How to Choose Your Tennis String
There are such a lot of options when it comes to stringing your tennis racket that it can be quite daunting to figure out what type of string you should use, and it could be for that reason that a lot of players do not spend much time considering what strings would suit them best.
It is something you should give consideration to though, the type of string can make a big difference, not just to how you play, but also if you are susceptible to injuries such as tennis elbow.
If you want to go into fine detail then it’s a good idea to talk to your string technician, but, as a general guide and to help move you in the right direction, here are some guidelines as to the types of strings you should consider and their differences.
Natural Gut
Offers the ultimate in playability, but very expensive and not durable at all, can also be affected by conditions.
Synthetic Gut
These strings offer good all-round playability and are a nice compromise between power and control, ideal if you do not want to go into great detail for your strings and yet want something that will deliver good performance.
Polyester Monofilament
These strings are quite rigid and have less flexibility, because these strings do not flex as much, the ball will flatten more onto the strings giving you a lot of control over the ball, but you will get less power from these types of strings, so they are ideal for players who already generate a good deal of power through their own technique. You may also find these strings have quite a harsh feel because of their lack of flexibility, so they may not be a good choice if you are liable to injuries such as tennis elbow.
Multifilament
These strings are designed to be similar to natural gut and offer good playability and comfort but with a much better level of durability. These strings are more flexible than monofilament strings, so they are a lot more comfortable to use and because they stretch more, they provide more ball speed and therefore more power. This is definitely an option to consider if you have issues with tennis elbow or similar injuries.
Hybrid Strings
As the name suggests, hybrid strings are a combination of two string types, with the objective of offering the best of both worlds, the main strings could be a Polyester Monofilament string and then the cross strings, a multifilament string, with these sorts of combinations looking to offer a balanced position between the two extremes of each string.
So, with some understanding of the types of strings you might want to look at, here are some other considerations.
Tension
The range of tension that the frame should be strung at will be shown on the racket itself, advanced players will probably be very aware of what tension they prefer, but, for the average club player the middle of that recommended range is probably ideal.
If you do decide to try the more extreme tension levels, be aware that, as a general rule, stringing the racket at high tension will result in more control but less power, the racket will also be less comfortable to use.
Stringing the racket at lower tension will result in more power, but less control, the racket will feel more comfortable to use.
String Gauge
Tennis strings usually come anywhere from 1.20 to 1.35mm thickness, a thinner string will bite into the ball more for enhanced spin and will also provide more power but, of course, can be more likely to break, thicker strings will offer more durability and be less likely to break, but deliver less power, and give less spin.
Shape and Texture
Some strings are shaped and textured, they are designed to bite into the ball more for enhanced spin, the different brands will also use different materials and manufacturing processes to enhance the playing properties of their strings, you will find mention of some of these features when you read about individual strings within our stringing department.
Summary
When you see the number of combinations that can be drawn from the above information, what type of string, what thickness, what tension, what shape and all the variations within each of these parameters, it’s easy to see why some players find choosing strings quite daunting, but you can have a lot of fun with it too.
If you already know what type of strings suit you best, you will be able to find a good selection in our string department, but if you are not sure, try a few different strings over time and you might be surprised what one of them does for your game.
