World Team Tennis (WTT) Official Stringer

[Smittithekitty]

Day 3
Well the slowest of the week...
We had our first home lost of the season (3-1)

Zero players from Kastles got their racquet strung today...

Today’s line up
Tiafoe
Bryan Bros
Brengle
Melichar

2nd Game in a row

However we did about 6 Racquets from the Aviators
For the away team

2-Broady WTA
Srixon Reco CV Tour 3.0F
Luxilon ALU 23/22 kg

2-M. Willis The Bomb ATP
Babolat Pure Drive
RPM Blast 16g 53/53

2-M.Matkowski ATP
Babolat Pure Drive
RPM Blast 16g 24/24 kg

They won the match tonight just saying...
Willis did have the Sergetti Sticker on his racquet... I did not get any special request.

All male players dropped it off 1 hr before match and Broady was first thing in the morning 12ish

 

[Irvin]

Willis did have the Serengeti Sticker on his racquet... I did not get any special request.

Did you mean Sergetti? Marcus Willis has used Sergetti stringing. The bottom racket has the OG upside down.

 

[Yoneyama]

Day 3
Well the slowest of the week...
We had our first home lost of the season (3-1)

Zero players from Kastles got their racquet strung today...

Today’s line up
Tiafoe
Bryan Bros
Brengle
Melichar

2nd Game in a row

However we did about 6 Racquets from the Aviators
For the away team

2-Broady WTA
Srixon Reco CV Tour 3.0F
Luxilon ALU 23/22 kg

2-M. Willis The Bomb ATP
Babolat Pure Drive
RPM Blast 16g 53/53

2-M.Matkowski ATP
Babolat Pure Drive
RPM Blast 16g 24/24 kg

They won the match tonight just saying...
Willis did have the Serengeti Sticker on his racquet... I did not get any special request.

All male players dropped it off 1 hr before match and Broady was first thing in the morning 12ish

Matkowski needs some overgrip lessons

 

[Irvin]

Matkowski needs some overgrip lessons

Some players do not like the non-tapered end on the OG to be on the bottom of the racket. But the gaps would drive me nuts.

 

[Smittithekitty]

Did you mean Sergetti? Marcus Willis has used Sergetti stringing. The bottom racket has the OG upside down.

Late and auto text haha

 

[Smittithekitty]

Update
21.Jul.19
Rainy Saturday here in D.C.

Kastles are 3-2 and hopefully a couple more points 4-2

Team Empire NYC
All 4 players strung their racquets
2 returning stringing from previous match
1 of the 2 wanted a drop in tension tonight.


Skupski
He requested originally 52Ibs both M/C. Now 48/48. Luxilon ALU Rough/Tonic+ Feel

Novikov
58 lbs babolat PHT 57 lbs VS Gut 10% pre

Martinez Sanchez WTA
Yonex Ezone 100
Poly Tour Pro 1.25 23/22kg

Tatjana Maria
Yonex Vcore SV 100
19kgPoly Tour Fire / 19kg VS Gut

Washington Kastle

R Lindstedt
Wilson Ultra 97
24kg Luxilon ALU 24kg Wilson Gut 10% pre

Tiafoe
Yonex Vcore 97 Pro
43lbs Yonex Poly Tour Pro

 

[1HBHfanatic]

What I also realized that players really do not want to fill out intake forms

Name and tension is all they think about...

They leave it to us to figure out which is Mains/Crosses
Kg or Ibs
Stencil no stencil what color stencil
time they want it

HOW ARE THEY GOING TO PAY FOR IT

You can’t really go off the sticker even if it is recent as we caught one that was completed in Wimbledon but they wanted lower today...

It’s hard because they think we are being anal, but all we want to do is give you the ideal racquet!!!

Tnx for the updates/insight

I think a knowledgeable "check in", person is provably as important if not more so than a good stringer,,,
hard for me to say this since I focus on stringing more,, but in fast pace enviorments like this (my opinion, no actual knowledge here), you need someone putting out fires before they start..

