Racket Restringing Near Me? Quick Answer

My strings are fine for a few more months – I paid good money for them, they last, so what’s the problem?

The problem is that failing to change strings often enough can be detrimental to a player’s game and health. “Most people underestimate the effect a leftover string has on their game and their body,” says Dennis Fabian, Global Business Manager of HEAD’s Accessories Division.

This article was co-authored by Peter Fryer. Peter Fryer is a tennis writer and coach based in Derry, Northern Ireland. He completed his professional tennis teaching qualification shortly after graduating from university and has been teaching tennis for over 13 years. Peter started the Love Tennis blog in 2010 and contributes to the BBC and national media. This article has been viewed 110,366 times.

Article overview

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If your tennis racquet is old or damaged, you can re-strung it without having to buy a new racquet. If you don’t play tennis that often, it’s cheaper to pay someone to restring your racquet. However, if you play tennis several times a week, investing a few hundred dollars in a stringing machine can be worthwhile. Nylon is the cheapest and most popular string, but you can also buy polyester, kevlar, or natural gut strings for a more professional feel. After cutting off the old strings with a sharp knife, mount your racquet in the machine and thread the new strings. Start with the vertical strands, then weave the horizontal strands below and above. For more tips from our tennis co-author, including choosing your stringing pattern, read on!

Rule of Thumb – Well, you may have heard the rule of thumb that says you should restring your racquet as many times per year as you play per week. So if you play three times a week you should restring about three times a year. I think that’s probably a pretty good rule, and if you don’t want to think too much about re-stringing or aren’t even sure when you last re-stringed your racquet, you can follow this rule and it’s good. Instead, here are some other pointers to look for and watch out for in order to know when to restring a tennis racquet:

String Appearance – The easiest way to know when it’s time to tighten is to notice how your strings look. If your strings are fraying or looking ragged, the strings will start to loosen and you won’t get as much spin or power when you hit the ball. If your strings are looking scratchy, it’s definitely time to re-string them.

The Sound of Hitting the Ball – If you find that the sound of hitting the ball is not normal or familiar, it may be time to re-string the string. As your strings wear out, they won’t be as springy, and you may only notice this at first by a change in the tone of your hits.

The Feeling When You Hit the Ball – As your worn strings lose or have lost their elasticity, you may notice a dull or dead feeling when you hit the ball. The ball just doesn’t bounce off your racquet like you’re used to, especially on your groundstrokes. You may feel like you have to hit the ball harder just to get it to go the same distance as it used to.

Time Since Last Stringing – You may feel like you need to re-string just because it’s been so long since your racquet had new strings. This could be especially the case with a racquet you haven’t played with in a long time. And while the strings on this racquet look good, you’ll benefit so much from new bouncy strings that it might be worth the reasonable cost.

Well if you’ve decided, hey, it’s time to re-string but aren’t sure how to go about it, speak to Matt for more information

By: Tim Hahn, Owner of Aspen Hill Pro Shop

As a general rule, you should re-string as many times per year as you play per week. If you play twice a week, you should restring your racquet twice a year. All strings will gradually stretch and lose tension or go dead, even if you rarely play. When this happens, start swinging harder, gripping the racquet tighter to get the same results with the ball.

Swinging harder and gripping tighter makes control more difficult, fatigue sets in early and can even contribute to tennis elbow. fresh strings will help your racquet play the way it was intended. If you have questions about racquets or re-stringing please visit the Aspen Hill Pro Shop. Tim will be happy to help you. Tim is a member of USRSA, a Master Racket

Technicians, the Yonex National Stringing Team, and the USPTR.

How often should you restring your tennis racket?

Ask any racquet stringer or tennis shop owner what is the number one question they get asked every day and many of them will answer you, “Do I need to re-string my racquet?” “When will I know it’s time to re-string?” ”

While this is a frequently asked question, it’s also something that not many players ever think about.

I know players at the clubs I’ve played at who have maintained the same action for years, and a new string is only ever considered when a string breaks.

However, strings wear out relatively quickly when played and consequently lose their elasticity and tensile strength.

Leaving them for too long can negatively affect your game. Let’s take a closer look at why and when you should change your tennis strings.

Why should you change your tennis strings?

Aside from snapping a string being the obvious reason to have your racquet re-strung, there are two other main reasons why it’s time to cut your strings and put in new ones.

loss of voltage

All tennis strings lose tension over time. They begin to lose tension as soon as they leave the stringing machine.

