Introduction

With new technologies hitting the market every few months, it is hardly surprising to be confused about the ever-widening range of strings currently available. Far gone are the days where natural gut was the lone stringing option, with the present range populated by a plethora of different strings, including new variations of polyester, synthetic gut, kevlar and graphite, among others.

This guide will focus on the main strings available, but it is an impossibility for it to be able to cover every string on the market. Bearing in mind the general classifications, a first generation synthetic gut will play differently to a dual core synthetic gut with a boron thread, but a synthetic gut will still play like a synthetic gut and never like any poly or kevlar string. There are a number of important steps that must be considered before purchasing any string, and this guide will attempt to clarify any misconceptions the average tennis player or stringer would have.

Universal Elements

Regardless of the string you have decided to purchase, there are a number of universal elements that apply to every string. These are the diameter of the string, its elasticity or give', and its tension, three core components that apply to every single string since the beginning of the sport. Simply put, the way a string plays is determined by its thickness, its material and the tension at which it is strung.

Diameter
The diameter of the string determines two factors, its durability and its playability. Durability refers, not surprisingly, to the number of ball-stringbed impactions that can occur before the string snaps. Playability is somewhat more subjective in that it relies on the player's perception of feel.' As an example, a thick string will be very durable with little playability or feel', while a thin string will not be very durable, but will have greater playability. Simply put, a thin string will play better but will not last as long as a thicker string. Here is a list of string gauges and the corresponding diameter in millimeters. A 15' string will be more durable but less resilient (not as much feel') while a 19' string will be fragile but very resilient (i.e. it will feel' very responsive as long as it lasts).

15 = 1.41-1.49 mm
15L = 1.34-1.40 mm
16 = 1.26-1.33 mm
16L = 1.22-1.26 mm
17 = 1.20-1.24 mm
17L = 1.16-1.20 mm
18 = 1.10-1.16 mm
19 = 1.00-1.10 mm

Elasticity

The elasticity of the string is also a determinant

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