Stringing Basics

When Wavex racquets sponsored the U.S. High School Tennis Coaches Association, executive director Steve Milano ordered two of the racquets available to association members.

Milano had one of the racquets strung at 55 lbs. and the other at 60 lbs, both with the same brand of strings.

Although both were the same model racquet, Milano felt the racquet strung at the lower tension played as well or better than any racquet he had played with the past decade, while the racquet strung at the higher tension was almost unplayable for him.

Had Milano only been able to test the Wavex racquet strung at 60 lbs., he would have thought that the racquet was not suited for his game. As it turned out, the correct string tension allowed him to find a racquet that was, in fact, perfectly suited to his playing style.

Unfortunately, most players put most of their money and effort into selecting a racquet, then string it as an afterthought.

You don't hit the ball with the racquet – you hit it with the strings – and this is a key piece of information for your players to know.

When deciding on how to string a racquet, players should understand that a variety of factors affect how well a string performs, from the type of strings and racquet used to the strokes and frequency of play of the user.

Below are some do's and don't to consider when stringing your racquet.

Loose for Power, Tight for Control

Re-String When Necessary

Choosing Strings

Work with Your Stringer