Restringing Rackets Near Me? The 68 Latest Answer

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 110,450 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!

How often should you change tennis strings?

One of the most common questions about tennis strings is how often they should be replaced. It’s a great question that many players don’t pay much attention to. The truth is, strings wear out as you play, losing their elasticity and tension. If left unchanged for too long, they can negatively affect your performance. The first question is: what level are you playing at? If you are a beginner you will tolerate a greater change in string tension than an advanced player. This is because beginners hardly notice any change in string gauge. So if you’re just starting out, a two-month extension might be the right amount of time for you. However, if you’ve been playing for a while, I advise you to change the tension when you step onto the court. Here are some of the top reasons why you should re-string your tennis racquet regularly.

loss of voltage

The first and most obvious reason to replace your tennis strings is that they lose tension over time. The longer the tension in the rocket, the less force tensioning its strings. String tension decreases fastest within the first hour after stretching, and continues to decrease without a single pull. The process speeds up significantly as you start playing the court, hitting the ball repeatedly and increasing the forces on the strings. As a result, after 2 months your strings will have probably lost half of their initial tension. If it’s a single core polyester string, it’s probably even more. The exception is natural gut, which performs best in this regard because it remains flexible and holds tension for a very long time. Before you return to the court, you should replace your strings. If you are serious about your game, re-stretch your racquet regularly every 10 to 15 hours of play when using polyester. You can add a few more hours if you use nylon or multi-fiber strings. When you consider how much money you’re willing to spend on tennis, the following rule of thumb is a safe bet: racquet strings should be changed as many times a year as you play tennis per week. Unless they break sooner.

string performance

When your strings are dead, they begin to lose the performance characteristics you might have originally bought them for.

For example, polyester strings can help a player maximize their topspin potential. However, when they lose their tension, they also lose their elasticity and impact, which is part of how they help players generate topspin. Tension is important for control and impact resistance, elasticity and resistance to tension. By reducing the pulling force, the train dampens vibrations better and becomes more flexible. A “trampoline effect” is created, which simultaneously increases power and reduces control. An increase in power causes back reactions.

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Live out of town and need your tennis racket re-strung? Send it to our expert stringers at Tennis Express! Our mail order racquet stringing service is easy to use and less hassle than visiting a nearby store. All of our stringers are USRSA certified Master Racquet Technicians and will take great care of your racquet. Here are the steps to get started:

How it works

Add this item to your cart and select your string and tension.

Print out the order confirmation and place it in your shipping carton.

Ship to the following address: Tennis Express, Attn: Mail-in Stringing Service, 10770 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77042

Clubs will be returned via air freight within 2 days unless located outside of the contiguous 48 states or otherwise noted.

We aim to return your strung racquet within 36 hours of receipt.

You can also order additional goods to be shipped with your restring order. Tennis Express will wait for the restring to be mailed in and will ship the requested additional goods in one shipment when the restring is complete.

For more information on our racquet stringing service, please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-713-435-4826 or email t[email protected]. Please note that there is an additional $8.99 fee for shipping racquets with a Tennis Express return label.

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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.

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.

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

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

Badminton racquets become unusable when their strings are broken, damaged, or have no tension. A racquet can be damaged through normal wear and tear. Hand stringing a badminton racquet is safe and does not require any special machines or tools. To get a racquet ready to play again, all you need is a racquet frame, undamaged strings and patience!

Recreational badminton players can get back on the court without spending money on a new racquet or professional stringing services.

String tension is the amount of pressure that attaches the strings to the frame of the racquet and is measured in either lbs or kg. It always pays to be clear with your stringer about your preferred unit of measure rather than just saying a number! However, most stringers will automatically assume you mean lbs. Typical tensions range from about 40 to 65 pounds, but most players’ tensions fall well within this range of extremes! In general, professional stringers advise players to string their racquets as low as possible while still maintaining control of the ball. With that in mind, let’s first take a look at low voltages.

