PRO SHOP

How many times a year should I restring?

Objectively, it’s a good idea to restring your racquet when the string tension has dropped 20-30%. A simpler guide is to restring the same number of times per year as you play per week. So if you play 4 times per week, you should restring 4 times per year. The United States Racquet Stringers Association recommends restringing your racquet at least twice per year.

When should you restring?

Touring pros restring every day. Recreational players restring anywhere from every three or four times they play to once a decade, or until the strings break. But the pros’ frequent restringing tells us something: String–especially fresh string–matters a lot. What possible difference could restringing your racket every day make?

Tennis string has an unfortunate property–beginning from the very second it is put into the racket, it loses tension. A racket strung at 60 pounds will most likely be at 50 pounds the next day, and tension continues to decline with every second and with every hit. Tension loss is the only physically significant process impacting your tennis racket (and string wear). This is why rackets need to be restrung.

To fully appreciate the benefits of fresh strings, you need to consider what tension loss does to racket performance.

More power, less control, change in stroke

As tension goes down, the strings stretch more upon impact. This cushions the ball’s landing, minimizing the squashing effect. When the ball flattens, it loses a lot of energy. So less squashing means more energy for rebound. The strings always return almost all the energy that goes into stretching them, whatever the tension. So power is all about what happens to the ball, not what happens to the strings.

Power is good if you want it, can control it, and know how much to expect from day to day. That is how you groove your stroke–by responding the same way to the same situation. But your strings deliver varying amounts of power from day to day and from hit to hit. This works against grooving anything. As you struggle to keep the ball in, you constantly change your stroke.

More dwell time, less control, change in stroke

When the strings stretch more, the ball stays on the strings longer. The increase is only a millisecond or two (depending on where on the racket you hit and how violent the impact, dwell time is typically 5 to 7 milliseconds).

During that extra millisecond, your racket will sweep through both a larger vertical and horizontal arc. This will launch the ball on a higher and more sideways trajectory than you are used to. The ball goes long and wide.

This, coupled with more ball speed from less ball squashing, is a double whammy. You can’t figure out what technical flaw has emerged in your stroke, and you begin to mess with perfectly good mechanics to fix your mysterious ailment.

Change in feel, feedback, and stroke

As strings lose tension, you may feel that the racket is “going dead,” “getting mushy” or “losing its punch.”

Obviously it is not, since the ball is going faster and farther. But what is happening is you have lost the crisp feel you have become accustomed to. Crisp means more shock, but shock is feel. The only sensations of striking a ball that your hand feels are shock and vibration. This is your feedback mechanism. When the feel is the same every time, your response is to groove the stroke; when it is different, you respond by continually adapting and adjusting your stroke.

The other feedback that changes is auditory. The sound the strings make changes.

As tension goes down, hitting the ball goes from a “ping” to a “thud.” Players may interpret these sounds differently as to what they mean about the cleanness of their hits. When this sound changes, so does the player’s psychology. It affects what they think they are doing, how they are performing, what the results are and whether they are in the zone or not. All this affects the mental and physical approach to the next shot.

Change in spin and stroke

It has been shown that string tension has very little impact on spin. A ball fired obliquely at the same racket with different tensions rebounds at about the same spin. However, if tension goes down and you are thus hitting the ball deeper (too deep), your natural response will be to either hit it more softly or to add more spin. The loose strings don’t cause more spin; rather, they cause you to add more spin. Again, these are usually unconscious adjustments to your strokes as your day-to-day racket performance changes. Your strings change your strokes daily. And you thought you were just having a bad day.

More string movement, less durability, less performance

Strings slide across each other more easily at lower tensions. The main strings move back and forth over the crosses. This has a couple of obvious effects. First, it shortens the life of the strings as they saw through each other. Second, if you don’t move the strings back into place after each hit, you will have an uneven string pattern and will end up with an uneven power and control response across the string face. This will affect the bounce of the ball and you will be making stroke adjustments to compensate.

How to Buy a Racquet

New high-tech materials, larger heads and longer racquets have changed the way tennis is played. Learn how to choose the right tennis racquet for your game.

First, Match Your Racquet To Your Ability Level
Your tennis racquet should always suit your skill level.

