Our stringing recommendations
Choosing the right string tension has a big impact on the playability of the racquet – just like choosing the right string.
Each tennis player has to find out his individual string tension which best suits his string, racquet and play.
Top players modify the string tension by 1 to 5 lbs depending on factors like ground, altitude above sea level, temperature and opponent.
There are some rules of thumb which can help. Please find below our recommendation for MSV tennis strings (in addition to the recommendations of the racquet manufacturer):
Please note: The MSV Focus Hex Plus 38 should be strung 2 – 4 lbs above the recommended tension for our co-poly strings. The recommended string tension is guided by an oblongness of the racquet head (e.g. Yonex). There is no need to have a differentiated string tension between mains and crosses for rather round racquet heads (e.g. Prince).
In case of the following parameters we recommend to reduce the tension by 2 – 4 lbs:
an increased string density 18/20 vs 16/19
a stiff string (caused by material or diameter)
a stiffer racquet frame
Following the above logic we recommend to increase the tension by 2 – 4 lbs for thinner strings etc.
Important to remember: The current string bed stiffness and the reference tension set on the stringing machine are not identical in most cases. It was found that the tension immediately after stringing with a nylon string is about 30% lower than the pull tension, and the tension immediately after stringing with a polyester string is about 40% lower than the pull tension (source: R. Cross and R. Bower University of Sydney, Australia and University of Technology, Sydney, Australia).
An analysis of 72 positive play-test ratings of our best-seller MSV Focus Hex 1,23 mm played with a Midplus racquet head and a 16/19 string bed (which is the most popular racquet construction) shows the following split by tension (source: stringforum.net, May 2017
26% strung at 25 kp (= 55 lbs) for the mains and between 24 and 26 kp (= 53 to 57 lbs) for the crosses
25% strung at 24 kp (= 53 lbs) for the mains and between 23 and 25 kp (= 51 to 55 lbs) for the crosses
24% strung at 26 kp (= 57 lbs) for the mains and between 25 and 27 kp (= 55 to 59.5 lbs) for the crosses
8% strung at 27 kp (= 59.5 lbs) for the mains and between 26 and 28 kp (= 57 to 62 lbs) for the crosses
How often should my racket be restrung?
The characteristics of a tennis racket are determined to about 50% by the stringing. Accordingly, it is important to pay attention to the performance characteristics of the string and stringing (e.g. control, spin potential, arm protection). This applies when buying tennis strings, during stringing and afterwards.
Every string material loses tension immediately after the racket is strung. Both during play and at rest. Compared to multifilament nylon strings and natural gut strings, monofilament co-polyester strings (especially soft co-polys) lose tension and thus elasticity the fastest.
In order to maintain the performance characteristics of the stringing to some extent, we recommend the following intervals:
I play 1 x per month >> 8 every 4 to 6 months.
I play 1 x per week >> 8 every 2 to 4 months
I play 4 x per week >> 8 every 2 to 4 weeks (if it does not break before)
Check list for new strings:
The string has lost so much elasticity, that
it starts to cause arm problems (or shoulder problems)
the main strings are moving more and more, so that they have to be straightened again and again
control and spin decrease
the sound changes when the ball bounces (unless other balls are played in between)
the feeling of hitting the ball – especially with volleys – is lost indentations on the string surface of monofilament co-poly strings or fraying on multifilament nylon strings become visible.