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Gut alternatives

Q: What string other than natural gut or a hybrid with gut would be best for the arm? I’ve heard that a thin-gauge string is better than a thicker gauge, but wouldn’t a thicker gauge absorb more shock at impact than a thinner string? One of my customers has some arm and shoulder problems.

A: Your best approach will be to check through the string lab test results that we publish each year (USRSA members can also find these results on-line). You can see from the lab results for gut what measurements are desirable, and then try synthetics with measurements closest to those of gut. Even different strings with similar measurements can have different characteristics, so you’ll have to playtest synthetic candidates at different tensions to find the feel and longevity you seek.

Of course, there is nothing else quite like gut, so you might want to get your customer to try one. The minor additional cost of a gut hybrid is nothing compared to not being able to play tennis, and whatever loss there is in durability may well be made up by longevity and playability.

From the May 2006 issue
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