Depending on the string type, strings can lose about 10 percent of their tension in the first 24 hours after stringing, which continues as the racquet is played.

If you’re a player who relies on higher tension for control and find that your shot accuracy decreases over time, you may need to re-string to regain this element of your game.

String type Tension stability Natural gut very good Synthetic gut good Multifilament medium to good Polyester bad Kevlar very good

string performance

Not only do strings lose tension, they also eventually go dead. This causes them to lose their performance characteristics, which is most likely why you decided to string them in the first place.

This is especially true with polyester strings as they lose their snapback effect, which is a big part of how they help players generate topspin.

How do you know when it’s time to change strings?

visual indicators

Most advanced players will know that it’s time to restring purely by feel, but there are a few visual things to watch out for.

notches

When you touch the ball, your strings rub against each other and create friction, causing the strings to notch.

If you look closely, you can see grooves that form where the main and cross strings cross. This becomes more apparent in the top center of your racquet, which is hopefully the area where you make the most contact with the ball!

When you see that these notches are about to snap the string, or even getting pretty deep, it’s probably an excellent time to re-string the string.

Fray

Natural gut and multifilament strings are made up of many tiny fibers that are intertwined. When freshly strung they often have a coating to protect them, but once this wears out the fibers begin to fray.

This is a natural part of wear for this type of string, so some fraying is completely normal. Fraying can also be increased by humidity and wetness.

However, beyond a certain point, fraying reduces the strength of the string to the point where it breaks. So if you see fibers fraying at all angles and the string looks weak, re-stringing is probably the right choice.

Feel indicators

For players just starting out, you’re unlikely to notice subtle changes in feel on the stringbed. But as your technique develops and your feel improves, you will notice changes in the string’s play over time.

A loss of control

When the strings lose tension, the ball spends more time on the string bed, which can affect your control. A loss of tension can mean hitting long, making more unforced errors, or struggling to place the ball. If so, maybe it’s time you re-string.

Less top spin

When polyester strings lose tension, the string’s snapback decreases, which means you have to swing harder to generate the same amount of topspin as you would with a freshly strung racquet. Polyester strings also develop dead points, resulting in an erratic response.

If you find yourself hitting with less spin and needing to adjust your strings at every point, then it’s probably time to re-string.

So how often should you re-tension?

The reason for writing this post is because of the following question that we received via email. Below is my answer, modified to be a little more generic.

Hello, do you have a general recommendation for the frequency of re-stringing? I play doubles three or four times a week, mainly in my spare time, but also in doubles on the weekends in the summer. I wouldn’t consider myself an aggressive baseline player, but more of a touch player using sensible pace and placement over sheer power. I currently have a 53 lb Prince synthetic gut string in a Yonex DR 100, 6 months since last stringing. I really like this string, but I’m wondering if it’s a little loose and maybe I’m losing control. Any thoughts?

When it comes to racquet re-stringing, there is a general rule of thumb that most players are familiar with:

Over a year, you should restring your racquet as many times as you play in a week.

So if you play four times a week, re-string your racquet four times a year.

If you haven’t had a fresh string bed in six months, then I’d say it’s time to freshen things up.

Even if they look good, the loss of tension and elasticity over time will have reduced the string’s playability.

For most players, this concept of stringing as many times per year as you play per week is not a bad rule. Especially for recreational players who string with artificial gut and don’t hit a big ball.

However, the problem is that it is a fairly wide top that cannot be used for all types of players or all types of strings.

While the time you spend on the court is an important factor, other considerations determine the speed at which players restring their racquets.

This only applies to non-string breakers as they have no choice but to re-string once a string breaks, but factors include:

Frequency and duration of the game

play style

level of competition

budget

string choice

comfort

Aggressive ball racquets with full, heavy topspin hits will wear down strings much faster than flat-hitting doubles specialists with shortened swings and touch play.

For most players, a visual test is more appropriate than sticking to a newly covered calendar. My rule is based on both a visual look at the strings and how they play.

When they look good but you play poorly in a match? OK, it happens. Playing the next match and the one after that badly? It’s probably time for a re-string. Even if the strings were okay, you at least mentally reposition yourself 🙂

What about the polyester restring frequency?

