Yuki Mochizuki returns a ball during a rally against Cannon Kingsley during the quarterfinal match during the 2023 Illini Open in Champaign. Professional tennis players players start every match with a fresh strings in one or more of their racquets. Restringing a tennis racquet routinely is important for hitting powerful shots with pace and placement during a match.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SNS - The score is 5-4, and your opponent is up 30-15 in the second set. You need to break their serve to tie up the match, hopefully forcing a third set, where you will come back to win. After losing the first set 6-4, you fall in frustration thanks to unforced errors in the last two rallies to an opponent you normally beat easily. Despite good footwork and technique, nearly every ball after the third game in the first set traveled the length of the court past the baseline. One of the most overlooked aspects of tennis is the strings. Keeping your tennis racket equipped with fresh strings is essential for maintaining optimal power and control during gameplay. Like regular oil changes, restringing your tennis racquet often or at regular intervals helps players compete at a higher level confidently while avoiding injuries to their wrists, elbows, or shoulders. After repeated impacts, the tension and elasticity of the strings in a tennis racket gradually decrease. When the strings lose their tension to the point that a ball bounces off the racket unexpectedly, players and racket stringers refer to the strings as "dead." Dead strings lack elasticity, making it more challenging to generate powerful shots and precise ball placement. This is a regular occurrence with polyester strings, also known as "poly".
If you are playing competitive tennis matches for a high school or college pprogram, or in a competitive recreational league, you will want to restring your racquets often to help you play at your best. A fresh string bed puts consistency, power, and control in the hands of a competitive player, allowing them to make shots with confidence over and over during a match effortlessly.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Today, there is a wide variety of strings available in the market from major retailers and smaller boutique competitors. What works for a professional player or a teammate may not necessarily work for you. A racquet technician can assist you in finding the right string setup that aligns with your game or style of play while also considering performance and price.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
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Feel the Rush!
ST. JOSEPH - Jack Fisher won this year's installment of the SJO 5K by a second and a half, besting Andrew Pilat Saturday morning for the top spot out of a field of 135 runners with a time of 13:32.6. St. Joseph-Ogden High School junior Lance Retz, a rising star in the school's well-respected running program, finished third to round out the top 3 male and overall runners.
The top three female finishers were Hazel Atkins in first place, Sam Mabry in second, and Savanna Franzen finishing third out of 64 women from ages eight and 63 years of age. Atkins, from Shelbyville, turned in a 19:47.3 for the women's division top time.
