* HYBRID STRINGS—A REALITY CHECK {2007}

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

We keep hearing more and more about hybrid stringing that the pro’s use, and how you should be using it. First a little background--hybrids are in no way new. “Hybrid” just means the main (vertical) strings are different material than the crosses. The first type was, as suggested by Dave Bone (USRSA director) in a recent TENNIS magazine article, stringing with natural gut mains and nylon crosses. This will approximate stringing with all natural gut at a lower cost. Going one step further, using a softer (multifilament) string in the crosses will improve the feel even further. I believe that will give most players as good a feel as all natural gut.

Now let’s talk about what the pros are using. Most are stringing with poly mains and natural gut crosses. This tends to soften the harshness of the poly. Since the pros are using this, should you? My opinion is NO! I say this because most customers who HAD to try poly simply because it’s what the pros use found they experienced discomfort after a short time. Poly is VERY unforgiving on off-center hits. The pros can hit hard and control their strokes because they hit the ball better than you or I do.

Poly got its start in Europe as long ago as 30 years. It became so popular not because it played better, but because it was cheaper and lasted longer. The early "polys" were terrible, but a string breaker could play a whole match without worrying. The newer poly strings are no longer inexpensive; a stringing can cost $35 or more, depending on the specific manufacturer and string.

In addition to feeling harsh, poly loses tension much faster than other strings; although the newer “formulations” hold tension somewhat better. Pros have their racquets strung before every match or practice at a tournament, whether they played with them at the last session or not. You probably don’t have that option, so even though the strings are lasting longer, you are using dead strings for most of your play.

Now to Federer--Roger plays with natural gut in the mains and a poly in the crosses. If you choose this, expect to be stringing often, because it won’t last very long. Roger carries ten to twelve freshly strung frames on court every time he plays a match. With that kind of arsenal, who needs to worry about string breakage? He generally changes frames at the start of each set; no worries about tension loss there.

Unless you break string in a matter of hours, stick with conventional copolymer strings, such as nylon or polyurethane. If you want to try a hybrid, choose the gut/nylon combination.

COPYRIGHT 2007
By Vince Chiarelli, MRT, PTR, Owner of String Along With Vince, Largo, FL