Beginners should use a basic and versatile racquet. Oversized, pre-strung racquets offer the best versatility and have the largest sweet spot.

Intermediate players, who maybe belong to a club or recreational team, can try lighter, smaller racquets if they are a power player, or larger racquets if they’re more of a finesse player.

Advanced tennis players can look for high-tech composite racquets that offer superior power and lightweight feel.

Next, Define Your Swing Type
If you play with long, looped swing and aggressively hit the ball, you are considered a power player. You can benefit from a “control racquet.” These smaller racquets help you keep in control on the court.

If you have a slow to moderate swing speed and shorter, more compact strokes, you’re considered a finesse player. You should take advantage of a power racquet, which will increase the sweet spot and hitting power.

Combination players may exhibit a mix of the aforementioned  characteristics and should consider moderate swing tennis racquets.

Now, Learn About The Construction Of Your Racquet
Before you choose a tennis racquet, it is important to understand the many factors that control its performance.

HEAD SIZE
The larger your racquet’s head, the more powerful your shot. However, the smaller the head size the more control you have. If you’re in the middle, there are mid-sized versions that offer you a little of both.

Oversize
Measures between 107 square inches and 125 square inches. Super oversize racquets come as large as 135 square inches.
Larger sweet spot means more power
More consistency from fewer mishits

Midsize
Range from 100 square inches to 106 square inches
Slightly larger sweet spot
Better control without giving up too much power
For the stronger player who provides most of the power in a shot
The head size is smaller than 100 square inches
Much better control, but sacrifices power
Easier for smaller players to handle

LENGTH
The length of your racquet is the distance from the bottom of the handle to the top of the head.

Long
More than half of racquets made today are “long racquets”
Measure between 28.5-29 inches
Provides greater leverage on a swing, and as a result, more power
Easier to cover more area on the court

Traditional
The standard 27.5-28 inch racquet is for you if you prefer a more traditional look and feel
A combination of both power and control
Easier to handle if you are a smaller player

WEIGHT
The weight of a racquet affects both power and control. With today’s racquets increasingly lighter racquets, manufacturers have placed most of the weight, or mass, in the head to increase the power.

Heavy
Generally weigh more than 11 ounces
Supplies more power
Helps maintain control

Mid-Weight
Measures between 9.8-10.9
Offer a combination of control and power
Very versatile to fit most types of players

Super Light
Weighs between 9-9.4 ounces
Superior shot control
Easier for smaller players to handle

STIFFNESS & FLEXIBILITY
When  racquet flexes it wastes energy. All manufacturers have different ways of determining and indicating their stiffness and flexibility ratings.

The stiffer the racquet, the more energy is returned to the ball
Better control of return shots
Dampens vibration and stress on the elbow
More power since less energy is wasted

HEAD SHAPE
The shape of the racquet head depends on your preference in the look of the racquet and your skill level.

Oval
The sweet spot resides in the bottom half of this standard-shaped head that is preferred by traditionalists
Excellent feel of the racquet

Tear Drop
The tear drop shape allows more of the racquet to act as the sweet spot
A sweet spot is the area on the racquet that allows for a solid hit and return. The larger the racquet, the bigger the sweet spot.
The tear drop-shaped racquet allows almost the entire face to become the sweet spot
New materials have strengthened racquet frames to add more consistency

GRIP SIZE
A properly fitted grip will improve your control over the tennis racquet, enhancing your performance
A grip that is too small will allow the racquet to twist in your hand and can eventually lead to tennis elbow.
A grip that is too large will decrease wrist snap on serves and prolonged use can also cause tennis elbow.
 

Finally, String Your Racquet 
Once you have the type of frame that best fits your playing style and swing, you will need to determine the type of stringing that suits your game.

Pre-Strung Racquets
Pre-strung racquets are geared towards recreational players
Versatile for a beginning level player

Unstrung Racquets
These allow you to choose a racquet type and size and then tailor the string to your game
It allows more advanced players to customize string and tension according to your playing style

Natural Gut
Provides the best, most consistent feel
Best suited for more advanced players because of improved performance and feel on shots
Will need to be changed frequently; not very durable

Synthetic
Better suited for recreational players
Offers a good balance of durability and playability
Very little difference in performance for the average tennis player

String Gauge
This is basically the thickness of the string and the big difference is in durability and playability
Thicker strings (15 gauge) last longer, while thinner strings (16 and 17 gauge) offer better feel but are less durable

String Tension
All racquet frames come with manufacturer’s recommendations on string tension and it is best to stay within those limits
For more power, the racquet should be strung at the low end of the range, because lower tension equals more power
Higher string tensions offer less power but provide for better control
As a general rule, higher tensions are recommended for experienced players only

TENNIS RACQUET SIZING CHART

Which Strings are for me?