I also agree, getting paid $$ is an art form

 

[1HBHfanatic]

@Smittithekitty
btw, tiafoes raket is a paint job,, correct?
thats a yonex "vcore dual g", 16/20,,, not a vcore.pro

 

[Imago]

The bottom racket has the OG upside down.

Probably he is a left handed.

 

[Smittithekitty]

@Smittithekitty
btw, tiafoes raket is a paint job,, correct?
thats a yonex "vcore dual g", 16/20,,, not a vcore.pro

Correct It is a paint job a very good one at that

I am very surprised on how clean these paint jobs are.

Also besides lead at 9&3

Trap door nothing filled in handle
No silicone pretty much stock

 

[Irvin]

Probably he is a left handed.

Then why not wrap the grip backwards instead of upside down?

 

[Rabbit]

A lot of players wrap the overgrip that way so they don’t have to bother with finishing tape.

 

[uk_skippy]

Great write-ups there.

Re: Stencils; Lindstedt prefers to have the top of the W on the 4th line from the top; Yonex logos look small. I always use the larger Yonex logo no matter what headsize the frame is.

Regards

Paul

 

[Smittithekitty]

Great write-ups there.

Re: Stencils; Lindstedt prefers to have the top of the W on the 4th line from the top; Yonex logos look small. I always use the larger Yonex logo no matter what headsize the frame is.

Regards

Paul

Highly noted as he is very specific with his racquet

Yonex is the 100-95 size

You are right the Yonex OS does look better... we don’t carry too many stencil as we rarely get to do these types of event that we supply everything from stencil to bags... thanks for heads up

 

[Imago]

Then why not wrap the grip backwards instead of upside down?

Because on this Babolat OG, there is no starting cut...

 

[Smittithekitty]

I think at the end of the day some players are very fine tuned to their racquet to every last detail and some just throws a grip on and call it a day. 2 knots vs 4 knots some really don’t mind and some makes sure of it...

 

[Irvin]

Because on this Babolat OG, there is no starting cut...

I could be wrong but I don't recall seeing an OG with and end cut but no starting cut before. Generally it's the other way around and players use the tape strip on the starting cut to hold the top.

 

[Smittithekitty]

Early update for 25 JUL 18
Kastles vs Aviators
Venus Williams Guest player

Today was a busy start!

We came in around 12PM to the stadium and the San Diego Aviators were just warming up on court. We came down to the player’s area to set up and went back up to see them practice.

Broady asked if we could string her racquets. She knew who we were as this is not the first time we strung her racquets and had chatted about her change in racquets in the past. She just recently received a New Srixon Revo 3.0 F the 100 Head size vs the 97 Tour version she has been using.

She wanted to add 2 more kg from her regular setup which was 23/22 to 25/24kg.

She played with a full bed of Luxilon ALU 1.25

I noticed some paint design changes with the whole logo thing

Also
Did one Babolat Pure Drive for Willis ATP Aviators
53/53 RPM Blast

VENUS WILLIAMS ENDED UP DROPPING 3 racquets of tonight!

Wilson Blade 104
Naturally Gut on Mains/ Luxilon ALU Power on Crosses

63 Ibs 5% pre stretch Mains
61 Ibs Crosses

Racquet felt like the same material or paint as the CV... Didn’t feel too special nor modded. Checked the trap door and no silicone.
Better pictures later on another phone

Racquet still had red clay on it since Wimbledon

We also had 2 of Lindstedt racquet
Luxilon and Gut 24kg Gut 10% pre

Paint on the 4th string hahaha

 

[kkm]

A couple gentle tips no matter where players put their own racquets, no matter how they treat them, perhaps reconsider laying player racquets on the floor to photograph them, because floors are filthy. We walk on these floors with the same footwear we wear into public bathrooms and especially the grips (no matter how filthy they may already be) are what a player’s hand contacts.
Also a player may not be happy if he finds out that the stringer opened his racquet’s trapdoor to see whether there is silicone. Some buttcaps are worse than others in this way, but opening a trapdoor usually leaves a mark, even if it’s minor.

