A competitive player asked if I could help him fine tune his strings setup.
Both his coach and himself claimed he was hitting well. They attributed the control issues he faced to the strings.
However, he liked his current 1.10mm thin poly strings. Better bite, more feel and more spin, he said. Well, common sense dictates - thicker string, more control right?
But instead, they wanted to increase the string tension on the 16x19 frame. By 10 pounds! To 72 lbs! I felt dizzy just listening to him mentioned THAT number!
As usual, my way of dealing with this pesky behaviour was to quote an insanely ridiculous price (link), hoping to turn him away diplomatically.
But he accepted! And paid upfront! Oh my goodness!!!
Before stringing, I put on a long sleeve shirt to protect my arms. While tensioning, I kept my face away from the racket as far as possible. But it was still not enough...
While pulling the outer mains, the string snapped! The flying clamps flew!
And the string that was under tension, whipped around and lashed me across my neck, chest and left hand. If NASA recorded some earthquake-like shock waves from Asia, it was my scream!
OUCH...!!!
My first knuckle on my left hand and ring finger turned numb.
It felt like my skin has split open. Took off my shirt to check, and saw my neck received a lashing as well.
Super lucky it missed my face!
Next time anyone wants high tension with thin strings, it would be US$2,000,000.00. Per racket! Upfront! In cash!
After 18 months of incessant testing of new strings, an old friend, PK (link), got in touch again. He wanted to try proportional stringing with full poly. (link)
So he handed me his Babolat APD which he bought used, for a very good deal. However, the racket was so dirty.
Perhaps ingrained by my mentor many many years ago, I instinctively cleaned up the frame using an old toothbrush and rag.
Then I inspected the racket. And found two hairline cracks at the throat area, previously buried under all the dirt and grime. It doesn't show up well in the pics below, but yes, they are cracks.
Could this be why my mentor always insisted I clean rackets before working on them? I have no idea. Neither any way to check with him now.
After obtaining the green light to proceed from PK, I cut out the old strings, measured all the variables, then started work.
To me, it sure felt better working on a clean racket. The more important lesson though, is to always check used frames carefully before buying them. Clean them first if possible.
Fortunately, the cracks are very minor. It should remain playable for a good while more.
Playtest:
- After playing with it for 3 hours with his regular partners, PK was full of praise for proportional stringing.
- In his words, he wrote:
"Yo, here is my verdict. Spin, power, comfort and control were all superb..."
- And this was what he wrote about what his playing partners commented:
"They say the spin control really good" and "A lot of pace".
- Downside was he felt he needed to make some adjustments to his grip, swing and serve. But overall, he was very satisfied.
- I replied that I had expected the adjustments because the spin-to-power ratio of this setup was very different from his regular setup of full poly. If he felt no difference and needed no changes, then why should I spend SO MUCH more time stringing his racket proportionately?
- Somehow, I get the feeling that PK is going to be asking ONLY for proportional stringing from now on...
Before the popularity of spin patterns (eg 16x15), there were only two dominant string patterns - 16x19 or 18x20. The former was known as an "open pattern" and the latter a "closed/dense pattern".
But can those definitions of open or closed be universally applied to all 16x19s and 18x20s?
Even with the same racket headsize, I found it was not so straightforward.
Take a look at the 18x20 ProKennex Black Ace 98 versus the 16x19 Dunlop M-Fil300 below. Both are 98 square inches.
If you examine the string gaps carefully, it would be difficult to ascertain which racket's string gaps are larger, isn't it? The difference is so minute!
The total width of the 18 main strings in the BA98 is about 19.1 cm. For the Mfil300, the 16 mains are about 18.1 cm apart. So on average, each racket's main string are about 1.06 cm and 1.13 cm apart, respectively. With a tiny difference of only 0.07 cm, or 0.7 mm!!!
What about the cross strings' gap then?
All the crosses in the BA98 span over 25.5 cm versus 24.0 cm for the Mfil300. This translates to an average cross string gap of about 1.275 cm and 1.263cm respectively.
To me, both rackets have equally open strings!
It is very important to dispel the generalizations between open and closed string patterns because this has huge implications on tension and string selection, which in turn determines spin, power, string durability, comfort and control.
Despite so much information available online, about how to choose a tennis racket, so many are still confused how to proceed.
For example:
Selecting the Right Racquet
How To Choose The Right Racquet
Both websites above discussed in great detail about important racket features like headsize, length, swingweight, total weight, balance, string pattern, etc.
But how is it that so many people still get their picks way off? Then sell the racket, pick another, just to find the same dislike? (link)
I believe there is nothing wrong with the rackets. Nor the strings. Nor the racket specs. Maybe QC could cause some variances, but they remain completely playable.
What almost everyone overlooked, were their own "specs", such as:
- fitness levels,
- speed around the court,
- style of play,
- strength and endurance,
- tennis objectives, and
- playing partners.
When selecting a racket and string setup, for myself or others, I always prioritize these personal traits above all else. (Although price sometimes take precedence)
The root problem is, everybody over-rates their abilities. For example, when asked about their average serve speed, they state their fastest speed, then add a couple mph. Same for their ntrp levels. And backhand consistency. And amount of topspin they generate.
Ironically, when these same folks see a total beginner wielding Federer's / Nadal's / Djokovic's rackets, they could list so many reasons why that racket does not suit them. Definitely, knowledge is not lacking.
To avert this, one can:
- record and study videos of your own match play, or
- listen to feedback from your playing partners.
Everyone who first saw themselves playing on video were shocked how they actually hit the ball! It brought most back to reality, except for a few stubborn ones with huge egos who blamed the balls, strings, etc, for their dismal performance. So I left them in their rut.
When I last checked, some were still searching for their ideal stick. Some gave up due to too many rackets accumulating. The saddest ones were those who ended up with severe wrist, elbow or shoulder injuries that cut short their tennis hobby.
If all this is still too much information to sift, then start with your own on-court movement and footwork. They determine how much time you have to swing and hit the ball, which ultimately decides how much racket weight you could bear.
