Selecting the Perfect String for You

Touring pros know the importance of having their racquets performing at peak efficiency. But it is just as important for juniors and serious recreational players, as well. Having the right string and the right tension is just the start. Rackets don’t hit the ball, strings hit the ball! Consistency is the key ingredient. When choosing a string and tension, at least three factors play into your decision.

1. Playability – All strings play differently. Do you want more power, control, or spin?  Natural gut is the playability gold standard, but have many string options to meet your needs and expectations.
   
2. Durability – Your strings should not only play well, but should last too. If you are a string breaker, we can recommend a polyester string or hybrid combination to ensure you don’t have to see us too often!
   
3. Comfort -- Today’s rackets can be hard on your arm. Wrist, forearm, and elbow injuries can keep you off the court.  We have an array of strings and hybrid combinations suited to ensure your comfort without sacrificing other factors. 

Ideally, you'd find a string that incorporates as many of these factors as possible. One way to achieve this goal is to use a hybrid string pattern where you use one type of string on the mains (the vertical strings) and different string on the crosses (the horizontal strings) that compliment each other.  

For example, powerful strings are often harder on your arm, so instead of using a powerful polyester string for the mains and crosses, you may consider using the powerful string on the mains and a softer more comfortable string on the crosses (like a multifilament or synthetic gut string).  Below are some of our favorite hybrid combinations:

• Gamma Moto with Kirschbaum Touch: The Gamma Moto is a 7-sided string to provide great ball bite and access to spin.  This polyester string is a “lower powered” polyester for those players that demand control.  Kirschbaum Touch offers excellent playability and is a great overall value.  If you generate enough power through arm speed and swing, give this combination a try.    
• Solinco Tour Bite and Dunlop Synthetic Gut: The Solinco Tour Bite is multi-sided, co-polyester, to provide maximum power and spin. The Dunlop Synthetic Gut is one of the softer synthetic guts we offer and will provide a nice balance with the Tour Bite for the player who is seeking the benefits of a polyester string at a more reasonable price with a softer feel.   
• Tecnifibre Black Code with Kirschbaum Touch: This hybrid combination will offer, control, spin potential, and more power than a full pattern of Touch, but less power than other polyester strings.  The Black Code is a softer polyester string providing less shock to the arm.  Kirschbaum Touch is a multifilament string that generates great feel for the ball. 
  
• Babolat Hurricane with Babolat VS Natural Gut: This hybrid combination will offer great feel, power, control and durability.  Yes, it costs more, but it will last long and play great.  We can’t say enough about this blue chip hybrid!    
  
• Babolat Hurricane with Babolat Xcel:  The polyester Hurricane will provide exceptional power without sacrificing much control and spin while the multifilament Xcel supplies comfort, control, and spin.  This string combination cups the ball very nicely and really lets you feel the ball on the string bed.