Low String Tension Low string tension is somewhere between about 40 and 50 pounds. There are of course exceptions; some players even go under 40 pounds! That end of the spectrum is pretty much trampoline territory and we’ll get to that later! But first, let’s set out some facts. Stringing your racquet low tension will give you: MORE power MORE SPIN LESS control MORE durability MORE FEEL MORE COMFORT Before committing to string tension it is important to consider what you are looking for in your game and how you want your racquet to perform corresponding. For example, a strong, powerful player wielding a sledgehammer or a racquet would most likely choose a higher tension rather than a low tension. Why? They already have a lot of natural power of their own, so an extra boost of power by reducing the tension and thus the elastic trampoline effect of the string would likely send the ball over the back fence! In contrast, a player who isn’t as strong – let’s say your lower-level club player – could benefit tremendously from low string tension. Since her strokes are not yet fully developed enough to access true power, this choice of tension would provide a welcome boost in mph! Another factor to consider is how you want your racquet to perform in terms of feel. Players with wrist and arm injury problems should avoid high tension and instead try to string their racquets lower. This provides more comfort and also enlarges the sweet spot, which improves the feel – an added bonus! Touch-style players will love the pocketing effect of lower tension, while a powerhouse player will most likely hate it and crave control. Think McEnroe and Roddick! John cocked low and Andy cocked high! Stringing your tennis racquet with low tension will also give the ball more spin, which is great news if you love hitting a heavy ball! This happens because the ball can penetrate deep into the string bed; The increased elastic effect causes a greater snap-back effect on the stringbed, allowing the ball to bounce back at a greater RPM than higher tension.

High String Tension High string tension is between about 55 lbs and 65 lbs. Similar to what we talked about in the low voltage section, there are exceptions here too – some players opt for even higher voltages! However, unless you want an injury to come your way, we wouldn’t advise going over 60lbs. If you have to string your racquet that tightly, unless it’s natural gut, you lose a lot of the characteristics of that particular string. In that case, it would be far better to re-evaluate your choice of strings or even your racquet. Generally, between 55lbs and 60lbs would be an excellent choice for higher tension. This still gives you access to power, but also offers a lot of control. Here are some of the pros and cons of stringing your tennis racquet under high tension: LESS power LESS spin MORE control LESS durability LESS feel LESS comfort You may be looking at this list and thinking, what’s the point? You are absolutely right to think so, as there is certainly a lot of “LESS” to it! However, as we mentioned earlier, high stringing is only for one type of player. When we talk about a polyester string, that’s the really strong, probably big, powerhouse, aggressive baseline player like Del Potro who just wants ultimate control from his racquet and string. Since he can hit his forehand bigger than most people can handle, any additional power delivered by his equipment would have diminishing returns and actually cause him to lose consistency. Del Potro wants his balls to end up in court; Don’t burn a hole through the back fence without hopping! One disadvantage of stringing really high is that you will lose a lot of the string’s elasticity. At TheTennisBros.com, we believe that a tension in excess of 60 pounds on a polyester string can affect its properties and consequently affect a player’s performance. The comfort will also be pretty horrendous unless you’re used to the feeling of hitting a wooden board! Poor comfort almost always goes hand in hand with injuries. So unless you have wrists of steel and are not physically conditioned appropriately, consider carefully whether stringing high with a polyester string is the way forward for you.

Multiple Racquets When you turn on tennis on the TV, you don’t have to watch long to see a player swapping one racquet for another in his pocket. Some players do it with every rally (Federer), some less often. You might think that’s because the pros’ strings break so often, but that’s not the case. It is often due to the fact that the string tension decreases during point play. In a matchplay scenario, a ball that had previously landed 10cm before the loss of tension would suddenly no longer land 10cm outside. With the pros struggling with such fine margins in their rallies, it’s crucial to maintain perfect precision (as good as possible) throughout a game. Federer usually changes racquets so often to prevent this loss of tension. There is another reason for this. Stringing multiple racquets (8-12 for pros) at different tensions ensures you have the right setup for the conditions you’ll be facing that day. If the weather is boiling hot they would use a higher voltage. On a sunny day, the air inside the ball becomes warm and the ball’s speed is much greater than on a cooler day. On a very cold day, players will use less tension than usual to compensate for the drop in ball speed. The third reason for multiple racquets is that a player can adapt depending on how he’s hitting the ball that day without having to manipulate his technique. It’s biomechanically impossible to do exactly the same moves every day, down to the decimal point of the joint angle! You’ve probably experienced this yourself. Some days you might hit the ball very well, but for some reason the ball only goes a foot. In this situation, you could simply take another racquet out of your bag that is strung at a higher tension than the one you are using and that would solve the problem and allow the ball to dive into the court. We are aware that this would require enormous costs! Only the pros really tend to use multiple rest strings a day. However, what’s stopping you from carrying an extra racquet or two in your bag, strung higher and lower?

