Off Topic All About Tennis String

Strings is the most important thing in a tennis racquet because how can you play if you don’t have a string in your racquet but one more question lies on this is what is the perfect string tension to use to maximize your play.

Strings are the Soul of a Racquet. We may always hear this line because it is somehow true. Strings may be the soul but to many players they are just an afterthought. Players will spend weeks and months demoing racquets yet only minutes choosing a string, the very thing which makes contact with the ball and greatly determines what the players feels. 

Here are a few guidelines to make your string and tension selection easier;

Durability

Unfortunately, increased durability in tennis strings usually at the expense of playability, especially on shorter strokes which feel stiff. Thigh gauge and abrasion resistant materials are more durable, but less elastic and resilient than thinner ones. For the advanced (5.0+) players who blows through the strings of 16 gauge caliber, maybe you should try using a Kevlar hybrid, which is the end of the road for chronic string breakers. 

Playability

A playable string is one that is gut-like in its feel and resilience, the gut that are natural is the only string made from a natural product, thin ribbons made from beef intestines, which when twisted into a tennis string that can create a comfortably crisp feel that is simple unmatched. Most of you would agree that no other string material can quite match the sublime feel and response of the natural gut.

String Gauge

Thinner strings offer improved playability while thicker strings offer enhanced durability. Tennis string gauges range from 15 to 19. See table below for more information;

String Gauges and Diameters in millimeters

15 = 1.41-1.49mm

15L = 1.34-1.40mm

16 = 1.26-1.33mm

16L = 1.22-1.26mm

17 = 1.20-1.24mm

17L = 1.16-1.20mm

18 = 1.10-1.16mm

19 = 1.00-1.10mm

Materials

Nylon – Synthetic gut delivers a good combination of playability and durability at a great price. In the old days, any self-respecting player used natural gut.

Natural Gut – The ultimate in playability, feel and tension maintenance. Often overlooked due to its cost, natural gut is the best choice for players with arm injuries or problems or those who crave its sublime, comfortably crisp-feel.

Polyester – It is the number one choice on the pro tour because it allows advanced ball strikers to maintain surgical control on their fastest, most aggressive strokes. The stroke speed enabled by polyester also translated into categorically higher level of spin that advance players are normally hitting.

Kevlar – This is the far most durable string available. Kevlar is stiff and strings are up very tight. Therefore it is usually combines with a soft nylon cross to reduce stringbed stiffness. These Kevlars are for advanced players because it doesn’t have the comfortability of other materials so this is for the players who have an amazing control on their shots. This is not recommended for beginners or players with arm injuries.

Know this things before you actually buy your racquet on your favorite tennis shop, because it is the player’s responsibility to find the perfect string and string tension for his/her racquet. Know this things to be able to find the best tennis racquet string for you to maximize your gameplay and to use the full potential of a racquet.