Do you rotate your rackets?

[Topspin7]

When I was a kid, I had 2 rackets and basically used one for the majority of time and had the other one as back up when a string broke. After a while the one I used more often got all scratched up, etc. then I would switch and use the fresh one as my main and the scrappy one as back up.
I am thinking now it may be better to rotate rackets and basically use multiple rackets evenly. Thoughts on this? Do most adult players already do this?

 

[Nostradamus]

i twire it as well like cheelkeaders do

 

[Topspin7]

Lol. I used to twire my racket but haven’t in a while. Now I’m inspired. Twiring was big in the late 80’s along with the word treeing

 

[sureshs]

I rotate between 2 rackets every alternate session.

I also rotate the racket in my hands when playing, like Federer.

 

[2nd Serve Ace]

If you don't rotate the racket, how are you supposed to hit the ball?

 

[kingcheetah]

When I played in college, I used to use one frame until the strings broke or got worn enough that I wanted it re strung(rare). These days I just keep a few strung-- I don't anticipating ending up like the woman with no rackets the other day.

 

[SinneGOAT]

I had the same thing, when I was younger I had one racquet completely scratched, paint was practically done, and one was completely new, only a few paint chips but the grip was almost new. I rotate now, just to test different strings or just have fun.

 

[dkshifty]

I run the main racket until tension is gone. I normally have 2 of the same racket as backups but they sometimes have different string setups. The better question is, do i rotate the strings? Answer is usually no. Run the main racket into the ground!!

 

[Doctah]

i string both racquets exactly the same and rotate them every court change. Mainly due to the humidity in Florida; it keeps the grips dry.

 

[TagUrIt]

Yes I rotate my racquets to keep the string usage even. I generally carry four racquets strung with the same string and tensions. I think it also helps with restringing the frames as equally as possible.

 

[Cashman]

Now I play for funsies, my second racquet is just an old stick with old strings that sits in my bag so I don’t have to call it a day when I get a break.

If you are actually going to the time and expense of owning and stringing two ‘good’ racquets, I can’t see any sense in not rotating them.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

If you are actually going to the time and expense of owning and stringing two ‘good’ racquets, I can’t see any sense in not rotating them.

Because there's a higher risk that both strings will break in the same session if you rotate them.

Now, "higher" does not mean "high": the chance is still quite low. It's probably more of a personal preference.

 

[Cashman]

Because there's a higher risk that both strings will break in the same session if you rotate them.

Now, "higher" does not mean "high": the chance is still quite low. It's probably more of a personal preference.

OP didn't specify how frequently he was thinking of rotating them.

I don't necessarily think you should rotate racquets within the same match or even the same stringing period, but there should definitely be some effort to even out the wear over the life of the racquet.

 

[Jack the Hack]

I have 5 matching spec 2014 Babolat Pure Strike Tours that I rotate. With the 18 x 20 string pattern, they don't eat strings super fast, but I keep track of which ones I've strung the last. If I have a tournament or big match coming up, I'll cut out the strings of the oldest set or two and use those as my primary match racquets, and regulate the other three for practices until those strings break. Whenever I string up a new one, that goes to the top of the match rotation, and the others drop down for practice, etc.

I'm 48 years old and currently a 4.5. I play about 6 days a week. Under normal circumstances (no-COVID), I'm on around 3 to 5 USTA teams, and do about 6 tournaments per year, so I feel like I play a lot.

 

[Cashman]

I'm 48 years old and currently a 4.5. I play about 6 days a week.

That’s an awful lot of tennis. How do you fit it in? I am lucky to play once or twice a week.

 

[socallefty]

I have 5 matching spec 2014 Babolat Pure Strike Tours that I rotate.

I played with the Gen 1 Pure Strike Tours for 5 years and liked them except for the fact that they were on the edge of the comfort level that I could withstand - had to play with full-bed gut. I tried the Gen 3 Pure Strike Tour when it came out last year and loved it as it plays similar to the Gen 1, but is more comfortable. It took me about 8-10 hours to get used to the more open string pattern and adjust my swing and serves. Now, I’m able to play with poly and gut/poly hybrids, swing out freely and generate more pace/spin due to the extra control. I play seven days a week (usually 60-70% singles, rest doubles) and am 52. Thought I would mention it as it is nice to know of a fellow PST user.

