Stringing advice

When to change your tennis racket string?

Don't you know when to change the string on your tennis racket ? Depending on their composition, their installation and their use in play, the lifespan of a string can vary greatly. However, several signs of wear can indicate that it's time to change it. Discover these to know when to change your string to maintain optimal performance.

When to change your tennis racket string?
Expert guide Choice tips

We often hear a rule stating that you should change your tennis racket string as many times a year as you play per week. For example, if you play once a week, you should change it once a year. This rule may be valid for recreational players, but not for intermediate, advanced, or expert players. To identify a worn string, it is therefore better to rely on the following signs:

  • When your string is broken: this seems obvious, but a broken string will cause a total loss of ball control;
  • You have forearm pain: this can be a cause of string aging which no longer effectively absorbs vibrations;
  • When your string no longer returns to its place by itself: logically, a string moves in a few thousandths of a second (invisible to the naked eye);
  • You are making many more long faults than usual: often, the string tension has dropped and it provides too much power;
  • You have lost touch with the ball: a worn string loses its performance;
  • When the string frays too much: it will then be time to change it to regain performance.
Equipment

ROPE LIFESPAN

Multifilament, nylon or gut

Do you regularly have to put your tennis string back in place? This is the first sign of fatigue! Tennis strings made of gut or multifilament have the particularity of holding tension well, but they will tend to move and fray. It's not because they start to fray that you need to change them, but because the string no longer returns to its initial position. Even if these strings can be kept until they break, it is advisable to change them regularly to maintain maximum feel and performance. Pay attention to nylon which quickly loses its tension. We recommend it more for recreational players for economic reasons.

Monofilament

It is becoming increasingly popular, yet it is not addressed to all players. It allows for better resistance and more responsiveness, but emits more vibration as well as a faster tension loss. A monofilament tennis string should be changed at most every 15 to 20 hours of play. Beyond that, vibrations will become increasingly harmful. Expert players regularly feel a loss of monofilament dynamics after 6 to 7 hours of play.

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