Is it time to re-string your racquet?

Never re-string your racquet again!!!! Right, and if you believe that I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you. Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s talk about a subject that needs some serious rethinking. There’s an old axiom within our industry that says, however many times you play in one week, you should string your racquet that many times each year. In my honest opinion, this is so outdated that the industry as a whole could benefit from a new approach. Here’s some food for thought.

FREQUENCY OF PLAY

Not every player plays the same amount of time each time they go to the court. I had a client who played twice a week and he was blowing through a set of 15L nylon in four weeks. This is a string which is typically quite durable but, as it turns out, his twice a week was once on Wednesday for 1 1/2 hours and all day Saturday for 8 hours with a short break for lunch! He was playing in one day nearly as much as the average player was playing in one month!

STRINGS ARE DIFFERENT

All strings are different beginning with the basic construction all the way down to the materials used and the coatings applied. Some strings move more than others for a variety of reasons. The coating used on the string, the string pattern of the racquet, the reference tension used to install the strings, and the way the player hits the ball are just a few. All of these things need to be factored in on an individual basis, not by some axiom that dictates a carte blanche policy. Another example is that strings will typically move more on a racquet with a more open pattern like 16 x 19 than on one with a more closed pattern such as an 18×20.

PLAYERS HIT THE BALL DIFFERENTLY

String movement causes notching which in turn, can cause premature breakage. If your player has a flat stroke the strings on the frame are going to move far less than a player that hits with severe topspin or slice. Likewise, some players knock the cover off the ball while others hit with finesse that can lull you and the ball to sleep. There’s going to be a huge difference in the life of the string depending on how a player strikes the ball.

RACQUET CARE

Strings, with the exception of natural gut, are made of synthetic material. Most tennis racquets are strung between 40-70 pounds which means that the string is under tremendous stress. Leaving the racquet in the cab or trunk of your car in mid August when the ambient temperature is high means that the temperature in the car is going to be super hot. Records show that an outside temperature of 104 degrees was then measured in the trunk of a car and reached 160 degrees. Your strings are going to be screaming as they stretch at that temperature and you may as well be prepared to cut them out and restring.

So where does this leave us? Do we still tell our clients to string as many times in one year as they play in one week? I say we take a vote and I’ll cast mine as a resounding “NO”. I would propose that the industry as whole take a different approach on this subject and look at players on an individual basis. Consider this. I use a software package that records every piece of data imaginable on a racquet service. It allows me to track time between re-stringing, program time frames for re-stringing for that player (180 days etc), and run daily reports that will send an email notification to the player when it’s time to re-string. This is all done by the players history and it usually takes about 3-4 times of re-stringing their racquet to nail the time frame down.

What I would encourage all consumers to do is have a dialogue with the technician that services your racquet. Each one is different and not all will have the same level of knowledge or experience when it comes to racquet service. Ask if they’re certified with the USRSA. Have they attended any IART training symposiums for racquet technicians. Obviously, the more your technician knows the better equipped they’re going to be when it comes to servicing your racquet and making the right recommendations to improve your game!