Polyester strings are difficult to follow, and there isn’t really a calendar rule that needs to be followed. In general, while polyester strings are difficult to break for most club players, they die after 10-20 hours of play.

Not only that, they also break off unevenly, creating dead spots in the string bed, which can lead to erratic performance. However, because they don’t break, players often leave them in their frames for too long.

For this reason, it’s often recommended to swap out polys at least every few months to restore playability and reduce the risk of arm injuries as you have to swing harder to keep the same pace.

Final Thoughts

As with most things involving tennis racquets, ultimately restringing comes down to personal preference and how the individual player evaluates a racquet’s performance.

Many players love to play with a freshly strung racquet; others enjoy them more after a break-in period, and some even like strings when they’re dead dead.

I quite like a racquet soon after it’s freshly strung, so I usually restretch my racquets before a more meaningful game.

Or if I know I’m going to play a few times over the coming week, I’ll increase the tension so that when it comes to the second or third hit, the tension is about as high as it would be if fresh from the game would be stringing machine with my desired tension.

From there, it’s all about keeping track of your game throughout the life of the string job. Do I need to swing harder to generate pace and spin? Do the strings bite on the ball or do I have to readjust them after each point? Are shot placement and predictability starting to go awry?

If these questions come to mind after 2 or 3 batting sessions or matches, it’s usually time to re-string and that’s the rule I follow.

Depending on the strings and how often you play, this could take as little as a week or a few months.

While it’s not an exact science, I think it’s best to replace strings early rather than late. And your local club stringer or tennis shop too 😀

Find Your Ideal Tennis String Looking for a new string for your racquet? Use our easy-to-use tennis string finder tool. You can filter by string type, gauge, color, price, stiffness, and shape.

How often do you re-string your racquet? Let me know in the comments below

When it comes to racquet stringing, most ATP players use on-site stringers provided by tournaments and charge a small fee for racquet stringing (set at a maximum of $20/€20 per racquet).

While that’s more than good enough for the vast majority of pros, there is a select group of players who leave nothing to chance and want the same racquet strings week after week.

This desire for consistency created the niche market of personal stringing, and perhaps the best known of these companies is Priority One.

The Florida based company has mentored several top players over the years including Pete Sampras, Tim Henman, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and John Isner to name a few.

Meet Ron Yu – Federer’s personal stringer

Ron Yu has personally strung Federer’s racquet for the past 15 years. He strings nine new ones before every single match, Federer plays with a hybrid string setup made of natural gut and Luxilon Alu Power Rough. These are all done with Roger’s desired string tension and completed with a white overgrip, Wilson jig, string savers and power pads.

How much does Federer pay for racquet stringing?

I had long wondered how much Federer paid for this tailor-made service. During the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Swiss TV broadcaster SRF spoke to Priority One’s Ron Yu, who revealed that the package Federer is on costs $40,000 a year. Thanks also to Brian for tweeting about it earlier this year, otherwise I would never have seen it.

This fee covers him for all four Grand Slams, the Masters 1000 events and some of the ATP 500 events he competes in such as Dubai, Halle and Basel.

Assuming Priority One was even seventeen of the tournaments Federer played in 2019 (although I don’t think they make the Laver Cup), that makes $2350 per tournament.

Expressed as a percentage of prize money, Federer won $8,716,975 in 2019, which means he spent 0.5% of his on-court earnings on racquet stringing.

Has the consistency and quality of Priority One’s work contributed more than 0.5% to his game? You would have to believe that, and if you asked a player what percentage of importance they gave the strings, I think they would all give a much higher number. So should Nate and Ron charge more? 🙂

As a headline number it certainly sounds low, but these guys know the market inside out and it’s a difficult service to price. There’s a fine line between players using a personal stringer and simply dismissing them to use on-site stringers instead.

Also, it’s probably not a good example of using Federer as he was one of the top earners in 2019. Some of their other clients like Tsonga spent 3.7% of their prize money on stringing and Raonic spent 3.1%. They’ve both made over $1 million, which is still well above average, so that’s a bit more realistic.

We also do not know which services are outside the scope of the Gold package and are billed separately. How readily bonuses are thrown for tournament wins. Or if Federer handles their travel and accommodation in places like Halle where he is the only guy in the draw using their services which would help profitably.

Is personal stringing a business you want to get into? I would have to say no. I know from stringing my racquet that it’s a tough job, hard on the fingers and repetitive. It’s also not my preferred model since you’re trading time for money, which makes it harder to scale. The moment you ditch that stringing machine, you stop making money.