 

[socallefty]

I have 3 identical racquets and use a freshly strung racquet for about 3 singles matches, then three doubles matches and then a couple of drill/coaching sessions - I usually break the strings or cut them out after that. So, I rotate the racquets for singles, doubles, drills depending on how fresh the string job is. I keep track of my matches on a spreadsheet and keep track of which racquet I used for each match so that I know how many hours I’ve used each string job for. I string VS mains/HyperG crosses and they last roughly 15 hours for me.

PS: I’m also a racquet twirler when I’m standing to return serve and it helps me switch to the FH or 1HBH grip quickly once I spot which wing the serve is directed at.

 

[Jack the Hack]

That’s an awful lot of tennis. How do you fit it in? I am lucky to play once or twice a week.

I usually hit Monday through Friday for 90 minutes in the morning before going to work. My tennis club opens at 6:00 AM. I try to drag someone into hitting with me once or twice a week (in non-COVID times), but there are only a couple 4.5+ guys that are sporadically willing to come out that early. If nobody is available, my club has two Playmate ball machines that I do a variety of drills with, and I practice my serve. Normally on weekends, I play tournaments or USTA league matches as long as there is no family event or work travel. Since COVID, all the tournaments and league have been cancelled, so I've been hitting with my daughter or doing some singles with select partners outdoors on weekends instead. I like getting my practices and workouts done as early in the day as possible so that I can focus better at work and have my evenings free for family. I'm kind of a morning person, and my wife gives me zero grief if I play in the early morning. She doesn't miss me at all since she's usually still sleeping in while I'm hitting.

My body has proven to be very durable and I've been lucky to avoid any serious injuries so far in 35+ years of competitive tennis. Since COVID, I have also been able to work from home and add off court workouts at lunch time. I've been doing intermittent fasting since May and dropped almost 40 lbs, so that has helped a lot too. However, if I have a day where I wake up really tired or sore, I will occassionally skip a day of tennis to give myself a break and heal up. At this point, I really don't know when COVID will be over, so there is nothing to train for. But I do enjoy getting out there and working on different aspects of my game, or just setting the machines up so that I run a lot. Realistically, at my age and level, I can't expect great changes or improvements, but I do hope to be a better player when things return to normal.

 

[Jack the Hack]

I played with the Gen 1 Pure Strike Tours for 5 years and liked them except for the fact that they were on the edge of the comfort level that I could withstand - had to play with full-bed gut. I tried the Gen 3 Pure Strike Tour when it came out last year and loved it as it plays similar to the Gen 1, but is more comfortable. It took me about 8-10 hours to get used to the more open string pattern and adjust my swing and serves. Now, I’m able to play with poly and gut/poly hybrids, swing out freely and generate more pace/spin due to the extra control. I play seven days a week (usually 60-70% singles, rest doubles) and am 52. Thought I would mention it as it is nice to know of a fellow PST user.

Nice!

I switched to the PST from the Pure Drive Roddick after many years because my wrists and shoulder would chronically ache. The PST is a thinner box beam and less stiff, which made the aches go away. The 18 x 20 pattern took some adjustment, but I prefer the feel now, especially when I go back and hit with any of my old 16 x 19 frames. I have a couple different string setups, but predominently prefer all poly hybrids like 19g Volkl Cyclone in the mains with the softer 17g Cyclone Tour in the crosses in the high 40s or low 50s. I have tried gut and poly hybrids before, but actually prefer the crisper feel of all poly and have been able to get away with it so far.

I have been curious about the new generation of PSTs. However, with 5 of the older ones in my bag, I am probably set for a few more years. And there is no sense tempting myself to spend money on new racquets if I don't need to yet. Besides, the Gen 3 or 4 racquets will probably be cheap by the time I am ready to switch!

 

[Rosstour]

I have 5 matching spec 2014 Babolat Pure Strike Tours that I rotate. With the 18 x 20 string pattern, they don't eat strings super fast, but I keep track of which ones I've strung the last. ... Whenever I string up a new one, that goes to the top of the match rotation, and the others drop down for practice, etc.

