Your racquet is the essential tool when you’re playing tennis. The problem is, your strings are apt to break- and when they do, you’re left unable to play. If this happens on the court, you might even have to concede the match. No player wants to be left hanging when their racquet strings quit- so here’s the top ways to figure out when it’s time to restring your racquet. 

Death of A String

You can tell when you need to restring your racquet based on the tension in the strings. This isn’t a phenomenon to be confused with resiliency (a string’s ability to retain its shape), power, or even elasticity- instead, it’s the feeling of stiffness that your strings have. A stiffer string is better when playing, but it doesn’t have any real effect on your matches. Instead, it affects how you interact with your racquet. If you notice your racquet feeling ‘soft’, it’s probably time to restring.

Player Choices

Not every player has the same opinion about string tension, and that’s okay. Different players will choose to restring at different times, and for different reasons. Some people enjoy playing on a softer string because it’s comfortable; to others, playing on a tighter string feels crisp. A tighter string will help you increase the control and power you have over the ball, but a softer string will allow you to easily add some spin onto your serve.

Restringing Your Racquet

Overall, it’s a big decision to restring your racquet. Timing is important, and different players enjoy different levels of tension in a racquet. That’s okay- not everyone plays the same! Keep an eye on your playstyle- if you begin to notice a loss of control or power in your swing, it might be time to restring.