Finding the Right String Tension for You The right string tension for a player can vary tremendously from person to person. We wouldn’t recommend looking up what the pro players are using and copying that unless you have flawless mechanics and know, for example, the exact custom racquet specs that Nadal uses. But even then, everyone has different preferences. For the average player, we’d personally recommend starting in your low to mid 50’s and seeing how that feels. Let’s say 53 pounds for the sake of argument. Also, if you know you prefer slightly lower tension, remember that the tension loss will happen fairly quickly and 53 pounds will turn into 48 pounds before you know it! Some strings hold tension better than others, but all strings eventually lose tension. How close you get to your preferred number depends on how often you are willing to string your racquets. Some players will have a batch freshly strung every day and others every 2 months or even less frequently.

String Tension by Type There is a stark contrast between the different types of strings out there, and each needs to be strung at a different tension than the other. For example, the most popular string on and off tour today is the co-polyester string. For example Babolat RPM Blast or Luxilon Alu Power. These are stiff, low power strings designed for control so we would need to string them lower than a resilient multifilament string as they don’t have much power from the start and are extremely uncomfortable at high tensions. Anywhere in the 48-58 lbs range would be an excellent tension choice for a polyester string. On the other hand, we have natural gut strings. These are the highest performing strings in the world and can really get your shot some miles per hour. Whether you use these in a full bed or half bed of strings, you’ll need to string them higher to tame some of their extreme elasticity. A good recommended tension for a natural gut or multifilament string is between 55 and 62 lbs.

Racket String Tension This point really made me smile as I’ve done some stupid things in the past when it comes to this aspect! I remember earlier in my tennis development being obsessed with generating as much power as possible and ended up putting natural gut in a 46lb Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus! It was a recipe for disaster. Not only was the gut string a bad choice for the racquet and my game, the racquet itself is an absolute rocket launcher. Needless to say, I decided to string the racquet differently pretty quickly! Always consider your racquet when deciding on string tension. If you have a strong racquet, string higher to dilute some of the racquet’s power and maintain control of the ball. If you have a low-impact racquet, try stringing it a little looser. If you’re in a situation where you’re using a low-powered racquet and a high-powered string, you’ll find a good middle ground.

Exceptions I thought we could end this article with some fun facts! I’ve given you some useful guidelines to follow the next time you get your racquet strung, but there are always some that don’t quite fit the bill. Pete Sampras strung his legendary black Wilson Pro Staff at a whopping 70lbs! That’s enough strain to crack the frame! No wonder he broke so many strings during games! Obviously this worked for Pete, so you would never change what he did. The other thing to consider is that polyester strings hadn’t been invented at the time, so players were trying to find other ways to tame the power of natural gut. At the other end of the spectrum is American Jack Sock. If you’ve seen this guy play before, you’ll quickly realize that he has an incredibly heavy forehand – it’s one of the strongest weapons on tour. Just as incredible, Jack strings his Babolat Pure Aero at 40lbs, sometimes going as high as 38lbs! I know if I tried this tension I’d probably hate it, but it works really well for Jack and definitely adds spin to his already heavy forehand. That low tension would never work for natural gut as the racquet would knock the ball out of the park, but Mr. Sock uses a tough polyester string – Luxilon Alu Power, which helps balance the power level. He’s also very wrist oriented, using a full western grip that lends itself to finer ball contact. Clearly he’s found a way to combine his power, spin and low tension “through the court” to tremendous effect. However, don’t attempt these at home unless you’re feeling brave!

At what tension should you string your tennis racket?

When it comes to choosing your tennis racquet of choice, a lot boils down to personal preference and feel.

One area where this is certainly the case is in string tension since there are so many permutations of both the type of tennis string you use and the tension you strung it at.

The Pro Tour amplifies this further, as if you’ve ever seen behind the scenes in the stringing room of a major tournament; You will see that string tension requests from players vary widely.

Some ATP players string in the 30lb range, while others are as high as 70lbs. The others find themselves somewhere in the middle.

But how do you find the right tension? How does string tension affect the racket and your game? Let’s take a look.

