Last updated on September 30th, 2022
When you hear the word “string,” what’s your first thought? Tennis racquet stringing is one of those topics that people seem to have a lot of questions about. The most common question being, “how often should you restring a tennis racket?”
This article will explore this topic in-depth and give you some expert advice on whether or not it’s worth the time, effort, and money to replace your old strings with new ones.
Restringing your tennis racket is a lot like changing the oil in your car. You may not know why it needs to be done, but you do know that without doing so, performance will suffer and eventually stop altogether. If you want to improve consistency on the court and avoid injuries from string breakage or loss of tension, restringing can help prolong both strings and equipment life while also increasing player confidence for better game play.
If you are unsure whether or not your racket needs restringing, check out our handy guide on how to tell if a tennis racket needs restringing. Read on to find out!
| 1 Time A Week | 2-3 Times A Week | 3-4 Times A Week | 4-6 Times A Week | Professional | |
| A Beginner | 1/year | 2/year | 2-3/year | 4+/year | Every few matches. |
| A Soft Hitter | /year | 2-3/year | 2-4/year | 4+/year | Every few matches. |
| An Average Baseliner | 1-2/year | 2-3/year | 3-4/year | 5+/year | Every few matches. |
| A Power Player | 1-3/year | 2-4/year | 3-6/year | 6+/year | Every few matches. |
How often should I restring my tennis racket?
- A beginner: should restring his racquet every 3 months or until a string breaks. This is for players who are new to the game and play occasionally once in a week.
- An intermediate: should restring his racquet once every month, considering he is playing around 2-4 times a week with more serious blows.
- An advanced player: should expect to restring his tennis racket every week or two weeks, because the level and intensity of hitting, around 3-7 times a week, puts a considerable burden on his racquet that requires restringing to keep the performance up to par.
| 1 Time A Week | 2-3 Times A Week | 3-4 Times A Week | 4-6 Times A Week | Professional | |
| Frequency Of Restringing | Once or twice a year | Two to four times a year | Three to five times a year | Around five times a year | As sooner as the string harms your game. (See the table below for a number of hours played for string tension) |
Tennis string life expectancy
A tennis string life expectancy is the average time a player can expect their strings to last at optimal performance. Tennis players should take care of their equipment will have a longer life span than those who neglect it. The lifespan of a tennis racquet’s strings depends on how much they are used and what type they are.
You should look for a string to last between 6 months and up to 1 month as you use it more, play more aggressively, and as the material which it is made of is less durable, like nylon strings.
| Fresh From The Stringer | First Minutes Of Play | 1-2 Hours | 2-5 Hours | 5+ Hours | |
| Tension Drop | Around 10% | The strings kick in their place and feel like new. | The strings have lost some tension but settled on quite constant tension. | Start of wear-off of the strings and tension loss. | The more you play after the mark of 5 hours, the more worn and tension is going to get off the strings. |
| Feel | Great | New | New | New-A little difference | Starts to change |
Is it worth restringing a tennis racquet?
You may be thinking to yourself, “Why would I need to restring my tennis racquet? The manufacturer already did that, or you’ve already strung your racquet.”
The answer to this question is often a resounding “Yes!” For one, tennis racquets can get worn out and lose their elasticity. This will cause the strings to snap more easily and give you less power on your shots. Secondly, restringing at the right tension for your game can be easier than it seems. Lastly, restringing a tennis racquet is an inexpensive way to take care of what we use most in our games: our equipment!
Restringing a tennis racquet for most people is typically only worth it if the strings are worn or broken, which can be difficult to tell without testing them out first. If you’re not sure that they need it, I would recommend just buying new ones.
Tennis strings can be a game-changer for your game, but it’s important to know the pros and cons of restringing one. If you’re not getting enough power or spin on your shots, then restringing might be worth the effort. However, if you are doing well with your current racquet and don’t need more help finding the ball in play, then it may not be worth putting new strings on an old friend.
