Need Direction?
A client just sent me the following statement and I think it has reason to be distributed amongst tennis players searching for “direction” when it comes to string and their game!
“Hah. Trying out these different strings has been very interesting. Over the past week or so, trying the different strings has given me some insight into what my game should be. I think usually people do it in reverse. They try to find the string that tailors to their game. By experimenting with the strings, I realize the direction my game should be going.”
“I’ve been coming to realize that my game is better with control and feel rather than power. Experimenting with different strings have helped me recognize this.”
Do you think this applies to you?
Comments (2)
Yes, I think it applies to the players we string for on a daily basis.
My experience has been that the vast majority of players discount control in favor of power and that’s the way they approach the game. If they hit one powerful passing shot out of 10 attempts the euphoria they get from that one shot can literally make them forget the 9 shots they missed because they tried to hit the ball too hard.
This player realized the difference and admits that in the end, control and feel was more important than power. It would be interesting to know what set-up and racquet he was using to begin with and what he settled on after he completed the process.
Chart a match and see how many points you win off of the outright winners you hit as opposed to the points you win from the errors your opponent makes. Once you realize the difference you’ll begin to understand how to work that in your favor. That comes down to controlling the ball and getting it back one more time than your opponent does.
The racquet being used by this player is the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. He has four of them. We started with Babolat VS Touch. All strings were installed at a reference tension of 51 (23.1kg). Next was a proprietary string Spinel-Torch that is a PEEK multifilament, which he really liked but too much “energy”. Next came some Ashaway Monogut ZX Pro, then IsoSpeed Professional.
This has been over a substantial period, not just a few weeks, and each setup were used several times.
The string he settled on and has been using for a while is IsoSpeed Professional.