Stringing for Junior Level Tournament Player.
So, you are a ranked, up and coming junior, taking lessons and are starting to play tournaments. You show up at an out of town tournament needing a restring and leave the racquet with the onsite stringer. You lose a close match, and not once did you consider that it might be a partial result of this stringing.
You used your usual string setup and asked for your regular tension, but did you know that there are a multitude of factors that that come into play.
What could have happened?
• A major component to accurate or consistent stringing is the type of stringing machine that is used. Touring pros have their frames strung on constant pull machines that pull about 10% tighter than lock out machines. This difference could make a 3 to 5 pound difference in tension. Your responsibility as a player is to know what machine type is used at your local pro shop and understand that you will need to adjust your tension accordingly.
At Tennis Junction we use five state of the art, Wilson Baiardo machines. We believe its critical to have all our machines be the same model for consistency. A certified stringer we will maintain and calibrate the machine and should ask you what type of machine is usually used when stringing your racquets at home – then adjust tensions accordingly. Find out who going to string your racquet at the tournament and what type of machine they use. If the site has a lock out machine, consider adding 3 pounds to your regular tension, compared to the tension use currently string at.
• One should possibly account for surface and altitude when playing a tournament away from home. Playing a tournament on a slow clay after spending most of the time practicing on indoor hard court? Consider dropping tension by a couple of pounds, for added power. High Altitude means the air is thinner and the ball will fly faster, so string a couple of pounds tighter, for control. Know the conditions.
• Make sure you understand two knots verses four knots in your string job – especially when you are using a full bed of string. Some stringers will string the cross strings from the bottom of the frame when, in our opinion: a racquet plays best when crosses are strung from the top – down. At Tennis Junction, we sometimes use an “Around the World” pattern to accommodate racquets that might benefit from this top down stringing.
• The Babolat string team that is the official String Team at Wimbledon leaves much of how racquets are strung to the individual stringer assigned to do the work – except they ask that question of the player: two or four knots? The Wilson, French Open / US Open String Team uses 4 knots all the time, unless it’s a natural one-piece racquet like a Blade 98 v.7 (16/19) Their philosophy is focused towards the team working in unison, so that they all use the same techniques, and look to improve consistency as a unit.
Take responsibility for all aspects of your game including the choice of string and tension that you wish to use. You will play more consistent tennis! Know what tension you play with and be able to make adjustments as conditions change will make you a more consistent and complete player.