Tennis String Buying Guide
Choosing Tennis Strings
There are Multiple string types, materials, and brands — based on superior feel, spin, and performance. This guide will help on finding the best tennis strings for your game.
Where to Begin?
Choosing the right String comes down to the balance between two concepts: playability and durability. No matter what material, thickness, or tennis racquet string tension you are looking for, you are likely sacrificing one for the other. Thinner strings provide greater spin potential but are prone to wear and breakage. Thicker strings will last longer but have a reduced feel.
Tennis Racquet Stringing Materials
Natural Gut Strings: Like the name implies, natural gut strings are usually made from mammal intestines. it’s the best string for playability and feel. While more fragile and prone to breakage and moisture damage, natural gut has long been the first choice for advanced players and professionals due to its excellent feel and unsurpassed resiliency. Before hybrid strings became popular, natural gut was widely used by ATP and WTA players. Downside? Natural gut strings are expensive and far from durable. Recommended for advanced players.
Nylon Strings: Nylon tennis strings are a great all-around alternative to natural gut and are the best tennis strings for the majority of non-professional players. Nylon provides an ideal combination of playability and is also one of the most affordable string materials available.
Polyester Strings: For advanced players who are free of arm injuries and more prone to breaking strings, polyester is a material you may want to consider. While lacking the power and feel of nylon or natural gut, polyester will hold up better, offer a firm feeling string bed and can meet the needs of strong players who swing hard and fast.
Kevlar Strings: The heavy-duty string. Kevlar is an aramid material used in sand is the strongest tennis string you can buy, but is usually combined with more flexible materials in hybrid models. Not High on feel and comfort, this is high on durablity.
String Construction
String construction: This is critical to performance & durability of the string as well as Game type .
Multifilament: These tennis racquet strings are engineered with multiple filaments (hence the name) wrapped into a single string. Typically crafted with nylon or polyurethane, these strings are a poor man’s natural gut and are designed to imitate gut’s superior playability, power, and control at a slightly lower price point.
Monofilament: Formed of a just a single filament, Monofilament strings trade superior power, feel, and comfort for greater durability. Commonly made from polyester, these tennis strings are ideal for experienced players with fast swings. You’ll most often see find monofilament strings as part of a hybrid set.
Solid Core with Outer Wrap: This is the most popular construction for nylon tennis racquet strings. It provides a light, crisp feel and durability that is largely dependent on the quality of materials used and the number of layers of outer wrap.
Textured: For players looking for tennis strings with improved spin, textured strings are a good choice. These are engineered with additional outer layers that help provide more texture and greater spin potential.
Composites: These are made from a variety of materials combined together to bring out the best features. Most are crafted with a single core and outer wrap layers.