Can you please offer advice on how to choose tennis string and at what tension?

Question

I am an advanced, university level tennis player but know nothing about strings for a tennis racquet. which strings should I use? which tension?

Answer 1

Your racquet will say the recommended tension. For instance, mine says 58 +- 5, so really it could be b/t 53-63.

I was a university level player as well. I use 16 gauge strung at 63 for power and control. I found 17g too "bouncy" for me. If you break strings often, get a lower gauge, like 15 or 14. They are thicker.

I always use Prince Synthetic Gut 16 gauge with Duraflex strung at 63

Answer 2

depending on your style of play... is a big variable in deciding on what string and what tension.

for tension most rackets are strung at Mid-tension...

if you have is strung below mid-tension you get more of a trampoline effect to give you more power or speed on the ball with less effort on your body.

if you have is strung above mid-tension you get more ball control and placement ability.

for strings....

typically you have 15g , 16g , 17g

15g is the most durable between the gages however,

there are a lot of choice for each Gage of string.

Synthetics are more commonly seen.

if you play with a lot of spin try the Prince Top Spin at 15g or 16g strung about 2 or 3 above mid-tension.

If you go into a Tennis Exclusive shop the staff is very knowledgeable about all the equipment used in tennis.

Answer 3

If you want control and a long lasting string I would go with BigBanger Rough strung at 62-64

If you want power I would go with NXT or BigBanger regular strung at 56-58

Answer 4

When in doubt, try what the pros are doing.  Federer uses a hybrid of Wilson Natural Gut in the mains, and Luxilon ALU Rough in the crosses for added spin.  I use Wilson Natural Gut in the mains (60 lbs.), and a softer Signum Pro in the crosses (54 lbs.).   Tennis strings are like tires on your car.  Without good tires, your car simply will not perform.  Natural Gut is more expensive, but I think its worth it.  If it gives you too much power, you just need to increase the tension for more control.

Answer 5

Strings vary in price and set up enormously. String tension is marked by the fact that tighter string (55-65lbs) give more control and looser strings (45-55lbs) give more power. You need to tell who ever strings your racket what tension you want otherwise they will string at what the racket says. Also different strings are important. You can have 2 different types of string on a racket, called a hybrid. Pro's use this more often than not. Natural gut string is the best but it gets damaged by the wet and is costly. Also synthetic gut is available and cheaper and more resistant. Polyester and kevlar are toughest and good if you cannot afford to restring too often. Hope I helped.

Answer 6

I find it odd that an "advanced" tennis player would "know nothing about strings", which, arguably, are the most important piece of equipment! I'm an intermediate player (30+ years; currently rated 4.0 NTRP by the USTA), who took the time to learn about racquets and strings, to get the best out of my game without draining my bank account.

Regardless, below are links which should answer your question.

And for those who want to figure out what their NTRP level is, try my "Unofficial NTRP Test" at the following link:

http://tennisnut.webng.com/ntrptst.htm

Answer 7

usually your tennis racket will tell you the strings that you should use the inside triangle thingy. it'll suggest some strings from the same brand but try something different if you want.

the racket will also say the tension you can put it all usually between 55-65 pounds. different for all rackets though.