(I’m assuming that the dark dotted surface on which most of the racquets were laid when photographed is the floor, obviously I could be wrong.)

 

[Smittithekitty]

A couple gentle tips no matter where players put their own racquets, no matter how they treat them, perhaps reconsider laying player racquets on the floor to photograph them, because floors are filthy. We walk on these floors with the same footwear we wear into public bathrooms and especially the grips (no matter how filthy they may already be) are what a player’s hand contacts.
Also a player may not be happy if he finds out that the stringer opened his racquet’s trapdoor to see whether there is silicone. Some buttcaps are worse than others in this way, but opening a trapdoor usually leaves a mark, even if it’s minor.

(I’m assuming that the dark dotted surface on which most of the racquets were laid when photographed is the floor, obviously I could be wrong.)

Highly noted
It is bench area that has pebbled marble linings but that makes perfect sense

We run a highly recognizable Social Media Page and I wouldn’t dare take photo and list info without permission. Most players / players manager were fine with it as these are more for our followers and I explain to them how interested people are with their racquets. I think they were more concern I was not making profit from asking for autographs I have been asking on players respected brand string packs.

Even Venus hitting partner/coach was telling us how no one ever ask him and they were something sent from Wilson directly. Which I am assuming could be retail and modded for her liking...

Trap door issue is another concern maybe some pro stock might have it secured by special adhesive that we should be concerned about. All important tips and yes you should definitely ask before doing anything that will effect their racquets

KKM on that next level Attention to details haha

 

[CosmosMpower]

wow 41 lbs on a natural gut string job.

 

[Smittithekitty]

Update for this evening

Busy Night

Kastles vs Lasers

Such a late start this evening...

Venus Hitting Partner dropped 1 Racquet asking for 2Ibs drop to
61/60
Gut on Mains at 5% pre
ALU Power on Crosses

They didn’t bring her other 2 racquets until 1 hour before match.

We had 2 racquets ahead of her other two by the time she dropped them off

Daniel Nestor ATP
Pro Staff 97
Surprise Tension

15/13 Pounds Ibs - yes pounds
Wilson Gut on Mains
Luxilon TIMO on Crosses

We also had for the first time
Tennys Sandgren
H22 18x20
Burn 100 CV paint

52/50 pre 10% gut
Luxilon ALU Rough Mains
VS Touch Gut Crosses

Also did one of Lindstedt Ultra 97 same
24/24kg pre 10% on Gut
ALU Power Mains
Wilson Gut Crosses

 

[NuBas]

A couple gentle tips no matter where players put their own racquets, no matter how they treat them, perhaps reconsider laying player racquets on the floor to photograph them, because floors are filthy. We walk on these floors with the same footwear we wear into public bathrooms and especially the grips (no matter how filthy they may already be) are what a player’s hand contacts.
Also a player may not be happy if he finds out that the stringer opened his racquet’s trapdoor to see whether there is silicone. Some buttcaps are worse than others in this way, but opening a trapdoor usually leaves a mark, even if it’s minor.

(I’m assuming that the dark dotted surface on which most of the racquets were laid when photographed is the floor, obviously I could be wrong.)

Super considerate of you and I'm same way, I would have found a bench or table for them but in this case though, I'm not sure the players mind a whole lot since these are same racquets (and bags) they used on clay and whatever. We are careful of our racquets cause we can't afford many but I think pros care less about the cleanliness of their racquets.

Maybe thats why some players have their preference for stringers.

 

[djNEiGht]

surprise tension? oh wow

 

[norcal]

15/13 Pounds Ibs - yes pounds

I imagine you could pull that tension by hand!

 

[Smittithekitty]

I imagine you could pull that tension by hand!

He did mention that haha... he was blasting it though so I guess it
Makes sense for him. I remember the hardest part is fixing the Mains and Crosses

 

[Smittithekitty]

Last Night
Kastle vs Freedom

bitter sweet ending to our WTT Kastle Operations 2018

Tonight Guest Player was Naomi Osaka!!!

