Tennis string
In order to be able to play tennis with a tennis racket , it must be strung with a tennis string.
There is a wide variety of tennis strings that differ in their playing characteristics. Important characteristics are the elasticity of the ball speed, the vibration damping for playing comfort, the liability to control the spin ( spin , top spin ) and a long shelf life. Although you can change a number of physical properties of a string during string production (material, structure, diameter, color, surface, etc.) and thus also influence the playing properties, there are certain basic differences among all tennis strings, which are explained in more detail below .
Tennis strings can be divided into two major types: natural gut strings and synthetic strings.
Natural gut strings
Natural gut strings are made from cow guts in a complex process . They are characterized by unsurpassed elasticity, tension stability and "liveliness". But they are very expensive and relatively sensitive to weathering, although gut strings have been greatly improved in this regard in recent years. Many professionals prefer natural casings, but for normal club players, gut strings are hardly worthwhile due to the high price. Good gut strings are not available for less than 25 euros per set.
Synthetic strings
Artificial or synthetic strings are mostly high-tech products that are constantly being developed to match their playability to that of natural gut strings, while at the same time being cheaper to produce. There is a variety of different structures and materials for synthetic strings. The most important types are described below:
Nylon strings
The most commonly used type of string. Nylon strings are among the cheapest tennis strings and usually consist of a monofilament (single-fiber) nylon core and various types of resistant sheaths. Nylon (polyamide) is very suitable for use in tennis strings due to its good dynamic properties. The numerous different types of construction (nature and type of winding of the surrounding fibers) have a decisive influence on the string properties. As a rule, nylon strings with several sheaths can be considered to be of higher quality. The sheaths reduce the tension loss that occurs with nylon strings. Nylon strings are suitable for players with normal to high string wear.
Polyester strings
Polyester strings have an extremely simple construction: They consist of a single polyester strand and a thin coating. This construction is called "monofilament". They are available in different thicknesses (diameter 1.10 to 1.35 mm), so you can choose your playing characteristics. Polyester strings are not very elastic and feel relatively stiff compared to nylon or multifilament strings, but have a much better durability, so that thinner diameters can also be used. Pure polyester strings have a not inconsiderable disadvantage: The tension is not maintained for long, the control decreases and the string feels "dead" after a short playing time. Therefore, polyester strings are only recommended for players with high string wear. For these players, polyester strings ("Polys" for short) also offer a good price-performance ratio.
The manufacturers are making increasing efforts to develop monofilament strings with improved properties and to eliminate the weak points (lack of elasticity and tension stability). A variety of additives such as PEEK , carbon fibers and metals are added to the strings to modify the playing characteristics. Today practically every supplier has such co-polyester strings on offer.
It is also possible to influence the playing properties of the polyester strings by additional heating processes. Polyester strings are controlled in stiffness and elasticity by the second heating process, with simultaneous stretching.
Titanium strings
In the wake of the titanium boom in tennis rackets, there was soon a wave of titanium strings. Based on nylon or multifilament strings, the titanium is either applied to the outside of the string to protect the material from UV radiation and abrasion, or embedded in the fibers to change the playing characteristics.
Multifilament strings
In order to get as close as possible to the playing properties of the gut strings, many thin individual fibers (microfilaments), which can consist of a wide variety of materials, are twisted into a string and coated with a resistant material. The advantages here are greater elasticity and playability, but such strings fray quickly and therefore do not last long. In addition, these strings are not exactly cheap due to the complex production. The greatest advantage of these strings is their great comfort.
Structured strings
Strings with a textured surface are designed to give the player more spin by having a better grip on the ball. In fact, with most structured strings, you can hit a very good spin and thus with a high level of control, but this structure wears out quickly and therefore does not have a positive effect on the durability.
Hybrid coverings
This is a combination of two different strings, one of which is used for the longitudinal and the other for the transverse tension. Since with a uniform string, the main string tears mainly because it moves more and "rubs off" on the cross string, a durable string is usually used as the main string (e.g. polyester or aramid / kevlar / technora) with hybrid strings ). A very elastic synthetic string or even natural gut is used as a cross string to compensate. The playing characteristics of such hybrid covers are good, and the durability of a poly / multi-hybrid cover is often even higher than that of a pure poly cover.
The combination options for hybrid strings are almost infinite. Because hybrid strings can be used to create very individual combinations, hybrid strings are becoming increasingly popular, especially with self-stringers. But there are also hybrid strings put together by the manufacturers and sold as a set.
String gauge
In addition to the material, the string thickness is also decisive for the properties of a tennis string. In general, the thinner a string is, the better its playing characteristics and the shorter the durability. One and the same string model is often available in different strengths. String diameters between 1.1 and 1.4 mm are common. In the USA in particular, it is specified in gauge . The following table shows the conversion from gauge to mm.
| Gauge | millimeter |
|---|---|
| 15th | 1.41-1.49 |
| 15L | 1.33-1.41 |
| 16 | 1.26-1.34 |
| 16L | 1.22-1.30 |
| 17th | 1.16 - 1.24 |
| 18th | 1.06-1.16 |
Assembly
Tennis strings are usually available as individual sets of 12 m (sufficient for stringing a racket) or, cheaper, on rolls of 100 or 200 m.
Web links
- More information about tennis strings
- Further details on tennis strings
- Correctly string tennis strings