Tennis
strings are as important as tennis rackets. Players always give much of
their attention towards buying a good racquet. Though you can buy a good
tennis racket but that racket without a set of quality strings will be a
useless one as it will not serve you in long run. The type of string and
its tension both are equally important and even more important than your
racket.String Materials
Strings may be made of only one material or may be mixture of two or more. Each type has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Basically four types of materials are in use with which string is made. They are:
- Natural gut
Natural gut, string made from animal intestines, is the perfect string for tennis players. They have the best feel among all strings and also provide good power. A fresh set of gut string can outrank any other string. They are helpful in limiting injuries like tennis elbow. Gut string maintain the high level performance all through the lifetime.
Even after having a lot of properties, guts aren't among the most used string. One of its main reason is that it is very costly compared to other strings. It doesn't last long. Exposure to the element can ruin it instantly. Water is the enemy of guts. It may destroy the gut. Humidity also affects it badly.
- Nylon
Nylon strings,also called synthetic guts, provide the natural feel and performance to players. It is the most used one among all strings and cost less than natural guts. Almost 9 out of 10 recreational players use it. They have a longer lifetime than natural gut but smaller than polyester & Kevlar. High-end nylons come easier on the arm even though they don't prevent from injuries as well as natural guts.
- Polyester
Polyester strings got more attention in 2000-2001, when a number of ATP players tried it in hopes of finding a better substitute to natural gut in terms of durability. They don't have the feel and power like gut & nylon. They come quite harsh on the arms and they don't possess much spin-potential. A racket tends to lose a little tension when it is strung with polyester strings. So you are advised to increase the tension about 3-5 pounds when adhering to polyester.
- Kevlar
Kevlar is very stiff and provides least possible power. But it is most durable string among all other materials. It use is very less and are advised to chronic string breakers. Its use man be harmful for your arms and wrist. Even though you want to persist with Kevlar, you are advised to drop about 10% of the tension to counter the added stiffness.
Thickness of strings are measured in gauze. Tennis string are found in different gauzes. Lower the gauze, thicker the string. Higher the gauze, thinner the string. The thickest string is 15 gauze which has a diameter of 1.41 to 1.49 millimeters. The thinnest string is 19 gauze which has a diameter of 1 to 1.1 millimeters. An L is used to denote half gauzes. For example, 16L is between 16 and 17. Thick strings last longer but have less feel and power. Thinner string possess enhanced spin potential.
Tension of String
Tension of strings play an important part in tennis. String tension is able to affect power, control and feel of each tennis player.
- Low tension string generate more power (when string movement does not occur).
- High tension string provide more control.
- More the elasticity of the string, more the loss of tension in the racquet after the string job.
| Low Tension | More Power | Less Control | Softer Feel | Reduces Injuries |
| High Tension | Less Power | More Control | Stiffer Feel | Invokes Injuries |