Ten players on the books would give you $400,000 a year, minus all travel expenses over the calendar year, so not bad, but combine that with the US taxing worldwide income even if you spend 200 days a year outside of the country Job that makes you filthy rich, but now and then has a few perks and you can sit in Federer’s box 🙂

Was $40,000 higher or lower than expected? Let me know in the comments.

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A tennis racket used by Switzerland’s Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal in the 2011 French Open final has been auctioned for a record price.

The red and white Wilson Six One Tour model fetched $55,000 (£42,000/€46,000) at Goldin Auctions’ online sale.

That’s the highest amount anyone has ever paid at auction for a racquet used by a male player.

The highest price to date was in 2007 when a collector paid $32,000 (£24,000/€27,000) for the wooden Slazenger racquet used by Britain’s Fred Perry in the 1934 Wimbledon final when he won the first of three consecutive singles titles.

The most a racquet fetched at auction was two years ago when a different Wilson model was used by American legend Billie Jean King when he was winning former world number one and ex-Wimbledon and US Open champion Bobby Riggs in an exhibition match defeated Houston in 1973, sold for $125,000 (£95,000 / €105,000)

The Donnay racquet used by Swede Björn Borg in his 1981 loss to John McEnroe at Wimbledon was sold by Christie’s in London 13 years ago for $18,500 (£14,000/€15.00).

Last December, Goldin Auctions sold Serena Williams’ broken racquet from her infamous 2018 US Open final loss to Japan’s Naomi Osaka for $20,910 (£15,900/€17,500).

The red and white Wilson Six One Tour model used by Roger Federer in his last loss to Rafael Nadal at the 2011 French Open broke the auction record for a men’s tennis racket ©Getty Images

Federer’s bat included a letter of authenticity from his agent and a Beckett authentication for the autograph.

Goldin Auctions described it as “an incredible piece of tennis history”.

At the final at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, Federer attempted to become the first male player in the Open era and only the third man overall to achieve a double-career Grand Slam.

Nadal was the defending champion and the Spaniard successfully defended his crown, defeating his long-time rival 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 to claim the sixth French Open title of his career.

Federer also lost to Nadal in the French Open finals in 2007 and 2008 but won the title in 2009, beating Sweden’s Robin Söderling 6-1 7-6 6-4 in the final.

In total, Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles – with Nadal, the most in history for a male player.

Most serious tennis players will switch to a new set of racquets about every year. Top pros will change their racquets more often because they don’t want to leave anything to chance. However, some club players have been using the same frames for decades, relying on the maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So is there a good reason to change your clubs frequently, or do you? Club players with their trusty old Dunlops have the right idea?

For a club player, a racquet frame can last a decade or more, but in the hands of a full-time player with powerful shots, it can wear out after a few months. Some players and their stringers are much rougher on frames than others, and their racquets degrade faster. Once racquets wear out, they feel different and need to be replaced.

Storing two to four racquets should prevent crises, but once they become too cracked or scratched you’ll need to change them anyway.

How long do tennis rackets last?

Racquets are typically made of fiber and resin. Frames are stressed by the forces exerted during play, especially when physically strong players are hitting big serves or aggressive groundstrokes. Eventually the fiber and resin will begin to break down and the racquet will lose some of its stiffness. As this happens very gradually, players may not notice the change.

Nonetheless, reducing stiffness affects the power and spin that can be generated from a frame and limits control. An expensive machine known as a “Racket Diagnostic Center” (RDC) can check for deterioration by measuring frame stiffness. Without this, you’ll likely have to rely on general guidelines to determine how long your clubs will last.

For a large racquet that practices regularly and plays tournaments, racquets last about 1 year and tend to lose stiffness after that. A club player who doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard and takes care of his clubs can easily last 10 years or maybe longer.

Variables affecting racket life expectancy

The lifespan of your racquet is influenced by several factors. How often you play will clearly be one of them and how hard you hit the ball. Some others may be less obvious. Racquet frames must be stored properly: they could be damaged by excessive heat or cold.

The stringing process is also critical. The string is usually of fairly high tension and needs to be removed carefully, and the clamps that hold the racquet in place during stringing should not be too tight. If the stringer is careless or its clamps have seen better days, damage can result. Each time the racquet is re-strung there is a risk of damage, so frequent re-stringing can also shorten the life of the frame.

