Tennis Racket Strings
THE MAIN TYPES OF STRINGS
MONOFILAMENT STRING
The materials used are polyester or a mix of different materials (co-polyester). The advantage of tennis strings in monofilament is their durability, better ball control and improved spin. Monofilaments transfer more vibrations and shock to the racket than a multifilament. If you feel pain in your forearm, we advise you to switch to synthetic/multifilament or natural gut strings.
MULTIFILAMENT STRINGS
Multifilament strings have no central core, but are composed of hundreds or thousands of filaments braided together with a protective layer. The multifilament string will tend to break more easily with use. Multifilaments are the strings closest to natural gut and offer excellent comfort for players who suffer from muscle pain.
They offer great playability, good ball speed and absorb vibrations very well. The main disadvantage is their tendency to break more quickly than a monofilament. Monofilaments often tend to be more expensive, but are a cheaper alternative to natural gut.
HYBRID TENNIS STRING
Hybrids consist of two different tennis strings on the mains and crosses. The common use of a hybrid is to place the monofilament on the mains and the multifilament or gut on the crosses. The string set on the mains will generally dominate the hybrid setup and give control, lift and durability. The string on the crosses will offer more playability, comfort and power. The use of hybrids is a good alternative for players (over 13 years old) who break a lot. The lifespan of your tennis string will be increased. However, we advise you to string at very low tension to avoid pain in the forearm of a young player.
GUT STRING
Before the arrival of nylons and multifilaments, gut was the only tennis string available. Today, no string has better playability, power, comfort and feel. Gut remains the tennis string with the best performance. The price for natural gut is high.
GAUGE
The tennis gauge is measured by the diameter of the string and influences the playing behavior and the longevity of the string.
A THICK GAUGE:
– Offers more control
– Generates less spin
– Offers more durability
– Has less comfort
A THIN GAUGE:
– More power
– More spin
– Offers less durability
– Offers more comfort
– Has a faster loss of tension
TENSION
This is how tension affects your game:
Low tensions generate more power and high tensions offer more ball control.
WHICH TENSION TO CHOOSE ACCORDING TO THE STRING TYPE?
MONOFILAMENT (POLYESTER AND CO-POLYESTER)
The average tension of a monofilament is 23 kg. It is low below 21 kg and high above 25 kg. Above 26 kg, the string becomes particularly stiff and uncomfortable.
MULTIFILAMENT AND SYNTHETIC
The multifilament is in medium stretch at 25 kg. From 27 kg, the multifilament becomes stiff and loses its properties. At 22 kg and less, the tension is low and not recommended, lest you have an uncontrollable string.
GUT
Gut string is the softest string that exists. It is strung on average one kilogram more than a multifilament.
HIGH TENSION
A high tension is above 25 kg.
ADVANTAGES:
– Control
– Precision
– Durability
DISADVANTAGES:
– Less power
– Loss of spin speed
– More harmful vibrations
LOW TENSION
A low tension is below 22 kg.
– Energy
– Comfort
– Tolerance
– Spin speed
DISADVANTAGES:
– Loss of control
– Loss in durability