Selecting the best tennis strings for your tennis game is an important and challenging decision. To aid the decision making process we prepared this complete guide, which contains everything you ever wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) about tennis string.
This guide walks you through the pros and cons of the various string types, as well as their textures, compositions and gauges.
"The racquet is the body; the string is the soul." - Anonymous
In selecting a string, consider first what is most important for you: feel, dampening and comfort, spin potential, dealing with tennis elbow issues, durability / frequent breaking of string?
Having selected your string, you can then adjust to have more or less power /control, or compensate for tension loss after the break-in period, by the choice of tension at which the racquet is strung.
While reading the content below, we suggest you take notes to help you choose a specific type of string.
String Types
Tennis strings can be divided into three primary types: synthetic gut, polyester and natural gut. A summary table is presented below and is followed by further details.
Synthetic Gut (Syn-Gut)
Made of nylon
Most commonly used string
Recommended also for the beginner and the infrequent player
Pros
Available as mono-filament or multi-filament (see more discussion below)
Medium stiffness: more stiff than natural gut, but less stiff than polyester
Good quality, performance and durability at a budget price
Not sensitive to humidity
Wide assortment of colours
Cons
Not as comfortable or soft as natural gut
Not as spin friendly as polyester
MONO-Filament vs MULTI-Filament
Syn-gut comes in two versions: mono-filament and multi-filament. Since the multi-filament has a tendency to fray as it wears, current high quality versions come with a special coating to improve durability. This makes the quality and performance of the two constructions even more similar than before; hence, we recommend the slightly less expensive mono-filament.
Polyester
Made of Polyester
More popular for advanced players
Mono-filament
Pros
Excellent for spin
Excellent for control
Superior durability for frequent string breakers
Cons
Will undergo a loss of tension during the initial break-in period before stabilizing
Low power: typically strung at a lower tension to regain some power
Low comfort due to increased stiffness
Natural Gut
Made from cow intestines
The Gold Standard that other strings are compared to
Multi-filament: will fray just like syn-gut multi-filament
Most power: typically strung at higher tensions for control
Pros
Treated well will last as long as synthetic materials in the same gauge
Most comfortable / least stiff
Better damping of shock and vibration
Offers the best tension retention
Cons
Most Expensive ($$$$): 2x to 3x more expensive than high quality synthetics
Will be damaged by humidity: climate and/or damp courts
Limited shelf life: keep out of direct sunlight and avoid extremes of hot and cold temperatures
String Texture
Multi-filament string will have a natural texture due to its twisted composition
Some textured strings are manufactured with a rough surface or with a non-round shape - such as hexagonal
The rough surface will increase spin potential by “biting” the ball better during impact
Textured string will wear faster than smooth string requiring more frequent restringing
Is Hybrid Stringing Right for You?
If you have ever played with a natural gut string before, you'll likely have found it to be the most playable and arm-friendly string going. However, it's expensive and if you're a heavy topspin player, the durability of the strings comes into question.
On the flip side, polyester provides much better durability, while offering unrivalled levels of spin and control. But the strings can be unforgiving on the arm and will aggravate tennis elbow issues.
If only there was a way to combine the best qualities of different types of strings whilst lessening each of their limitations in the same racquet. Welcome to the world of hybrid tennis stringing!
For durability (particularly heavy hitters) - use polyester in the mains / gut in the crosses. The main strings work the most, hence why they tend to break first.
For better feel – use natural gut in the mains / polyester in the crosses
As an alternative and less expensive solution to mixing materials: experiment using a thicker gauge of your favourite strings in the mains and a thinner gauge in the crosses!
For more information about the pros and cons of hybrid strings, check out the Tennis Warehouse and /or Perfect Tennis websites.
Gauge / Thickness
Definition: the number of string strands that can be placed side by side in an inch. For example: 16 gauge (standard) – 16 strands per inch; 18 gauge (thin) – 18 strands per inch
Thickness may also measured in mm. For example 16 gauge = 1.25 mm
Remember: strings are supposed to break. If you never break a string – try a thinner gauge
Recommendation: use the thinnest gauge of your favourite string that does not break too easily
Thicker
More durable
Stiffer: less stretch during impact
Better tension maintenance
Thinner
A bit more spin potential / ball “bite”
Slightly more feel
Slightly softer, more comfortable: stretches a bit more during impact
Conclusion
After making an informed choice of string, you are encouraged to experiment with different string and tension combinations. To help with this next step, check out our article How to Select the Tension of Your Tennis Racquet Setup.
We will gladly work with you to track your racquet tension loss and provide you with historical feedback to help you tweak your next stringing.
WRITTEN BY
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
All About Polyester Strings
Pros and Cons of Hybrid:
Comments