Some people may be content with using the same old one, but others might want to change it up.
- Cost-wise
If you’re not an advanced player, it may be worth checking out the cost of restringing a tennis racquet before deciding to do so.
Tennis strings can be a major investment. In fact, you could easily spend over 20 dollars on a new one. Is it worth the time and money to restring your old one? The answer is yes!
A new set of strings can cost between 10-50$, and depending on your skill level in stringing a racket, this job could take anywhere from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. Costs at their lowest point for stringer are around 15$.
With this type of price point, it’s not hard to see that restringing an old racquet is worth the investment if all other things are equal.
- It is worth for maintenance
The strings on a racquet will lose their elasticity over time and won’t provide as much power or control. This is especially true if they have been exposed to moisture or extreme heat which can make them brittle. This is why restringing is well worth the effort to avoid that.
- It is worth to restring at the right tension
The racquet will play much better and may last longer if you restring it to the right tension. Restringing a tennis racquet isn’t difficult at all, but you need to do it correctly or else your string job won’t be as good as possible. Stringing your tennis racquet at the correct tension can make a huge difference in how well it performs.
- Restringing yourself
Stringing a tennis racquet yourself may be cheaper than going to have someone else do it for you at first glance, but if the job isn’t done properly then all those savings will go out the window as well. Take into consideration how much time and money you’re willing to spend before making up your mind on whether or not this task should be completed by someone else.
However, if playing is only an occasional hobby for you, then we think there are other purchases that would better suit your needs.
How to tell if a tennis racket needs restringing
If you suspect your tennis racket needs to be restrung, there are a few ways that can help you determine if this is the case.
The most common indication that your tennis racket needs restringing is when it begins to lose its tension. If you notice the ball has a hard time traveling over the net, or if you’re not getting enough power behind your shots, then it’s probably time for a new string job.
But what does this mean? How can you tell if your racket needs restringing?
The first way is by looking at the strings and seeing if they’re fraying or not – as we mentioned above, it’s important for these strings to remain intact so that they don’t snap and break during play. Another good indicator of whether or not your racket should be restrung is how often you’ve been playing with it over the past year; typically, rackets will need to be restrung after about 3 months of use max.
But how do you know if your string is just fraying or has actually broken? If they are loose and can move about freely with little tension, then most likely they need to be tightened up again.
However, if the strings have pulled away from their bed in one long piece or two smaller pieces at either end of the frame, then this means that there was too much tension on them for far too long which caused them to break apart.
- Tension loss
A tennis racket needs restringing when the player can feel that there is less tension in it.
Tension loss can be felt when hitting the ball with your racket. If you notice that your shots are not as powerful now than they were before, it may be time to restring or replace your tennis racket.
This is because strings wear down over time and lose their elasticity due to constant use. It’s important to know how a tennis racket feels during play so you can make sure you’re getting the best performance out of it.
- Playing style
The strings in your tennis racket are elastic, so they will need to be replaced when the tension has been lost after hitting hard on them. Do you hit the ball hard? Or maybe more defensive with finesse? Your type of play may affect how often you should consider having your rackets re-strung.
Take care of the problem as soon as possible because over time a worn-out frame will lose its effectiveness and give you fewer options for topspin and control on groundstrokes. It also can affect how well the strings produce power and spin when serving.
- Visual signs
A tennis racket will need to be restrung if it has any of these visual signs, tears on the strings, thinner parts of the string.
The lower gauge also leads to more breakage and may mean your string tension needs adjustment too.
Restringing your tennis racket is an easy way to make sure you are playing with optimal performance and can prevent disturbing occurrences down the road.
- Feeling the strings
Your strings feel too tight and they’re uncomfortable on your arm. You can’t generate as much power or spin with the ball because the strings are either too loose or too taut. The middle part of the string is noticeably worn down from excessive use (also called “dead spots”).
