Topic: Stringing question - they loosen way to quicky!

[menike604]

The last time I posted, I was asking for advice about a new racket. I switched!
I now have (and love!) the Prince 03 Speedport White.

My issue now is string. I've tried the Head Synthetic Gut and didn't like the feel.
I've been using Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex 16 for awhile now, strung in the middle of the recommended zone - 57 lbs. I like the "pop" and the feel from this string. My issue is that after only a few hours, the strings are moving around so much that it's sometimes even hard to separate them!

I re-string every 40 hours but they just don't seem to last more than about 10 hours or so.
I don't have access to a very helpful resource at my local tennis shop so I'm wondering if anyone has any input for me.

Is the issue the string?
Could it be the stringing job?
I've had them done at 2 different places and the result was the same.

Any ideas most appreciated!
-menike604

[OSU Buckeye]

Don't String-a-lings hold the strings in place better so as to not let them rub against each other so much and cause them to break?   They are little plastic pieces that you place between the strings at their intersections.   Look them up. 

[Tennis4you]

That sounds kind of odd to me.  Maybe Dmast can show us the way...

[pawan89]

by 'last' do you mean they break or you mean they start moving around too much? Strings do naturally move and some type of strings, I'd assume especially nylon strings would move around more than others. 10 hours is also too short to move around that much, especially if you are not a pro or really high level player.

That said, replacing strings so often is pretty expensive especially when (I assume) they are not even close to breaking and still have plenty of good life in them.

So to be honest I don't have much of an idea at all. Strining them tighter might reduce it a little bit but that's not the solution. Maybe you just need to get used to them? As I said strings move, I adjust my strings back to normal every few points (now its more of a habit but they do get a little here and there) but it seems like yours are moving more than normal and its annoying.

Dmast might have something to say.

IF the moving problem is causing your strings to break prematurely then you might want to consider hybrid strings. They have a tougher string material in the mains that way the cross strings can't cut through the mains as easily and your strings will last longer.

[dmastous]

There is only one reason I can think of that synthetic gut would move more now than it has in the past, and that is that you are hitting with more spin now than you have in the past. So are you putting more spin on the ball now? The string hasn't changed.
If that is the case, and the moving strings bug you, you should think about putting a poly type string (like Luxilon Alu Power, or Babalot Hurricane Tour) in either the mains or the crosses. You will have much less, in fact almost no, movement.

[menike604]

Thanks so much for everyone's ideas!

Dmast - bingo! I am putting more spin on the ball these days, which is likely part of the reason for so much movement. I am going to look into the hybrid strings you recommended.

Hopefully that will do the trick. I'm getting a little tired of being called Elvis on the court with my constant fiddling of the strings after nearly every single point!   

[dmastous]

Thanks so much for everyone's ideas!

Dmast - bingo! I am putting more spin on the ball these days, which is likely part of the reason for so much movement. I am going to look into the hybrid strings you recommended.

Hopefully that will do the trick. I'm getting a little tired of being called Elvis on the court with my constant fiddling of the strings after nearly every single point!   

Check out tapes of old matches before poly took over the pro tennis world. All the players were fiddling with their strings after every point. In fact, when I was learning the game, straightening the strings was a part of the focus ritual.

[gcooi90]

I hate adjusting strings too!
Poly is the best! xD
Great power, dura, and spin, + completely no movement...

[universelaw]

Some academic studies and experiments have demonstrated the direct correlation between the string friction coefficient and the spin speed. Rod Cross in the  Physics Department at the University of Sydney in Sydney Australia wrote an article: “Effects of friction between the ball and strings in tennis” showing that the string friction coefficient needs to be at least 0.3 to achieve a good spin speed.

The tennis texture is usually  "polished" by the friction between the string and ball within a short time and the strings become smooth. As a result, the string friction coefficient drops below 0.3, the strings are not as responsive as if the strings have lost power, and the player needs to hit the ball much harder to achieve the same result as strings with a friction coefficient 0.3 or higher.

It is not because the string loses tension...you need to somehow make the string surface rough again....

[monstertruck]

http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~cross/PUBLICATIONS/10.%20StringFriction.PDF

This looks interesting.
Thanks.

[monstertruck]

How does this affect the overall durability of the string?

I know there are some textured strings out there but their effectiveness usually decreases over time (or so I've heard).