Tennisthis.com

We got your tennis racquet reviews, string reviews, tournament recaps, player happenings, and much more right here!

  • Home
  • Tennis String Reviews
  • Tennis Racquet Reviews
  • Game Changer
  • Accessories
    • Pocket Radar for tennis review
    • Scoreband Watch review
    • String Advantage Pojie review
    • Zensah Compression Elbow Sleeve review
  • About
    • Links
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Tennis Equipment / Why Is It So Tense In Here?

Why Is It So Tense In Here?

July 7, 2011 By G.O.A.T

It’s the age old question when it comes to tennis equipment, “What tension should I string my tennis racquet?” If you’ve read any of my tennis equipment recommendations, I heavily stress that every tennis player is different so there is no single answer that will be 100% right for everybody and that you should be open to experimenting with different racquets, strings, and tensions, please keep that in mind.

Back to string tension, let’s start with what it is; tennis string tension is the measurement of weight tension on the string within the frame of the tennis racket or, the pressure under which the strings are secured to the frame. I’ll put that in layman’s terms, it’s how tight the tennis string is strung, in pounds, in the tennis racquet. Are we all on the same page? OK, great.

Put simply, there are two polar opposite weights to consider when stringing a racquet, lose or tight:

  • Loose string tension: Will give you more power and pace, however; you will sacrifice more control. There is also a possibility of shanking the ball more often, since the stringbed is less reliable, the ball will come off the strings at a weird angle. The other thing to consider when using a tighter string job, the strings will move around a lot more that can cause the strings to “saw” themselves, which results in broken strings faster. Also, with strings that are misaligned, you will not hit the ball as clean. Bad shots = Bad tennis.
  • Tight string tension: Better control, but less power. If you have strength naturally, then this should not be an issue. I personally string my racquet a little tighter for added control, I mean, I have enough power to hit big from the baseline, but I prefer control. Another sacrifice from having a tight tension is lack of feel, especially a net. Since the stringbed is stiff, it acts like a springboard launching the ball away from the frame in an unpredictable manner. Oh and don’t forget, there is a possibility that a tight tension can give you the dreaded “tennis elbow,” from the vibration.
  • There is a third option: You can do a two piece string job, where you can have the mains tight and the crosses loose – power and control! I prefer doing this kind of set up with a hybrid string job, typically a natural gut string in the crosses and a polyester string in the mains.

“But how much tension should I use?” That’s a simple answer and one that can be directed to every tennis player on earth, look at your tennis racquet’s throat and it will show you the manufacturer’s recommended tension range – this is generally between 50 and 70 pounds of tension. It’s only a recommendation, you can go lower or higher if you need, just make sure you don’t go too high, you could very well end up cracking the frame of your tennis racket. One person who you can talk to about tennis string tension is your club/pro shop/neighborhood stringer, that’s where I learned about tensions and stringing, all you have to do is ask.

In conclusion, what is the best tennis string tension? That all depends on your ability and needs from your tennis racquet. Get a couple of sets of the same string and play with the tensions until you find the weight that is good for you. I personally like to string my racquets between 56 and 60 pounds, full poly. I’ve also found that many pros either string really low tensions – Roger Federer around 48 pounds of tension, where as Mark Philippoussis has his tennis racquet strung at 70 pounds of tension.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
G.O.A.T
Based in sunny Southern California, raised in Argentina & USA; lover of all things tennis, USRSA Master Racquet Technician (MRT), ATP/WTA Pro Level Stringer; reviewer of tennis strings, tennis racquets, and any interesting tennis gadgets I come across. Plays NTRP 4.5 singles and some doubles. Singled handed backhand with a wicked affection for cured meats and Asado.
Latest posts by G.O.A.T (see all)
  • 2021 French Open Wilson Racquets - April 13, 2021
  • Slinger Bag and Wilson Tennis Collaboration - March 2, 2021
  • Wilson Tennis and Romero Britto - February 22, 2021

Filed Under: Tennis Equipment, Tennis Tips Tagged With: tennis strings, tennis tips

Follow TennisThis!

 Facebook Google+ Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS E-mail

Latest Tennis Racquet Reviews

List of ATP Player Tennis Racquets
List of WTA Player Tennis Racquets
Wilson Blade V7 16x19 review
Head Gravity MP review
TenXPro XCalibre 325g review
Wilson Clash Tour 100 review
Wilson Clash review
Prince Phantom 100p Pro review
Yonex VCORE Pro 97 310g review
TenX Pro Excalibur 303g review
Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (310g) review
Wilson Burn 100S review
Head Graphene Prestige Rev Pro review
Babolat Pure Strike Tour review
Volkl V1 Pro review
Donnay Formula 100 review
Mantis Pro 295 review
2013 Babolat AeroPro Drive review
Dunlop Biomimetic F 3.0 Tour review
Head YouTek IG Extreme Pro 2.0 review
Mantis Tour 305 review
List of ATP & WTA Tennis Shoes

Latest Tennis String Reviews

List of ATP & WTA tennis strings
Babolat RPM Power 16 review
Toroline Absolute 17 review
Diadem Evolution 16 review
Luxilon Element 1.25mm review
Yonex Poly Tour Spin 16L review
Luxilon Smart 16L review
Tier One Firewire 17 review
Laserfibre JB Tour 17 reivew
Yonex Poly Tour Strike review
Laserfibre Native Tour 17 reivew
Weiss Cannon Fire Stroke 17 review
Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable 17 review
Diadem Solstice Power 17 review
Genesis True Grit 17 review
Victory Acelon Wildfire 16 (multi) review
Wilson RipSpin 16 White review
Babolat RPM Dual 17 review
Mantis Tri-Poly Spin 17 review
Acelon Seven 16L review
Solinco Tour Bite Soft 17 review
Solinco Tour Bite 19 review
Volkl Cyclone Tour 17 review
Clarke Poly Power Pro 17 review
Kirschbaum Pro Line X 17 review
Luxilon 4G review
Tier One Sports Tour Status 17 review

Search TennisThis.com

Recent posts

  • 2021 French Open Wilson Racquets
  • Slinger Bag and Wilson Tennis Collaboration
  • Wilson Tennis and Romero Britto
  • Lotto Mirage 300 II SPD Women’s Tennis Shoe Review
  • Wilson Clash & Blade Roland Garros Inspired Racquets
  • Wilson Ultra V3 Revealed
  • Wilson KAOS 3.0 Tennis Shoe Review
  • WTA Future Stars Tournament Use Wilson Triniti Ball
  • Wilson Triniti Tennis Ball Review
  • Blue Wilson ProStaff RF97

The vault

ATP Top 10 Rankings

1. Novak Djokovic
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Roger Federer
4. Dominic Thiem
5. Daniil Medvedev
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas
7. Alexander Zverev
8. Matteo Berretini
9. Gael Monfils
10. David Goffin

WTA Top 10 Rankings

1. Ashleigh Barty
2. Simona Halep
3. Karolina Pliskova
4. Bianca Andreescu
5. Sofia Kenin
6. Kiki Bertens
7. Elina Svitolina
8. Serena Williams
9. Belinda Bencic
10. Naomi Osaka

TennisThis.com Twitter Feed

Tweets by @tennisthis

Favorite Sites

  • ATP & WTA Tennis
  • Fuebuena.com.ar
  • Ladies Who Tennis Blog
  • On Top
  • Tennis Abides
  • TennisCom.Com

Niemann-Pick Children’s Fund

 Niemann-Pick Children's Fund

Copyright © 2023 · Tennis String Reviews · Tennis Racquet Reviews · Site Map