Tennis String Facts

There are a number of different kinds of tennis strings available today, with each type favoring a specific type of swing, racket and playing style. Choosing your tennis strings, in fact, can be just as important as choosing your tennis racket. The wrong strings on the most expensive racket can be as useless as your grandfather's wooden tennis racket. The tennis string market is divided by two factors: "feel," referring to the player's ability to control the ball with a certain kind of string, and durability, referring to the amount of time a type of string can hold tension and/or keep from snapping.

  1. Synthetic Gut

    • Synthetic gut is the cheapest type of string to produce, and thus is usually the stock string manufacturers use.

      Probably the most common type of tennis string on the market today is the synthetic gut. A synthetic nylon imitation of the cow intestine "natural gut," which was used much earlier in tennis history, synthetic gut is the cheapest type of string you can invest in, and is almost always the kind of string that rackets come pre-strung with. Synthetic gut provides a good amount of "feel" and control over the ball, but generally does not have much durability, particularly for those who hit with a lot of force.

    Polyester

    • Polyester is extremely durable, and thus is best suited for heavy hitters.

      Polyester is one of the more common alternatives to synthetic gut and is known for its durability. Typically used at a very thin gauge (referring to the string's thickness), the polyester string is best suited for heavy hitters and baseline players. However, even at a very thin gauge, the polyester string can be very stiff and incapable of giving the user much feel or control over the ball. Andre Agassi is known to use polyester strings on his racket.

    Kevlar

    • Kevlar, like polyester, is also extremely durable, but very stiff, so is not suited for those with elbow problems.

      Kevlar strings are about as common as polyester strings, but are slightly more durable, more flexible (therein giving more control over your shot) and more stiff. Made out of the same material as bulletproof vests, Kevlar strings are commonly used in hybrid and at a thin gauge because of their extreme stiffness. Andy Roddick is known to use Kevlar strings on his racket.

    Natural Gut

    • Nnatural gut provides great control over the ball, but is notorious for being extremely prone to snapping.

      As mentioned earlier, natural gut is probably one of the earliest types of tennis strings invented, and is likewise also one of the most expensive. Usually composed of cow or sheep intestine, the natural gut is the most successful string in giving feel and control over your shots. However, the string is extremely fragile and prone to breaking, particularly for hard hitters and those with full swings.

    Hybrid Blends

    • Hybrid blends are a reasonable compromise between control and durability.

      Due to the general lack of middle ground amongst string types, most tennis players use "hybrid" strings, referring to the use of one type of string for the mains (or vertical strings of the racket) and another for the crosses (or the horizontal strings of the racket). Most commonly due to the nature of the average swing, the mains take the most damage, and thus are commonly strung with durable blends such as Kevlar or polyester. Since the crosses rarely take much damage, however, they are frequently strung with less-stiff alternatives, such as synthetic gut or natural gut. The result of such a "hybrid" is a reasonable compromise between control and durability.

    What String to Use for Your Racket

    • Finding the right string for your style and your racket can be frustrating, but is definitely worth the search.

      With so many choices, choosing the right string can be difficult (almost as difficult as choosing the right racket, in fact), and thus should be done carefully. As a general rule of thumb, if you use a light racket (10 oz. or lighter) you shouldn't be swinging very hard, and thus should use a synthetic gut or similar string with high control and low durability. If you use a heavy racket (10 oz. or heavier), however, then you should use a more stiff hybrid, such as Kevlar or polyester mixed with synthetic gut or natural gut. Of course, the only way to really tell which string is best for you is to go out and try it, so get out on the court!