A quick introduction to string tension

Whenever a tennis racquet is strung, either at the factory to be sold as a pre-strung frame or by your local stringer, a certain tension is applied to both the cross and main strings.

This tension measures the weight applied to the string as it is pulled through the racquet by the stringing machine and is expressed in either kilograms or pounds.

Before stringing begins, a racquet technician adjusts the stringing machine to the required tension. Usually specific to the player’s requirements or in the middle of the range recommended for the racquet if unsure.

As the stringer begins to pull strings through the frame, the machine tightens each string to the appropriate tension.

While I won’t go into detail about the different types of stringing machines and their effectiveness, it’s worth noting that although a calibrated machine will tension a string at the predetermined tension, the actual tension of the finished racquet will typically be slightly lower due to slight loss of tension during the racquet installation.

Loss of tension can result from friction when pulling cross strings, slippage in clamps, and tying knots after work is complete.

What are some typical voltage ranges?

All tennis racquets come with a string range recommended by the manufacturer. This is both for optimal performance and to ensure you don’t over-stretch which will severely deform or even tear the frame.

You can see the tension ranges for five racquets listed in my guide to the best tennis racquets and they all fall in a very similar range:

How does string tension affect the racket?

From a physical point of view, string tension affects two variables:

dwell time

coefficient of restitution

Dwell time is the time the ball stays on the strings. The coefficient of restitution measures the resilience of the impact between ball and racquet (higher COR means more resilience (liveliness).

These in turn affect how a player feels in terms of power, control and stress on the body. But there’s no really exact science here as to what’s best, as it boils down to personal preference.

For one, the relationship between string tension and coefficient of restitution is not linear, especially with different racquet head sizes, which is why you see some stringers string at 70lbs and others at 40lbs.

Lower string tension

The lower the string tension, the longer the hold time. As a result, an increase in strength is achieved through the so-called trampoline effect and more energy is returned to the ball. While negligible in terms of pure mph, it does result in the ball landing lower in court than an identical shot played at a higher tension.

It also increases comfort due to a reduction in stringbed stiffness, which affects the torque and vibrations felt by the wrist, elbow and shoulder.

Lower voltages give you:

More power (or depth)

More comfort

More durability (although not always the case)

more feeling

But on the other side:

less control

Higher string tensions

While the general principle that lower string tension gives more power is fairly easy to prove, the claim that higher string tension gives more control is more difficult to explain. Is it because higher strings facilitate spin? Or simply the fact that players have to swing harder (which in turn generates more spin) to hit with sufficient depth when their racquets are strung tighter?

As always, there’s certainly plenty of anecdotal evidence that players have more control when using high string tension, and there’s probably enough of it to say yes, higher string tension creates more control.

This study by Dr. Simon Goodwill has some interesting insights, but from the other pieces we can piece together, a tight racquet flattens the ball, making topspin easier to generate.

This is especially true in smaller head sizes, as an off-center hit will deform the string bed less than in a larger head size racquet. Pete Sampras is a good exponent of this; He was able to generate amazing topspin on his second serve with his heavy, 85 square inch racquet that was tightly strung (75 lbs 😲).

Ultimately, spin gives more control, and more spin is possible with tight strings.

Higher voltages give you:

More control

More spin

But on the other side:

Less durability

Less power

Less comfort

Side note: Polyester strings like Babolat RPM Blast, strung at a lower tension, produce snapback which also affects topspin.

string tension and durability

Another area where string tension and its relationship to the racquet is not well defined is its impact on durability. Does high voltage increase durability? Or does low tension prevent the string from being stretched beyond its limits and thereby last longer?

The general thinking is that lower tensions allow the strings to move more freely and notch each other faster. That’s true for certain strings, but from my experience it’s not a golden rule.

A lot of this depends on the type of string and whether it’s a hybrid setup. Polyester strings, for example, tend to last much longer at lower tensions.

From personal experience, strings still move freely at higher tensions, which combined with the increased friction, can lead to earlier breakage than lower tensions.

My advice is to not let durability play a big part in the string tension you choose. If durability is an issue, think more about the type of string you’re using rather than focusing on tension.

What String Tension Should You Choose?

Before you decide on string tension, you ideally want to know what you’re looking for in your game and how you want your racquet to perform accordingly.

