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Reducing tension

Q: I recently moved to a new area, with a new stringer, and got my racquet restrung with an aramid hybrid. For some reason, it’s much tighter than I’m used to. Do you have any suggestions how to reduce the tension of a newly-strung racquet?

A: In general, time, heat, and pressure reduce stringbed tension. That is, over time, the tension generally falls off; heat softens string and allows it to relax faster, and pressure speeds the re-alignment of the internal molecules. Thus, if you give your newly-strung racquet some time, it may become more playable for you. Gently heating the strings can give you similar results more quickly. If you want to try pressure, place the hoop of the racquet flat on a stable surface and step on the stringbed. We don’t recommend putting your whole weight on the stringbed, as this may be stressful for the frame. Be certain when doing this that the handle is not touching the surface, because you don’t want to bend the frame, too. Keep in mind that, because you are using an aramid string, none of these methods is going to be very efficacious. Aramid has very little stretch even when new, and it doesn’t become much stretchier as it ages. You will never be able to make aramid strings feel as soft as nylon or even poly strings. This is because the dynamic stiffness of aramid fiber strings is much higher than other materials. This is why aramid is often used as a last resort by players who break everything else, and can’t afford frequent restringing.

From the March 2007 issue
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