About your Racket
We have put together a series of posts about how different racket features and stringing can affect your game, to help you get the most out of your racket.
If you would like any further information on anything regarding your racket, choosing the correct racket, or restringing; then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
String Tension↓
High Tensions: less power, more control
Low Tensions: more power and more spin, less control
The tension you string your racket at is down to a number of things:
Your style of play: are you a baseliner / volleyer? Do you have a long or short swing? How much spin do you hit with?
What racket you use: If you have a control based racket, you may want a lower tension to help more with power and spin and visa-versa.
The type of string you use: See more about this in another post!
What do you want more of in your game?
String Type↓
There are 4 main types of string used and each has its own advantages:
Polyester: probably the most common type of string used now, and perfect for intermediate to advanced players. Main advantages: great for durability, spin and control – making it a good option for big hitters with long, fast swings. However, it is a low powered string, and harsher on the arm, so is often strung at lower tensions that other string types to help with power.
Natural Gut: this string holds its tension the best, is comfortable on the arm and gives excellent power. Not the best for durability and is by far the most expensive string type.
Multifilament: This is the closest string type to natural gut. Very good playability with excellent tension maintenance, and a more affordable price point to natural gut. Not the best for control, so is often strung at higher tensions to help with this. It is not the best for durability for big hitters.
Synthetic Gut: A good all-round string, without excelling in any area. This is often used by beginner and intermediate players and is the a very affordable price.
Players can also have their racket strung in a “hybrid” setup, where you use one type of string in the “mains” (vertical strings) and a different string in the “crosses”. This way you can also have them at different tensions also.
String Gauge↓
Tennis string gauges range from 15 (thickest) to 19 (thinnest). As always it’s down to personal preference and experimenting to find what is perfect for you, but in general:
thicker strings: offer greater durability, so are highly recommended for players who regularly break strings (often players who already hit with a lot of spin).
thinner strings: less durable, but offer a greater playability and also provide more spin potential as they can move more and embed into the ball more.
Racket Head Size↓
When choosing a racket this should be one of your main considerations.
Smaller racket head sizes offer more control and less power, larger racket head sizes offer more easy power and a larger sweet spot (so a bit more forgiving on those “off centre” hits!).
In general, beginners should look at rackets with a larger racket head size, more advanced players with longer swings will benefit from a smaller racket head size (93 sq in - 100 sq in)
Most professional players use rackets sizes between 95 - 100 square inches.