For example, if you are physically strong and wield a sledgehammer-type racquet like Stan Wawrinka, then you would most likely string at high tension rather than low tension. Chances are you don’t need an extra boost of power by lowering the tension just to see the trampoline effect send the ball into the fence.

On the other hand, a player who isn’t as strong or an older player who wants some free power out of the racquet could benefit tremendously from a power-oriented string with low tension.

It’s best to experiment and find a good starting point in the middle of the manufacturer’s recommended range.

So if you have a Pure Strike that recommends between 52 and 62 lbs, string it at 57 lbs. However, there are a few more recommendations below depending on what type of string you are using.

Synthetic Gut, Natural Gut, or Multifilament String: Start in the middle (or 2 pounds above) of the recommended tension range printed on your racquet.

Polyester or Kevlar: String 2 lbs below the middle of the recommended tension range printed on your racquet.

Once you have a baseline, you can experiment more if you feel something wasn’t quite right.

Try not to make drastic changes, such as For example, stringing with the loosest tension or going super high if the middle of the range doesn’t feel right.

Subtle adjustments are more likely to help you find the right tension, while drastic changes can often leave you even more confused about what works and what doesn’t.

If you have two matching racquets, you can even experiment with slightly different stringings right from the start. However, make sure you have the same string in both racquets and string them at the same time.

String tension and arm problems

As mentioned above, reducing string tension means a racquet is more comfortable to play due to the reduced stiffness of the string bed.

So if you suffer from wrist, elbow or shoulder problems, relieving tension can be a quick fix to rest your arm.

If you’ve just developed a twinge in your arm, adjusting the tension would be my first port of call.

Over the years I’ve heard of players seeing instant results without having to make extensive changes to their gear. Anything from a slight drop in tension to more frequent re-stringing as the strings lose their properties over time.

If your problems persist, the type of string and the racquet itself (stiffness, balance, weight and grip strength can be factors) play a role in comfort, so you may need to make major changes.

Some strings good for arm-friendliness are natural gut, like Babolat VS Touch, and some soft multifilaments that offer comparable comfort, like Tecnifibre X-One Biphase.

Should I string my racquets at different tensions?

Suppose you are a player who plays in league tennis or in competition. Chances are you’ll bring multiple thugs to court. Many players carry at least two, but it’s not uncommon to see four, five, or six racquets in someone’s bag.

The main reason for this is when a player breaks a string; It’s not just game over. However, many players choose to string some of their racquets a few kilograms or pounds tighter for more control, or less when they feel they need more power.

It can be down to the opponent, how he’s feeling that day, or the conditions.

The following video from Tennis Spin is a good explanation of why a player can carry four racquets with different tensions:

How the climate influences the choice of string tension

Outdoors or indoors, dry or humid climates all affect how the ball responds through the air and off the string. Depending on the climate, this can either slow down or speed up the ball, so it can be worth tinkering with the tension to suit the conditions.

For most players this is the case when they go indoor for winter tennis where the elements are not in play and you generally experience a faster game. Many players prefer to string a few pounds higher indoors for more control.

Also remember that the types of strings you use can react differently to weather and temperature changes. Natural casings, for example, suffer from air and weather humidity just as much as multifilament.

Polyesters suffer more in colder temperatures. A stiff string plus a cold ball makes it difficult to accelerate the ball. If you’ve ever played outside on a winter’s day, you’ll find that the balls feel utterly lifeless.

string tension and the court surface

The court surface you play on should also play a role in the tension you choose. For example, on the Pro Tour, most pro players adjust their string tension by dropping 2 to 4 lbs as they move into the clay season.

On clay, the ball absorbs the dust and is heavier, while on hard indoor courts, for example, the felt wears out quickly and the ball becomes smoother and lighter and faster over time.

In general, on slower surfaces, it’s advisable to drop the tension by a few pounds to compensate for the heaviness of the ball, the slowdown in play, and the fact that it takes more effort to hit winners. During the transition to a faster surface or indoors, you’ll want to add back the pounds you shed on clay to regain control.

loss of voltage

Once a racquet is strung, it loses tension before it even comes close to a tennis ball. It is said that strings can lose up to 10% in 24 hours.

So if you’re stringing at 55lbs but plan on not using your racquet for a week, it will have lost quite a bit of tension by the time you play.