We got a chance to string both her racquets
Yonex Ezone 98
Silicone in the handle and couple of inches of lead on the sides.
She strung with
Poly Tour Pro 59Ibs on the mains
Rexis 56Ibs on the Crosses

She was very nice! I think he had a small injury during warm up, so it was nice for her to at least give us a signature haha. Of course my daughter asked so...

We were sooo busy today we didn’t take too many photos as 8 racquets were dropped on our table around 3pm and match starts at 5pm...
Somehow we managed to knock them out in 2 hrs and some change. That’s intake form, cut/cleaning racquets, stringing, Fixing the Strings, stencil, labels / bagged up and court drop off ready for the ready warm up... I couldn’t ask for a better team today. We had a small addition because we also had to tear everyone down today too. So extra help was a blessing!!!

 

[Smittithekitty]

Final Thoughts

STATS 8 Homes Games

74 Racquets Completed (about 9 Racquets a day)

Surprisingly
56% of the racquet strung were for the visiting teams

70% of the strung were Men’s racquets

Top string brand used: LUXILON (ALU Power or Power Rough 87% of the players)

Most common set up
Luxilon ALU Power/Wilson Gut

Most common multi
NXT Power 16g


common pre stretching is at 10%

Preferred knots 4

90% of players setup are hybrids

Thank you everyone for supporting us through this...everyone’s input has been used during the event!!!

I think the best advice was “Always collect the money straight up” the worst part was chasing these players around for payments! It is awkward, plus I wasn’t even charging much at 20$ per.

Had a couple not so kind players...
just shrugged it off, there should be no reason for rudeness specially when we are here for you.

Found out most of these players even the big name ones are very friendly and honestly rather not talk about tennis at all...

I think the most coolest player was Broady... she was pretty dope and just small chit chats.

Lastly, 80% of the players almost had no clue besides their tension and pre stretch. I could tell if they were racquet or stringer savy when they ask “what machine is it” or “How does it pull” these players will be more anal on how they racquet is strung and fill the intake form clearly.

 

[Irvin]

Preferred knots 4

90% of players setup are hybrids

Well dah? LOL Just messing with you, did anyone want 4 knots with a full bed setup?

 

[Smittithekitty]

Well dah? LOL Just messing with you, did anyone want 4 knots with a full bed setup?

At 2am I am not sure if everything was making sense

 

[Ft.S]

Great stories and photos, thank you for sharing

Good luck at Citi Open, maybe I'll get to me you when you are not busy.

Cheers,

 

[USPTARF97]

Can you talk a little about the set ups in which the players were using NXT?

 

[Smittithekitty]

Can you talk a little about the set ups in which the players were using NXT?

Most were WTA players and Coach Murphy ran it on the Crosses... NXT was the only choice by the only 3 that ran a hybrid set up. The only one other than Natural was Osaka with the Rexis Yonex

 

[USPTARF97]

Most were WTA players and Coach Murphy ran it on the Crosses... NXT was the only choice by the only 3 that ran a hybrid set up. The only one other than Natural was Osaka with the Rexis Yonex

With the NXT were they stringing mains and crosses the same, up on the mains, or up on the crosses? Saw where Osaka is up on the poly mains with multi crosses.

 

[Smittithekitty]

With the NXT were they stringing mains and crosses the same, up on the mains, or up on the crosses? Saw where Osaka is up on the poly mains with multi crosses.

Ah let me clear that up...

All of them who used NXT Power used it on the Crosses. The mains were a type of Luxilon ALU either Power standard or Power Rough.

 

[USPTARF97]

Ah let me clear that up...

All of them who used NXT Power used it on the Crosses. The mains were a type of Luxilon ALU either Power standard or Power Rough.

Same tension on mains and crosses?

 

[Smittithekitty]

Same tension on mains and crosses?

Usually they bump it 2 pounds or 1 kg on the softer strings