The string tension should be tight enough to make a sound when you hit the ball, but not so tight that it pulls back and hurts your arm or wrist. If this sounds like something you’ve been experiencing lately, then it might be time for a new set of strings.
- How frequently do you play?
The frequency with which you play will also affect how often your tennis racket should be restrung.
If you don’t get to the courts very often, it might not need to be restrung for a while. For those who are more active on the court and have an intense playing style, they may want to think about getting their racket re-strung every month or so.
So if you find that your strings feel tight after hitting a few shots but then loosen up again when the ball is hit off of them, this could mean that your string tension has been reduced below what’s needed for optimal performance from the racquet.
If you’re experiencing any of these telltale signs, it’s time to restring your tennis racket.
Why should you restring your tennis racket?
| Fresh From The Stringer | First Minutes Of Play | 1-2 Hours | 2-5 Hours | 5+ Hours | |
| Tension Drop | Around 10% | The strings kick in their place and feel like new. | The strings have lost some tension but settled on quite constant tension. | Start of wear-off of the strings and tension loss. | The more you play after the mark of 5 hours, the more worn and tension is going to get off the strings. |
| Feel | Great | New | New | New-A little difference | Starts to change |
- Reduce shock
Restringing your tennis racket can provide you with a more comfortable experience. It reduces shock, which will give you better control over the ball and reduce tension in the arm muscles.
The strings will wear out over time and the shock of the ball hitting them is something that needs to be reduced as much as possible for maximum comfort and performance on the court. A new set of strings will make a huge difference in the feel and performance of your racket, so don’t wait until it’s too late.
- Better performance
You may be wondering how much better your game will get if you restring your tennis racket. Rest assured, the answer is a lot! A new string can make all the difference to someone who’s looking for more power and control on their shots.
If you’re tired of not being able to hit that backhand winner or struggling with an unpredictable serve, it might just take a new set of strings to turn things around. It’s no wonder that you see professional players change their strings typically once every set or two!
- Avoid breaking a string in a middle of a match
You can restring your tennis racket before a match to avoid having the string snap in the middle of a game. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to be prepared for any situation that might arise in court.
It’s a good idea to restring your tennis racket before you play. Don’t wait until it breaks, or the string will have lost its elasticity and become a dead weight on your racquet that won’t serve as much of an advantage in the battle against your opponent.
It’s also important to have a spare racket ready so you don’t break a string in the middle of a match. Having an extra tennis racket is essential for those who play on a regular basis or are playing competitively.
- Changing a racquet
The tennis racket is the most important piece of equipment in a player’s kit and strung correctly it can make all the difference.
If you’re having trouble getting your shots over the net or off-center, consider changing up your racquet to find one that suits you better, as well as changing the strings you use.
Different types of strings
How often to change poly strings?
Poly strings are well known for their poor tension maintenance ability, losing tension quickly and affecting your performance immediately when it happens. Poly strings need to be changed very frequently, every 3-5 sessions of play, or every 12-24 hours of play, for optimal play.
How long do multifilament strings last?
Multifilament tennis strings vary in their ability to preserve their tension and form, there are some strings that excel in durability, while others are not. A typical rule of thumb for the life expectancy of multifilament strings is to restring them every 5-15 playing sessions, or every 20-40 hours of play.
How often to change synthetic gut strings?
The synthetic gut is one of the most durable strings that we can acquire these days, thanks to the marvel of technology advancement, you can count these types of strings to last longer than the poly or other poor and low durability types, and expect to use them for a couple of months with average usage.
Final Thoughts
You should restring your tennis racket for a variety of reasons. There are many different types of strings to choose from, so you can find one that best suits your needs. Restringing is worth it because the cost will be less than buying a new racquet and stringing it yourself may take more time but saves money in the long run.
String life expectancy varies depending on the frequency of play, type of player, level played at, whether or not they use protective gear like sweatbands/grips, etc., how often an individual changes their strings (every week), climate conditions where they live and other factors.
If you have any questions about this post please feel free to ask them below!
