When to Restring Your Tennis Racket: The Honest String ABC

Here's an uncomfortable truth: the majority of club players compete with strings that lost their elasticity months ago. The string doesn't break, so it stays – while control, arm comfort and ball acceleration quietly disappear.

The old rule of thumb – and its problem

"Restring as many times per year as you play per week" is the beginning of the truth, not the end. It ignores two things: polyester strings lose noticeable tension after just 10 to 20 hours of play – long before they break. And big hitters kill a string bed in a fraction of the time a controlled player does.

The four real wear signals

1. The notches: where crosses and mains intersect, grooves form. Deep notches mean the strings interlock – the snapback (the topspin effect) is gone.

2. The sound: freshly strung, ball contact sounds bright and crisp. Dead strings sound dull – compare your racket with a freshly strung one from a hitting partner.

3. Control flips: balls that normally land in suddenly sail 30 centimeters long – with unchanged technique. That's not a form slump, that's tension loss.

4. Your arm complains: dead poly strings go stiff and transmit every shock straight into the elbow. A tingling arm after playing is often an equipment problem, not a health problem.

The cost of inaction

A restring costs 20 to 40 euros depending on the string. Think about what you spend on rackets, shoes and club fees – and remember the string bed is the only part of your equipment that touches the ball. Per hour of play, fresh strings are the cheapest performance upgrade in the entire sport.

Your interval

Polyester, 3 hours of play per week: every 4 to 6 weeks. Multifilament/nylon: every 8 to 10 weeks or at the first sign of notching. Natural gut: lasts longer, costs more. And after winter, always restring – starting the season on October's strings is like driving on bald tires.

MatchGrit's equipment tracker counts your playing hours and tells you when a restring is due – before your elbow does.