Strings are very much personal preference, but as a loose rule of thumb a loose string (50-56lbs) gives a little more height and power to your shots whereas a tight string (56+lbs) would give a lower, more controlled shot.

Basically, there are two types of strings – those made from natural gut, and those made from any other material. Those made from anything other than natural gut are generically termed synthetic strings.

Synthetic Strings

Synthetic strings are made from a variety of materials. At one end are monofilament, (one solid piece), strings, and at the other end are multifilament, (many individual pieces joined together), strings, which mimic the construction of natural gut. In between are all manner of strings, some made with exotic materials like aluminium and titanium, some monofilaments with one or more spiral wraps to add power or feel, and some with rough surfaces which, the manufacturers claim, help add spin to your shots.

Multifilaments are the nearest thing in construction to natural gut, so it’s no surprise that they play the closest to gut in terms of performance. They are great for absorbing shock, so anyone with tennis elbow or other arm problems should give them serious consideration, and offer great touch and control. If you’re
after the best possible touch and control, or if comfort is of prime consideration, multifilament strings could well be for you.

Monofilaments are the exact opposite to multifilaments, in more ways than one. They are composed of a single strand, which may be of one type of material, or a composite of two or more. They are tougher than multifilaments, but do not provide as much touch.

In fact, monofilaments are all about one thing – power! There are also monofilaments on the market which contain titanium, tungsten, or copper, all of which claim to add more pace to your shots. Lastly, monofilaments are very poor at absorbing shock, and tend to send any vibrations straight up the arm. Those with arm problems should look elsewhere.

Natural Gut

Natural gut strings are made from beef or sheep intestines. The intestines are spun out to microscopic thicknesses, and then a number of individual strands are wound together to form a single string. A single tennis string will contain between 1,200 and 2,000 strands depending on its overall thickness.

Hybrid

Hybrid is where you have two different string types for the main and the cross strings and is good for performance juniors as they start to break strings. The enhanced durability gives longer between string breakages, but the softer crosses reduce the amount of shock and helps protect young muscles!
If any arm problems start to develop, the use of monofilament strings should be stopped until the problem is sorted out.

Tension

Every racquet has a manufacturers recommended tension range based on the racquet construction and design

Current string construction allows some racquets to be strung tighter than this tension range while maintaining playability and durability and reducing string movement

Lower tension means increased power, durability and feel/sensitivity

Higher tension allows for more control

Gauge

The gauge is the diameter or thickness of the string when pulled to tension

The higher the gauge number, the thinner the string.

Thinner string allows for more spin and elasticity and increased feel/sensitivity

Thicker string provides increased durability

Lower gauges generally give more control and durability

Higher gauges generally have more elasticity for added power and allow for more spin

Technology now allows manufacturers to have coatings on the strings for added durability and spin along with multi-filament construction for more elasticity, offering more power while not sacrificing durability

Grommets

Grommets are the plastic pieces that often go around the outside of the racquet and have tubes that direct the strings through the holes in the frame

Broken or cracked tubes can slice into the strings and minimize string life

Worn grommets at the head can expose strings which can reduce string life, especially in racquetball and squash where contact with the walls is more common.


How much do replacement grommets cost and how do I know if they need to be replaced?

Replacement grommets cost between $5 – $12. If the grommet is worn down at the head of the racquet and the string is exposed it should be replaced. The same applies when the tubes that direct the string through the frame are cracked or have sharp edges. If you are unsure please e-mail a picture of your racquet using the CONTACT section of the website and we can give our opinion. We can give you a phone number if you prefer to text the picture.


How long do grommets that are ordered take to arrive?

Most grommets that are readily available will arrive in 7  business days. The exceptions are “hard to find” grommets for older racquets.