As Tennis continues to make its professional comeback, recreationally it is one of the few sports that is allowed to be played by the public just about anywhere since it adheres to social distancing standards set by the majority of the world. This being the case many people who once played before whether it was 5 years ago or 30 years are whipping out their ol’ reliable and taking it to the nearest Tennis shop to get some fresh string and grip tape and revitalize their racquet. Now, grip for the racquet goes purely by personal preference but string, however, can play a huge roll in how your racquet plays. There are 3 main types of strings which are; Natural Gut (most flexible), Nylon (Consists of synthetic gut and Multifilament strings), and Polyester (least flexible). Here are some facts you should know before choosing what string is best for you!
- Lower String tensions generate more power
- Higher string tensions generate more ball control
- Decreased string density (fewer strings) generates more power
- Thinner string generates more power
- More elastic string generate more power.
- Softer strings, or strings with a softer coating, tend to vibrate less.
- Thinner strings tend to produce more spin
- Increased string density (more strings) generates more control
- The more elastic the string the more tension loss in the racquet after the string job.
- The bigger the string bed (head size of the racquet) the more power it will produce.
There are hundreds of different string combinations you can put on your racquet along with different tensions you can play with. Finding the right string for you will take some trial and error to truly feel them out, but hopefully, these string facts will help make the decision process a lot faster. For beginners, we usually tend to favor synthetic or multifilament strings as they are softer on the arm and produce more power so all you have to worry about is getting your technique down. Polyester strings are usually favored by the more advanced players looking for control, spin, and much more string durability. If you seem to break strings often but like the feel of the soft synthetic guts and multifilaments then a string bed hybrid would be the best option for you!
