There is a senior rule that says: as many times you play a week is as many times a year you have to re-string. But, is it completely accurate? We think that it highly depends on your skill level, even more than how many times a week you play.
Beginner (Plays 1-3 times per month)
A beginner is a player who just started practicing the sport and takes one or two lessons per month. At this level we highly recommend to re-string racquets every three months. Even if the strings are not broken, they will eventually lose their original tension and overtime the feel you had of the racquet will change. Feel is the sensation you experience of the racquet coming into contact with the ball. Taken that into account, re-stringing once every three months will allow your racquet feel and your learning experience to stay as consistent as possible.
- What’s the yearly cost? At beginners’ level, we recommend: The Dunlop Synthetic Gut Tennis String Set ($3.99), The Wilson Synthetic Gut Power Tennis String Set ($4.50) or if you would like to get a higher quality string the Babolat Addixion 16 Tennis String Set ($11.95) or The Head Velocity MLT 16 Tennis String Set at ($9.95) are both great options. So for a beginner looking to always have a fresh set of strings would spend roughly between $16- $48 on them.
Intermediate (Plays 4-6 times per month)
An intermediate level tennis player is someone who has at least 2 years of experience on the court and plays four to six times per month. At this level we highly recommend to re-string racquets every month, so your strings maintain the tension near to the point where you feel comfortable and your performance will not suffer due to equipment issues. Intermediate players also begin to suffer from string durability as the softer string types begin to break more frequently. At this point you may choose a hybrid string bed to give the durability and spin of polyester while still harnessing some softness and touch from a multifilament.
- What’s the yearly cost? At intermediate level there are many different string options to choose from, some that we recommend are: The Multifilament Wilson NXT ($20.95), The Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 17 + VS 16 Tennis String Set ($32.95) or The Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 16 Tennis String Set ($19.95) Another option could be the Wilson Spin Effect Hybrid ($13.95) The yearly spending on strings can vary from $168-$396 depending on which ones you find best to cater to your needs on the court. At this point buying reels can help save costs on string, a reel carries about 18-20 racquets worth of strings
Advanced (Plays 3-7 times per week)
An advanced level player is a high skilled person who trains or plays three to seven times per week. For those players we recommend to re-string racquets in the following three scenarios:
- Every time you break them (commonly every 2 weeks)
- to start any important tournament.
- When you hit the ball and feel the tension has decreased significantly (an advanced player would easily notice).
- What’s the yearly cost? For this level, we recommend buying reels of string rather than individual sets for significant savings. Our recommended option is:
The Luxilon Alu Power Tennis String Reel ($279.95 – $289.95) or other options (depending on what caters to your needs) also includes Kirschbaum Pro Line Rough 1.25 tennis string reel ($149.00) or even Dunlop Synthetic Gut 16 Reel (69.99)
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