Of course, a racquet can also be damaged during play, whether from scratches on a hard court or intentionally hitting the ground in anger. Pros can afford to throw their racquets around, but for amateurs it can become an expensive habit: once a frame breaks, it’s useless.

How many tennis rackets should you have?

If you’re a club player, two racquets should be enough. If you break a string or even a frame, you’ll get by with a spare line in your bag. Just make sure you only use one of the racquets until its string breaks so your spare doesn’t get used. Carrying two worn-string racquets puts you at risk of breaking both during a game and running out of one.

As a tournament player you should have enough racquets to last a two week tournament trip without having to resort to a potentially expensive and iffy local stringing service, so four or five should be adequate. Full-time pros might take ten or more and re-string them in batches for each event.

Signs that it may be the right time for a new racquet

If you don’t have an RDC, you probably won’t notice the gradual degradation of your racquet frame. Still, other things may indicate that they need to be replaced. As you play hard courts, the outer portion of the frame will gradually wear out as it gets scraped across the court every time you retrieve a low ball.

This is easy to spot and if the wear is significant then it is likely that your racquet’s weight, balance and stiffness have changed and it is more likely to break. Even worse is the dreaded crack. If you discover a crack in your frame, it will no longer function as it used to and you will need to replace it immediately.

Should you switch clubs even if they’re still good?

As you are young and getting bigger and stronger you may need to switch to a heavier racquet even if the one you have is in good condition. Serious adult players need to change racquets regularly to avoid the effect of gradual loss of frame stiffness, even if the racquets still look good. For club players, your racket should last for several years: if it suits you, there is little point in going through the hassle of changing it frequently.

Final Thoughts

Take care of your racquets, find a good stringer and you’ll put them to good use. Beware of gradual deterioration, but you won’t benefit from changing your racquet just to get the latest style.

Wouldn’t it be a total disaster if, after proudly stringing your first racquet, you found that you were about to fail trying to weave and knot your final cross…which means you’re starting over have to. A complete waste of time of course! So is there a way to know how much cord you specifically need? Luckily there is (and also a rule of thumb).

You need about 12 meters of string to properly strung a tennis racquet with some slack. For a badminton racket, you actually need a little less string at around 11 meters. Last but not least, and in this case the least, for a squash racquet you need about 10 meters of string. The main reason we included some leeway in these numbers is that some stringing machines have tensioning mechanisms that require a bit more. To tie a proper tie-off knot, you should also be on the safe side of average numbers.

Of course, the numbers above are averages with some margin, and actual numbers will vary by racquet brand and racquet type. However as you become a more experienced stringer you will probably want to start reducing some of these numbers as you will find that you will find it easier to navigate different machines and thus know what to expect with each machine. In this post I am going to explain some things in more detail to help you on your way to become aware of some common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

The string length you need to string a tennis racquet

The string length you need to string a tennis racquet depends on the particular model you want to string. Of course, there are oversized racquets, or racquets with really small head sizes, like Pete Sampras’ Wilson Pro Staff 85. There are also string patterns designed for control (18×20) or for increasing your spin potential (16×19), different ones Stringing patterns (squash players call them “power fans”) or special requests from your customers such as hybrid stringing or two-piece stringing. Even your own machine may require a little more or a little less. This is usually just a matter of testing.

Luckily, there are some rules of thumb that may help a little. A tennis racquet requires approximately 40 feet of twine string or 4 knots to tie off. With a one-piece string, you can use the same thing, but you just have a little more wiggle room. Some stringing machines come with a tape measure, but most don’t. Of course, you can also add a self-adhesive tape measure to your workbench or machine so you can easily measure the string. One tape measure I really like is the Win Tape Workbench Ruler (link to check current price on Amazon) because it only measures about a meter, making it easy and accurate to measure line.

Stringers often have other tricks for doing this, such as measuring the total span of the torso and then calculating back how many spans it takes to do 40 feet.

My personal rule of thumb for tennis string measurement

I usually only consider regular clubhead sizes up to 645 square centimeters (or 100 square inches) and those larger, oversized. For regular head sizes I measure 17.5 times the length of a racquet and for oversized frames I use 18 just to give myself some wiggle room. In fact, I’ve strung thousands of racquets this way and never encountered such a problem.

