically visible on the inside throat of the frame. It’s usually a range of 10 lbs. For example, 55lbs +/-5 would mean 50 to 60 lbs.
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Additionally, consider which string you’ve selected. If you’ve opted for 'Poly', it's advisable to start on the low end of the recommendation. For a synthetic gut, start on the mid to high end of the range provided.
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As some strings naturally provide more power, and others offer more control, you can accentuate these characteristics by adjusting how tightly you have your racket strung. ​
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The general the rules are:
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Lower = More power, comfort and durability
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Mid-Tension = Good balance; a great place to start!
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Higher = More control and spin
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If you're not sure what tension to select, then request the mid-tension of your racket's specified tension range. You'll find this on the frame, usually on the throat of the racket.
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