Breaking a string is probably in top 3 annoying things in tennis. Just behind scrathing a racquet on a clay court and accidental drop of the new frame.
Why tennis strings are breaking?
Well the answers are rather simple:
- older strings are more prone to breaking
- you misshit (hitting the ball near the grommet) causing more stress on the strings
- you have shaped string setup which is making mains and crosses cutting through each other more aggresive
- your strings might be very soft and ellastic which is making them more vulnerable.
Did you know?
Nadal’s aggresive forehand is causing so much stress on the strings that he is able to break them each tennis training session. Some might ask why we can’t observe it that often on TV then? It’s because he is getting a fresh string setup and the intensity of a match is slightly lower than during a training. It’s not about commitment because obviously Rafael Nadal is hitting every ball with pure dedication but more about repetition. During training session he is getting much more balls at him.
Sometimes there is also a technology of the racquet that’s making the strings more prone to breaking. You might have heard about „spin grommets”. Bascily the idea behind this is to let the strings move more freely. Example of the racquet: Head Extreme line and Babolat Pure Aero. Enhanced string movement and snapback will give you better spin and performance but limits the strings life.
Open string patterns are also increasing string movement therefore creating more stress on the strings. We can’t forget about our technique. More upwards motion with very fast RHS is creating a lot of snapback effect which can break the string.
How to prevent the strings from breaking?
-best solution is to try thicker gauge of your favourite string. Durability of the string is improved and you might not notice much difference in performance since you are already adjusted to the string „formula”.
- maybe try round profiled string. Shaped strings are cutting each other. Worst scenario is to use a hybrid of a shaped string and soft round string.
- maybe try 18x20 pattern racquet? It’s much harder to break strings in that setup
Mayami best strings for durability are Tour Hex and Hit Pro. Tour Hex not only is very durable but also keeps the tension for a very long time. Lot of our pro team members are praising this string exactly for this reason.