Here are some popular models with recommended string lengths.

Frame length – meters SS (short side) – meters 2 pieces M X C (longitudinal x cross) blade 98 16×19 11.1 3.1 6×5.1 Pure Aero Tour 11.9 3 6.1×5.8 Pure drive 11.7 3.3 6×5.7 Head Flexpoint Radical Tour 11.7 3 6×5.1 Average 11.6 3.1 6×5.4

The length of string you need to string a badminton racquet

A string for a badminton racquet largely follows the theory mentioned above, but the string patterns vary a bit. The usual pattern is 22 verticals and 22 crosses.

Frame length – meters SS (short side) – meters 2 pieces M X C (longitudinal x cross) Yonex Voltric 3 5.1×4.8 Yonex Arc Saber 7 5.1×4.8 Prince Hornet 5.7×5.1 Wilson BLX Force 9.9 2.7 5.4×4.5 Average – – 5.3×4.8

The string length you need to string a squash racquet

Squash racquets require the shortest string length. Here are some popular models and actual recommended lengths.

Frame length – meters SS (short side) – meters 2 pieces M X C (longitudinal x transverse) Tecnifibre Carboflex Basaltex 130 9.0 2.6 4.6×3.4 Head Metallix 140 8.1 2.3 4.5×3 , 4 Dunlop Biomimetic Max 9.1 2.6 5.2×4.3 Wilson Blade BLX 10.7 2.7 5.5×5.2 Average 9.2 2.6 5×4.1

The Difference Between a “Set” and a “Reel” or “Spool”

All right, so what to do with those numbers? You may be wondering why this even raises a question as you may have bought all your strings from your local store and feel that they should probably always come with enough strings. And you may wish to do so in the future. However, did you know that you can actually save a lot of money if you’re willing to buy your strings in bulk?

In fact, strings have long been available in 12 meter “sets” or in 100 or 200 meter “rolls”. Of course, 200 yards will feel like a huge number, especially if you’re just looking to replace your current string, but buying a string might actually be an interesting option for you depending on how often you play (and how often your strings break). Personally, I was able to save a lot of money by purchasing one of my favorite strings, the Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.28m 200m (link to check current price on Amazon) on a 200m reel.

If you divide 200 yards by 12 yards, you know you can string about 17 racquets to a reel. If you know or can estimate how often your strings break (or just want to replace them) you can tell if this is an investment for you. Let’s try an example with one of the strings I’ve sold the most in my shop: the Babolat RPM Blast 1.25 (link to check current price on Amazon). This string costs about 17.99 euros (or $17.95) a set and 101.99 (or $158) a roll (of 200 meters) – at the time of writing this post.

Let’s split that up and come up with a purchase price of 5.66 euros per racket. You save more than 12 euros with every newly strung racket! And a total saving of over 200 euros! Not bad for a quick calculation…

For whom could roles be interesting?

Well, wait a minute… please don’t rush to the store right away to get your first roll. Let’s pause for a moment and consider who might actually be interested in this. Not sure about your current setup and string choice? Then I would definitely advise you to continue buying sets during the experimentation phase. If you don’t like the next string you test, just move on to the next one. Also, you may find that when you change strings, you suddenly don’t experience as much string breakage. Finally, I know from experience that string reels can dry out over time, especially if you store the reels in a warm and sunny storage area. This can ultimately lead to premature string breakage, even during stringing. I think you should aim to use up your entire inventory within a season or two or three.

On the other hand, are you a real string breaker? A power player? A real combination of Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal? Have you tested some strings and are you satisfied with your current setup? Then it would be crazy not to buy strings off the reel! You would actually be stealing money from yourself! Well, no, but you’ll get the idea… Also, you’ll often find that you can even save a bit if you can even buy a few rolls at once. However, not every company offers these discounts and always keep the above safety precautions in mind.

Measuring means knowing for sure

Of course, we stringers make an art of tweaking with our savings, and with good reason. But you can do this. The rules of thumb are good to get you started, but you’ll find that this can depend a bit on your specific stringing technique (one-piece vs. two-piece stringing, worldwide). One tip is to take a few notes about your work as you string. I did that too when I started. You’ll probably start with just a few clubs so you can keep track. You can do this in a simple notebook, excel sheet or just write it down on some sticky labels and stick it on the racquet and also write down some additional information like string type and preferred racquet tension. I found these waterproof kitchen labels (link to check current price on Amazon) but you can easily find ones that work for you with a little searching. Of course, if you’re stringing a racquet for customers, you should check with them to see if adding a label will work for them.

