TENNIS Magazine's 2017 String Guide

Like racquets, players should experiment with many different types of strings until they reach the proverbial "just-right" type that works for them. It's a Goldie Locks and the Three Bears scenario every time you pick up a string, and with SO many to choose from it can sometimes be overwhelming!

But have no fear, TENNIS magazine reached into the world's bag of strings and pulled out five for you to try in 2017 to make it a little easier for you: two natural guts, two multifilament and one polyester.

Let's see what they are!

First, what is it?

Natural gut strings are actually made from a rather complex process that transforms the gut of a cow into tennis strings.

If you didn't know this, it's a big "oh my gosh! Really!?" And if you did, it's still pretty crazy.

Once you get past that, you’ll be pleased to know that they are some of the best tennis strings on the market and a popular choice among many professional players: Roger Federer, Bob and Mike Bryan, Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, Sabine Lisicki, Kei Nishikori and Serena and Venus Williams.

Natural gut strings are known for their elasticity, tension stability, playability, superior feel and spin and control. They’re not nearly as durable as synthetic gut tennis strings, and they are without a doubt the most expensive to purchase, so if you're a club or recreational player, it's better to go with synthetic gut strings that will provide you with similar characteristics; however, the elasticity of the material is exceptional, it’s fantastic at holding tension, and it’s easy on the arm.

Designed for enhanced ball-pocketing and tension-maintenance, the low-friction coating, resealable zip-lock packaging and half-set indicator make it ideal for hybrid set-ups.

Without a doubt, the most popular and common material of the synthetic string family is nylon. Nylon strings ("synthetic gut strings") are made from high-quality nylon fibers tightly threaded together. These provide players with great feel and added durability that you wouldn’t find with natural gut strings.

Velocity MLT is soft and arm-friendly without feeling overly mushy. It's good value for non-string breakers or as the cross string in a hybrid set-up.

Polyester strings are incredibly durable, but because of that, can be quite hard on a player’s arm. If you're a player who's fighting an arm injury, these aren't recommended.

But polyester strings do have some popularity with players who frequently break strings and are typically combined with natural gut or nylon strings to provide players with durability while maintaining a more soft, natural feel.

Fun fact: Rafael Nadal strings his racquet with a full bed of polyester.