I'm 48 years old and currently a 4.5. I play about 6 days a week. Under normal circumstances (no-COVID), I'm on around 3 to 5 USTA teams, and do about 6 tournaments per year, so I feel like I play a lot.

This sounds like me except all I do is play the same 5.5 guy and get destroyed every time. No league play for me yet.

I try to drag someone into hitting with me once or twice a week (in non-COVID times), but there are only a couple 4.5+ guys that are sporadically willing to come out that early.

Where are you located? lol

In answer to the OP, yes I do. But as someone said above, staggering them is important too. I have 5 racquets but I only get 2-3 strung at once and I only carry those 2-3 at a time.

Funny this comes up now, I just dropped three racquets off tonight after I played. I have two good ones left, but I pushed my plan too far and now they are fraying and will be gone sooner than I wanted.

 

[socallefty]

Nice!

I switched to the PST from the Pure Drive Roddick after many years because my wrists and shoulder would chronically ache. The PST is a thinner box beam and less stiff, which made the aches go away. The 18 x 20 pattern took some adjustment, but I prefer the feel now, especially when I go back and hit with any of my old 16 x 19 frames. I have a couple different string setups, but predominently prefer all poly hybrids like 19g Volkl Cyclone in the mains with the softer 17g Cyclone Tour in the crosses in the high 40s or low 50s. I have tried gut and poly hybrids before, but actually prefer the crisper feel of all poly and have been able to get away with it so far.

I have been curious about the new generation of PSTs. However, with 5 of the older ones in my bag, I am probably set for a few more years. And there is no sense tempting myself to spend money on new racquets if I don't need to yet. Besides, the Gen 3 or 4 racquets will probably be cheap by the time I am ready to switch!

How long do the Cyclone/Cyclone Tour stringjobs last for you? I have a set of the Volkl V-Fuse hybrid strings (V-Icon gut and Cyclone 17) that I plan to try soon. When I switched to the Gen3 Strike Tours, I was able to sell 3 Gen 1 racquets to one buyer for $140 total using the TW Used section - not bad as I used them heavily for 5 years.

 

[Jack the Hack]

This sounds like me except all I do is play the same 5.5 guy and get destroyed every time. No league play for me yet.

Where are you located?

I am in the Portland, Oregon area. If you are ever visiting our "anarchist jurisdiction" and want an early morning hit, contact me!

 

[AlexanderAragon]

I rotate between 2 rackets every alternate session.

I also rotate the racket in my hands when playing, like Federer.

i honestly have tics rotating the racket in my hands, its pretty bad at times litterally rotating it mid unit turn lmfao

 

[Cashman]

I usually hit Monday through Friday for 90 minutes in the morning before going to work. My tennis club opens at 6:00 AM. I try to drag someone into hitting with me once or twice a week (in non-COVID times), but there are only a couple 4.5+ guys that are sporadically willing to come out that early. If nobody is available, my club has two Playmate ball machines that I do a variety of drills with, and I practice my serve. Normally on weekends, I play tournaments or USTA league matches as long as there is no family event or work travel. Since COVID, all the tournaments and league have been cancelled, so I've been hitting with my daughter or doing some singles with select partners outdoors on weekends instead. I like getting my practices and workouts done as early in the day as possible so that I can focus better at work and have my evenings free for family. I'm kind of a morning person, and my wife gives me zero grief if I play in the early morning. She doesn't miss me at all since she's usually still sleeping in while I'm hitting.

No kids, surely?

 

[Jack the Hack]

How long do the Cyclone/Cyclone Tour stringjobs last for you? I have a set of the Volkl V-Fuse hybrid strings (V-Icon gut and Cyclone 17) that I plan to try soon. When I switched to the Gen3 Strike Tours, I was able to sell 3 Gen 1 racquets to one buyer for $140 total using the TW Used section - not bad as I used them heavily for 5 years.

Well, strings are such a subjective thing. What feels great for one person is garbage to another.

The Cyclone/Cyclone Tour combo seems to retain playability for me for about a month or so. (I'm not sure how many hours of actual play that is as I rotate the frame usage.) I can definitely feel a control and pop difference between a freshly strung frame and one that is a few weeks old, especially with new tennis balls. That's why I usually string 1 or 2 frames up fresh if there is a tournament or big league match. For the frames that fall into the practice rotation, I don't really worry about playability too much if it drops off. I usually end up cutting strings out before they break as part of the racquet rotation process.

