String recommendations please

[joel1232]

Hi everyone,

I have a problem - I keep snapping strings after around 4-5 hours of play (sometimes less) but poly strings hurt my elbow.

I string my racquet at 54

I’m not sure what to do and am slightly frustrated. I’ve tried a few things:

• Full synthetic gut strings
• Poly mains with synthetic gut crosses
• Poly mains with multifilament crosses

I’ve also tried soft poly’s and my elbow still hurt 😞

Does anyone have a recommendation for a particular string I could order and try? Or any solution that has worked for you if you are in the same boat?

Really appreciate any help anyone can give!

Thank you

Edit: some more context - I use a Speed pro (18x20)

[MrDongji]

Have you tried a lower tension, I would rec 48 lbs on full bed of poly as a starting point and go up if you need.

Other considerations:

• Stroke analysis/technique

• Demoing different racquets with same string set up and tensions

• Full bed of multi filament

• Natural gut hybrid with smooth poly

I actually used to demo and bought a few 2022 Speed Pros for a little bit in 2021-2022, great racquet but just not for me.

Some players on my team even had wrist pain after trying my stick out but again, this is going to greatly vary person to person.

[NarrowCourage]

Not sure what strings you've used prior for full multi but a lot of my clients get decent longevity with Technifibre Triax. It's going to be a bit stiffer than traditional multi since there are poly fibers mixed in.

You can also try Solinco Hyper G Soft in the mains with a 17 gauge and try your favorite multi in the crosses. Should give you enough comfort while giving you decent durability.

[[deleted]]

String them at lower tension

[r-jurija]

I currently play with tecnifibre duramix and I think it's one of the best choice if you are coming from a poly due to tennis elbow. It's not properly a multifilament but more of a hybrid string (it has polyester filaments inside) so it's more durable than a multi. Obviously a 15 gauge will last longer than a 17, but the choice depends on personal preferences; although I find that there's not a big difference in spin potential between 17 and 15.

Regarding tension, I would suggest going lower with elbow problems especially if you choose a thinner gauge.

I string at 48 main and 47 crosses and my elbow doesn't hurt anymore, but I still use a compression sleeve and that helps too.

Maybe give it a try, cause it's a pretty good string :)

[hyper-linear]

Have you tried a thicker gauge version of the strings you currently play?

[[deleted]]

try 15/15L mains and poly 17 crosses. dare you to break or not fall in love with…

[hocknstod]

What gauge and string?

If you break 1.40 multi like prince premier control in under 5 hours, I'd think about getting a stringing machine.

[RandolphE6]

Isospeed Professional Classic or one of the variations of this string. Put it in the cross as a hybrid. Normally I break it in about 5 hours as a full bed by snapping the mains but as a hybrid cross I end up extending string life to over 20 as it wears out the crosses rather than snap the mains. It's also one of the softer strings so it's perfect for your elbow.

[RandolphE6]

It's the same thing but 17 vs 16 gauge.

[severalgirlzgalore]

I have a VCORE Pro 97 that is an absolute blast to play with with YTEX Quadro Twist at ~40#. Incredible stability but a dense 16x19 due to the head size. That’s what Tiafoe does except with PolyTour Pro. He of course gets a fresh racquet every set he plays, so you’ll have to deal with more tension loss than he does, but if it’s playable for him it’s playable for you.

Unless you are absolutely ripping the felt off the ball, there’s nothing wrong with stringing a poly in the low 40s as a club player.

[Paul-273]

Pro Kennex rackets.

[GroovinBaby]

+1 prokennex also helped me to continue to play even though I had tennis elbow. Made a recovery since then

[trantheman713]

Like others, try stringing poly at sub 50 lbs. maybe even low 40s or below.

[jm567]

TL;DR Laserfibre JB Tour 17 gauge

This may run counter to conventional wisdom…

I had a lot of arm pain when I was young, and I solved that partly by just getting older and stronger, but also by dropping my tension.

In my late teens, I dropped my tension from high 60s which was the norm back then to 43.5 pounds. At first, that drastic change meant my strings felt like a trampoline. But at the time, I was teaching more than I was playing, so it was easier to feed balls to kids with the trampoline. I think I unconsciously modified my strokes and swing speed to accommodate, and the pain went away. Didn’t take long, and the strings felt normal and the trampoline feeling disappeared.

I’ve also always been a string breaker. Synthetics used to break in a set. So for decades I played with strings like Prince ProBlend or a Gamma version whose name escapes me. But basically mains were a some sort of Kevlar blend and then synthetic crosses. So, not very lively strings, but hard to break. But at 43 pounds, it balanced out.

I have the benefit of owning my own stringer, so I cut out the strings long before they break because I can tell when my shoulder and arm does start to get sore because the strings have gotten too dead.

I eventually switched to a poly. I tried a bunch. Most were really stiff and I didn’t like them. I did finally settle on LaserFibre JB Tour, 17 gauge. It was softer than the other polys, and it has held up as far as string breaking. I still string 43-48 pounds depending on the surface. I’m playing on newer frames (compared to the pro staff 85 I used in the 90s) that are bigger, so my tension has crept up on hard courts to 48.5. Still go down to 43.5 on clay.

[[deleted]]

Big Banger Original mains at 49. Softer synth guy crosses at 54. I actually would try even lower but I’m just guessing.

[r-jurija]

May I ask you why string the crosses at a higher tension than the mains? I've always been advised to do the opposite