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When to re-string

Just like selecting the right string, knowing when to re-string your racket is subjective and unique to each individual player.

Racket strings, no matter the style, have a tendency to lose tension quickly, and tension is what helps control the ball on your racket.

When the tension on your racket decreases, your strings are likely to stretch more during impact. This means that the ball will stay on the strings longer, which translates into a less controlled trajectory when the ball finally comes off the racket.

This is why it’s important to re-string your racket on a consistent basis. So what does consistent mean in this case? There’s a rule of thumb around the industry that you should take the number of days a week that you play and use that as the number of times a year you should change your string. Meaning, if you play four times a week, you should restring your racket four times per year.

This guideline could work well for the recreational players who play for fun but aren’t as focused on the competitive aspects of the game. Now, if you’re focused on improving your ranking and winning tournaments, considering that your racket is literally your tool, you’re going to probably want to take another approach when it comes to re-stringing. For the more competitive, frequent players, you’ll likely want to base your restringing on the frequency of your play. Let’s say you play five times a week. You would take that number and double it to figure out how many times a year (give or take) you should restring your racket. In this example, you’d be restringing your racket roughly 10 times per year.

String guide

MONOFILAMENT

A type of string design where one string material, or a combination of materials form a solid piece of string. Monofilament strings tend to exhibit greater durability than synthetic gut or multifilament strings of the same material, but have less power, feel, and comfort. The most common monofilament string, polyester based strings, have become softer as it has evolved making them much more comfortable to play with. These strings are ideal for players searching for durability with control and spin. The lower elasticity of these strings requires full, fast swings to maximize their performance.

MULTIFILAMENT

In this type of string, numerous individual string filaments, usually made of nylon, but can be polyester, are wrapped or braided into a single length of string. Multifilament strings tend to produce more power and comfort than monofilament or synthetic gut strings, and are a preferred choice for players with arm problems. Multifilament strings are designed to feel as close to natural gut as possible.

SYNTHETIC GUT

An economical string. Synthetic gut is a nylon-based string, typically with a solid monofilament core surrounded by one or multiple layers of smaller filaments. The construction provides all-around performance by combining the solid core for enhanced durability while improving the feel and playability with the outer wraps.

NATURAL GUT

Made from strands of intestines (usually from cows), this string is also one of the priciest. Natural gut is sensitive to water and weather changes, but modern coatings and treatments have decreased this risk. Even so make sure to keep it out of the rain.

HYBRID

This is the mixing of two different types of string in the same racket. Hybrid stringing has become popular in the last several years due to the rise of polyester-based strings. Since these polyester-based strings are stiff, many players have mixed them with softer strings to make for a more playable and comfortable string bed, while retaining much of the poly’s spin and durability characteristics.

STRING GAUGE

• Thinner string = More power, spin, control, feeling and comfort but less durability
• Thicker String = Less power, spin, control, feeling and comfort but more durability

STRING TENSION

These are the general rules for string tension

• Lower tension = More power, comfort and durability but less control and spin
• Higher tension = More control and spin but less power, comfort and durability