How often should tennis players get their rackets restrung?

The restringing questions is one we get asked a lot as Tennis Pro’s. The basic idea is you should replace your strings as many times per year as you play per week. In other words, if you play once a week you then you should restring your racquet once per year. Of course, this theory of frequency has some flaws and should be considered on how hard you play verses how often you play like a set of brake pads for your car.  If you are hard on your brakes you are going to need to replace them more often than other drivers who are not.

Another theory is that competitive players should change out their strings before every match to improve the length of play. While this is a personal choice, it’s not necessarily realistic for all budgets unless of course you break a lot of strings during match play.

The real answer can be found in the style of play. For example, if you prefer an eastern grip you most likely hit the ball softer than say a semi-western or western grip. These grips tend to be impacted more by the friction against the ball wearing down the strings faster.

Another tip is to at the tension weight. Players who like to hit a heavy ball are simply going to break strings more often. Tension weight can greatly improve power but be prepared to pay for it later. You may have read in some of previous we always recommend paying attention to the material used when stringing your racket as well. Synthetic such as nylon fibers tend to last longer.

If you are still in doubt there are several key indicators that alert players, it’s time to replace their strings such as loss of control of ball. Players will noticeably start seeing more errors and finding it tougher to place shots. Loss of topspin is a major signal and lack of the pop factor. Finally, several racket manufacturers have diagnostic centers at dedicated proshops where players can test their string bed deflection for free.

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