If you played amazing, you might think 55lbs is the sweet spot. So you string again at 55lbs only this time you play the same day but you feel underpowered as the tension loss is not that significant.

For this reason, some players ask their racquet stringers to string their racquets at designated times prior to Pro Tour games. For example, Priority 1’s Ron Yu will try to keep the timing consistent throughout the tournament.

So if Federer plays the night session from 8 p.m., Yu could string 5 hours before the game. If he wins and Federer started at 12:00 the next day, Yu would get up at 5:00 to maintain that consistency.

Another way to avoid some loss of tension is to pre-stretch the strings before stringing. Federer has pre-stretched his cord, and this is done by looping the cord around a sort of door handle and then tightening it with your body weight.

Finally, each type of string loses tension at a different rate, with some like natural gut and multifilament strings tending to be better at maintaining tension. In contrast, polyester strings typically don’t perform as well at maintaining tension.

Personally, if I know I won’t be using the racquet for a few days and don’t feel like re-stringing it for a few weeks, I push the tension up a few pounds over time. I hit with it, it’s not dropped far below the tension I like.

What string tension do the pros use?

Are you interested in the string tension of some professionals? I’ve compiled a selection below to show how some of them differ.

Remember:

Most pros vary their tension slightly depending on the conditions, as we discussed above.

Pros often use pro racquets that don’t meet the specifications of the frame they recommend, so you can’t easily copy their tension. Even Roger Federer’s racquet, which is virtually identical to the commercially available RF97, has a few improvements such as: B. Power Pads that slightly lengthen the main strings.

Roger Federer

Racquet Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Mains Wilson Natural Gut 16 Crosses Luxilon ALU Power Rough 17 Tension M: 27 kg / 59.5 lbs C: 25.5 kg / 56.2 lbs

I’ve also covered Roger Federer’s string tension in detail for those interested in some of his other string quirks.

Rafael Nadal

Racquet Babolat Pure Aero 2019 Mains Babolat RPM Blast 15 Cross Babolat RPM Blast 15 Tension M: 25 kg / 55 lbs C: 25 kg / 55 lbs

Novak Djokovic

Racquet head Graphene 360 ​​​​Radical Pro Mains Luxilon ALU Power 17 Ricochet Babolat VS Touch 17 Tension M: 29 kg / 63.9 lbs C: 28 kg / 61.7 lbs

Kei Nishikori

Racquet Wilson Ultra 95 Countervail Mains Wilson Natural Gut 16 Cross Luxilon Element 16 Tension M: 17.7 kg / 39 lbs C: 16.8 kg / 37 lbs

jack sock

Racquet Babolat Pure Aero VS Mains Luxilon ALU Power Rough 17 Cross Luxilon ALU Power Rough 15 Tension M: 15.9 kg / 35 lbs C: 15.9 kg / 35 lbs

Please note: I used the club names that players endorse, not the shapes they use. Djokovic doesn’t use a 100sqm frame when he plays; his voltage wouldn’t be the number I gave if he were.

How to check string tension

To check the tension in your racquet, there are a few tools on the market that can help. The first is a tool used prior to actual stringing and assumes you have a stringing machine.

This calibration tool fits your stringing machine and uses a spring to verify that you’re pulling the tension you set the machine to.

This is usually less of a problem on a constant pull electric machine, but it may be worth checking on crank machines as the springs weaken over time.

The second tool is a voltage test tool; These help technicians and players measure string tension after a racquet has been re-strung.

You can get analog devices, electrical devices, and even apps that work through acoustics. Some tools to try are:

Final Thoughts

Changing the string tension in your racquet can be a powerful tool for your game if done right, and that little bit of tweaking can help you find a winner when you need it, or a little more control to get into a rally to stay.

Just remember that changing tension isn’t a silver bullet and won’t fix any deficiencies in technique, fitness, or poor equipment choice in general.

After all, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to which voltage you should use. I would not recommend blindly copying the pro players unless you have impeccable hitting mechanics and have adjusted all your specs based on the pro stick frame.

I would suggest starting in the low to mid 50’s and seeing how that feels for the average club player. Just keep in mind that tension loss occurs fairly quickly and 55lbs will soon convert to 50lbs, so your preferred tension will depend on how often you are willing to restring your racquet.

Do you have questions about string tension or feel like you missed something or did something wrong? Let me know in the comments below.

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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.

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.