soft strings?

Question

for the past 3 months iv been stringing my racquet with 17 gauge synthetic gut. i really like it, it gives me power, it grips the ball really well, and it is a much crisper feel. i know because it is thinner that it will wear out easier, but latley it seems i cant get thru more than 3 or 4 competitive matches without the string wearing out. it doesnt necisarily break but it doesnt feel that good. it doesnt grip the strings, therefore there are alot of mishits, the topspin isnt as significant, and also the cripser feeling is gone that is the biggest problem, the soft feeling. one question is how long should the 17 gauge hold up, and the other question is should i possibly string a little tighter to keep the crisper feeling for longer. thanks

Answer 1

I know where you are coming from.

Years ago I started stringing my own rackets. If you hit a hard ball, and especially with topspin, only expect 4-5 hours of tournament play from your racket. 2-3 hours if your are training and doing drills.

I like the lighter stringings with the heavier gauge for the feel also. Moving your strings around so they don't make ruts, in between points, is crucial also. Connors and Borg used to this all the time. If you just leave them there, the cross strings will gouge into the main strings and pop them out soon enough.

Answer 2

You use the term "synthetic gut" but that is too ambiguous to help you. See link below for different types of synthetic gut. Sounds to me you should be playing with multifilaments strung tight, but everyone has their own preferences. If you break the soft strings too fast, switch to solid core single wrap. Or if spin ("grip") is important to you, try a textured "spin" string. You will have to experiment around to find ones you like best.