Typically, tennis players spend a lot of time and money investing in a new racquet but pay little attention to the string type and tension they use.  The feel and characteristics of a racquet can be dramatically altered by stringing it in different ways.  For this reason, we at grass court stock a huge range of strings from a wide range of manufacturers, enabling us to provide you with strings that suit your needs. In the past few years, polyester strings have become more and more popular – they offer very good durability, good power and excellent spin capability.  However, they typically are hard on the arm (can cause or aggravate elbow problems) and lose tension relatively quickly.

General Information about Restringing

1.  How do I know when I should have my racquet restrung?

Over time, the strings in your racquet will become slack and lose their elasticity. Professional players replace their strings every day, ensuring they are always at the perfect tension for their game.  However, as these effects are very gradual, the majority of players are unaware when their strings need to be replaced. Here are a number of general compiled guidelines to help players decide when their racquet should be restrung.

Guideline 1:

“Replace your strings as many times in a year as you play in a week.” i.e. if you play twice a week, you should have your racquet restrung twice a year.

Guideline 2:

“Replace your strings after every 30 hours of singles play, or 60 hours of doubles.”

2.  What type of string should I use?

There are a huge number of strings available, however, once they are grouped according to the material used and their construction, the decision becomes far less daunting.  These groups are listed below and their general characteristics are described:

Nylon – Strings termed “Nylon” on this site are very basic strings, ideal for players looking for a string with a balance of playability and durability at a very economical price.

Synthetic Gut – Offer a good level of playability and have a basic level of durability.  These are available at a range of prices according to their construction.  Typically, the more you spend, the better the playability.  Often available with a textured surface to enable more spin on the ball.

Synthetic Gut with Additonal Durable Fibers – A very similar construction and price to synthetic gut, but with additional durable fibers (frequently kevlar strands).  These have similar levels of playability to synthetic guts and improved durability.  Ideal for recreational players who are looking for a good all-around string that will last.

Natural Gut – The best allround string available, but at a premium price.  Great playability and a good level of durability.  The optimum choice for players suffering from elbow pain.

Multifilament – Offer the closest feel to natural gut.  Ideal for players looking for a high level of playability (but not requiring very high durability), or those with elbow problems.  There are a wide range of these strings available and in general, the more you pay, the better the playability.

Polyester – Provide outstanding durability, but limited power and feel – designed for regular string breakers.  Stringing a racquet entirely with polyester is not recommended for anyone except very high standard players – able to compensate for the “dead” feel produced by polyester.  Other players who regularly break strings would be advised to use polyester main strings in combination with a softer string in the crosses (synthetic gut or natural gut). This provides the durability benefits of polyester, while improving the feel of the racquet.  Polyester strings also tend to lose their tension more quickly than other types of string. There are now some polyester strings with a textured surface, enabling more spin to be applied to the ball.

Kevlar – The most durable string available, it has good tension holding ability but is very stiff and provides even less power than polyester.  Kevlar is normally used in a hybrid with a softer cross string (synthetic gut or natural gut).  If you normally use synthetic gut string and are intending to try a kevlar hybrid, you should string the racquet around 10% lower in tension to provide the same feel.

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