There is a lot more to tennis strings than meets the eye. After all, many people, when looking at a tennis racquet, see only the frame – and the frame is what these people spend most of their focus and money on. They might spend hours, days, weeks, months finding the perfect frame, and then neglect spending that much time picking out the right tennis strings and the right string tension – but tennis strings are extremely important!
In fact, tennis strings are key to how your tennis racquet performs. After all, while your racquet frame may affect the way in which you swing and where the ball will come into contact with the tennis racquet, the frame never actually touches the tennis ball (at least, it shouldn’t.) It is the tennis strings that come in contact with the ball. It is the tennis strings that are at the heart of the game – they are the heart of the racquet.
So, before you act like many other tennis players and simply neglect your tennis strings, here are a few things to consider and things that you should know about tennis strings:
Different tensions of your tennis strings can give you better control or power:
Control: use a higher string tension. (This is best for more experienced players).
Power: use a lower tennis string tension – this will make the tennis ball fly farther.
Other tennis string factors can affect the power and control that you will get with your swing, as well:
Control: for great control, use thicker tennis strings and greater string density.
Power: fewer strings means more power (this decreased string density also generally generates more spin). Thinner strings means more power. Elastic strings mean more power.
Strings with softer coating, soft tennis strings, will vibrate less.
Strings made with Kevlar or Kevlar hybrids last the longer than your average synthetic gut or nylon.
A lower tennis string tension will also help your strings last longer.
Having a lower string tension will also reduce the stress/impact on your arm when hitting the ball.
You should restring your racquet at least twice a year. If you play often, then you need to restring your racquet more often!
Natural gut tennis strings are still used today, and they are still good strings. Of course, it is generally more reasonable to choose tennis strings made out of synthetic gut, instead – they will last longer and be less affected by humidity, etc.
As you can see, there is much more to tennis strings than you might have thought. And if truth be told, this article is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tennis strings. This article is here merely to give you an idea as to what types of tennis string set-ups are available. Now you can go out and experiment and find the best tennis string tension, density, thickness, etc. for you.