RACQUET RESTRINGING
Text Stefan on 0499 407 633 to get a restring! Turnaround dependent on your needs. Generally within 24-48h.
TF RAZORCODE: $55
ALL POLYS: $50
SYN GUT: $45
MULTIFILAMENT: Price on application
NATURAL GUT: Price on application
OWN STRING: $25
OWN STRING (PERFORMANCE): $22.50
How often should I restring my racquet?
The general rule of thumb is over a year, you should restring your racquet the number of times you play in a week. So if you play four times a week, you should restring four times a year. This applies to players who are hitting with a proper racquet that is designed to be restrung and playing some form of social tennis or competition. You should NOT be waiting until they break as over time this will start to have a negative impact on your game.
If you are a more competitive player, more specific with your equipment and hitting the ball at a good level – you should be restringing much more often. For reference, some higher level players in the coaching program will restring their racquets weekly, some fortnightly and some monthly. When you are hitting the ball that much at a good speed, strings will die very quickly and no longer provide you the bite you are looking for. Most polyester strings have a fantastic initial period where they feel crisp, they will quickly then lose tension and start to fray when hitting a lot – this is when they need to be restrung, if you haven’t broken them before that.
All racquets are strung by experienced stringers on a top of the line electric restringing machine (Pro’s Pro Tomcat, handmade in Austria).
Which string should I use?
Synthetic gut/Nylon –
If you’re not sure what string you need, start with synthetic gut. Made of nylon, the string is cheaper and a good all round choice. It is not extraordinary in any category and will provide okay performance and playability.
Polyester –
Polyester strings are for experienced players who require maximum control, spin and durability. Polyester string construction is quite firm and harsher on the arm. The string will provide what competitive players are after but lose tension quickly.
One of the best strings on the market that we commonly use for the top players (Stefan also uses) is Tecnifibre Razorcode. This string is a Co-Polyester which combines extra additives to make the string softer and more elastic.
Multifilament –
Designed to mimic the construction of natural gut, multifilament uses ultra-pliable synthetic fibres to help absorb impact shock and load the ball with power. This string is very friendly for joints/tennis elbow. Good playability and soft but less durability for big hitters.
Natural gut –
Made from fibrous and stretchy serous membrane of cow intestines, natural gut is the most iconic string type. Although it has been around since the 1800s, there has yet to be a synthetic alternative that encapsulates the level of elasticity, comfort and feel. Optimum playability, good arm comfort and retains tension for longest – however this string is extremely expensive.
What about string tension and string gauges?
Tension –
Tensions refers to how tightly the strings are strung in the racquet. A standard range for most racquet manufacturers is between 50-60 pounds. For as long as tennis has been around, we have heard “string looser for more power and tighter for more control”. The thinking is that a looser string bed deforms more and acts like a trampoline to catapult the ball, creating a ‘bigger’ shot. It is most accurate however to say that a looser string bed will create more depth on your shot, as the launch angle is higher. In general terms, the launch angle based on the tension of the string bed will give either the effect of more power/extra depth vs control/average depth.
Gauges –
Gauges are essentially the thickness of a string. The higher the gauge, the thinner the string. As there is no standardised universal chart worldwide, it is easier to reference the millimetre sizing of the string to decipher how thick or thin a string is. A thicker string (1.30mm+) will provide more control and durability, a thinner string (1.20mm-) will provide more power and spin. A 1.25mm string is probably the sweet spot or middle between most commercially manufactured strings.