As a final thought, I just want to stress that it’s not really a problem to make a few mistakes here and there. Just remember that if you string yourself and buy your strings in bulk, you’re already saving enough to cover some minor losses. Losing a bit, when stringing and in racquet sports, is simply part of life.

So what about you? Ever run out of thread in your final weave? And how do you prevent it from happening again? Please let us know by leaving a comment below and help your fellow stringers with your experience.

Behind the glitz and glamor of the US Open, 16 strangers from around the world busily string racquets for the world’s best players in a packed room at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. As the “official stringer of the U.S. Open, Wilson Sporting Goods is tasked with stringing racquets for everyone from Roger Federer to Serena Williams.

“Most guys in this room are going to string 35 to 40 racquets a day,” said Todd Mobley, an Atlanta stringer who is on his 8th U.S. Open works.

Becoming a Wilson stringer at the tournament is no easy task. Stringers are selected from all over the world and even come from Japan, Australia and Argentina.

The stringing process takes approximately 15 minutes per racquet and is then stamped with the famous Wilson logo and returned to players. In a pinch, stringers say they can string a racquet in as little as 11 minutes. They expect to set a record this year and string 500 racquets in one day.

Jessica Gold | CNBC

Rule of Thumb – Well, you may have heard the rule of thumb that says you should restring your racquet as many times per year as you play per week. So if you play three times a week you should restring about three times a year. I think that’s probably a pretty good rule, and if you don’t want to think too much about re-stringing or aren’t even sure when you last re-stringed your racquet, you can follow this rule and it’s good. Instead, here are some other pointers to look for and watch out for in order to know when to restring a tennis racquet:

String Appearance – The easiest way to know when it’s time to tighten is to notice how your strings look. If your strings are fraying or looking ragged, the strings will start to loosen and you won’t get as much spin or power when you hit the ball. If your strings are looking scratchy, it’s definitely time to re-string them.

The Sound of Hitting the Ball – If you find that the sound of hitting the ball is not normal or familiar, it may be time to re-string the string. As your strings wear out, they won’t be as springy, and you may only notice this at first by a change in the tone of your hits.

The Feeling When You Hit the Ball – As your worn strings lose or have lost their elasticity, you may notice a dull or dead feeling when you hit the ball. The ball just doesn’t bounce off your racquet like you’re used to, especially on your groundstrokes. You may feel like you have to hit the ball harder just to get it to go the same distance as it used to.

Time Since Last Stringing – You may feel like you need to re-string just because it’s been so long since your racquet had new strings. This could be especially the case with a racquet you haven’t played with in a long time. And while the strings on this racquet look good, you’ll benefit so much from new bouncy strings that it might be worth the reasonable cost.

Well if you’ve decided, hey, it’s time to re-string but aren’t sure how to go about it, speak to Matt for more information

By: Tim Hahn, Owner of Aspen Hill Pro Shop

As a general rule, you should re-string as many times per year as you play per week. If you play twice a week, you should restring your racquet twice a year. All strings will gradually stretch and lose tension or go dead, even if you rarely play. When this happens, start swinging harder, gripping the racquet tighter to get the same results with the ball.

Swinging harder and gripping tighter makes control more difficult, fatigue sets in early and can even contribute to tennis elbow. fresh strings will help your racquet play the way it was intended. If you have questions about racquets or re-stringing please visit the Aspen Hill Pro Shop. Tim will be happy to help you. Tim is a member of USRSA, a Master Racket

Technicians, the Yonex National Stringing Team, and the USPTR.

One of the most common questions asked about tennis players’ equipment focuses specifically on the cost of the racquets they use. So how much do the racquets used by the sport’s top players cost? The cost depends not only on the player, but also on the characteristics of the racket.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray use Head racquets, which cost between 250 and 280 euros or about 307 to 344 US dollars. Roger Federer’s, Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph costs about €270 or about $344. Mike and Bob Bryan use Prince clubs.

Aljaz Bedene uses Tecnifibre while Tommy Robredo uses Dunlop. David Ferrer has changed several companies in his long career. Having previously used Prince and Babolat, he now uses Wilson. ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: ‘Let’s talk tennis, not Cristiano Ronaldo’