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Ashaway Exec Says More Players Are Buying Reels for Hybrids

Tennis players have long used hybrid sets — pre-packaged combinations of different string types — to benefit from multiple characteristics such as increased durability, tension stability, or playability. But Ashaway Vice President Steve Crandall says an emerging trend is for players to custom-design their own hybrid sets by buying reels of different string instead of pre-packaged sets.

“The practice of hybrid stringing started with elite players customizing their string beds,” says Crandall, “and manufacturers followed by offering pre-packaged sets. Now, however, players are going us one better and are buying specific strings in reel sizes to design their own hybrids.”

Crandall says he first noticed this trend when looking at sales figures. “It has since been confirmed by our stringers and distributors who report players are increasingly bringing in their own string for hybrids, or requesting specific combinations,” he says.

For Ashaway, says Crandall, he’s seen a particular increase in the demand for reels of its Kevlar, MonoGut, and Dynamite tennis strings. “For the player who is always looking for a little something more from his or her string, experimenting with different string combinations — as well as tensions — and designing their own hybrid can definitely improve their game,” says Crandall.

From the May 2007 issue
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