Straightenning out your tennis raquet strings between points?

Question

Does this help or is it just something to do with your hands?

Answer 1

it helps get more life out the strings, it helps a little bit with the placement of your shots (uniform stringbed means uniform placement) and it can be a nice ritual between points to help you relax and focus on what you need to do. so straighten away!

Answer 2

Straightening the strings might add a little to their life (I'm talking maybe an extra game). It is mostly the mains (up and down strings) that move side to side. The crosses (strings that go, well, across) don't do much moving. The mains are also what end up wearing down and breaking. It isn't so much where the main hits the cross, but where the cross hits the main that makes a difference (hope that made sense).

I straighten my strings because, well, I'm a little OCD, and it also just keeps me focused on the game.

Answer 3

At the upper levels of competition, players straighten their strings for a few reasons.

First is to minimize the possibility of breaking strings and mishits. If your stings start to move it opens a larger gap in one part of the racket versus another. If you hit the ball there in that spot the weight distribution of the ball isn't proportioned and the possibility of a string breaking goes up. Players want that distribution to be as even as possible. This leads to a second, related reason.

At that level, accuracy is paramount and while the average club player like most of us here won't notice a difference, professionals are comparatively, pinpoint accurate. The least little difference in string tension, pattern, weigh, etc will throw them off.

Thirdly, and for what's most pertinent to those of us lesser mortals (lol), it's simply a way to focus and keep our head in the game. I remember watching an Agassi match and the commentator drew the viewer's attention to how Andre's eyes were "darting about" and looking around and not being focused. Later in the match, that same announcer drew attention back to Andre fixing his strings and focusing on the head of his racket as a way to keep his head in the game.

Hope that gives some insight!

Answer 4

If you find that having to straighten strings between points is annoying use string savers the elasto cross are great and never get a string out of place again. Intended for gut string jobs but works just as well for any type of string. And unca bry is correct.