I don't switch frames very often at all. Maybe once every 5 to 10 years. But I own a stringing machine and I do tinker with strings a lot. So maybe I will try the V-Fuse hybrid you mentioned.

 

[Jack the Hack]

No kids, surely?

2 kids. But one is a junior at University and the other is in high school. I keep my evenings free for the family and make sure I am there for their stuff. Some would say I'm boring, but I keep my life on a pretty simple schedule. Tennis, work, family, sleep, repeat. My main career is in IT, which pays well and is steady, and I currently work for a company that has a tennis/sports link, which is cool (and has afforded me some great opportunities). I don't have a lot of other hobbies besides tennis and I don't chase women aside from my wife, so I'm generally pretty happy.

 

[OnTheLine]

Wishing I could fully channel @Jack the Hack ... sounds like you have it all dialed in!

I have two matching rackets. SW104s, strung with NXT 17g

I try to rotate them, but things get in the way ... say one has a fresh og and I should be playing with the other that day but just don't feel like re-wrapping ... or I just won a good match with one of them ... well, now it is lucky so certainly can't switch

But the moment one of them gets to that perfect broken in place in all its fuzzy glory, I play with that one until it breaks. Usually about a week or so.

I play 4-5 days a week, occasionally lose my mind and go 7 days straight ... I usually average 10-12 hours on the court a week .. 50/50 match vs hitting/practice.

 

[brettatk]

I have 3 rackets all strung the same. I'll play with one until it needs restringing and then I'll go to the next one. Reminds me I need to get some more gut.

 

[Dartagnan64]

When I actually cared about matching frames and all that, I used to use one racket until the strings broke then started using the second racket while the first one was getting strung. Then i persisted with the second racket until it broke and then moved back to the first.

Now i have a bunch of rackets and just play with whatever one I feel like that day and restring them whenever I feel they are getting too mushy. Life's too short to obsess too much about this stuff. I've recognized there are 80,000 things wrong with my game that will never get fixed before I'm too old to fix anything. Why worry about slight differences in frames.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Yup. Every change over I switch between two.

 

[Traffic]

My son and I have 5 gen2 Pure Strike 98. He uses 3 and I use 2.

He plays with racquet 1 and have racquet 2 in the bag and racquet 3 queued up for stringing. He hits with R1 until it breaks and he has R2 to rotate in and start playing. R3 will be freshly strung and R3 goes into the bag, R1 sits on the stringer waiting for new strings. Rotation occurs every week.

I've selected a couple racquets have gone through some hard times with my son to be mine. R1 is in a lot better shape than R2. R1 is stung with a more premium gut in the gut/poly hybrid. R2 strung exactly the same but with a different gut. It is will serve as a back up until R1 becomes about as worn, then I'll rotate. I re-string every other month.

 

[NLBwell]

Because there's a higher risk that both strings will break in the same session if you rotate them.

Now, "higher" does not mean "high": the chance is still quite low. It's probably more of a personal preference.

Yes, I remember when I had several frames where the strings were just about to go on them. I decided to bring them all out one day. After breaking the strings on the 3rd or 4th racket, my opponent was amazed and asked how it was possible to break strings that fast. I did tell him that they were all about to break when I started playing and not some magical power I had.

I do rotate my rackets. I have 3 microgel prestige pros and 3 youtek prestige pros. I've got 2 gut/polys, 2 poly/multi, and 2 with worn strings that I just use for practice. Once the newer ones start to get worn, I go ahead and practice with the ones with worn strings until they break or the poly is very dead and string them up new.
I also have 1 PS 85, 1 Yonex RD Ti 70 88, 1 Yonex RD Ti 70 98, 1 POG, and 2 Kennex Black Aces I accumulated over the years that I practice with a lot. All of those are strung with multis, so I have to get those restrung when they break.

Just got 2 ProTour 2.0s for better control with the gut/poly than the PPs with gut/poly, so those will now be my primary rackets with the PPs as backups.
Really liking the PT 2.0s with the gut/poly hybrid. With the PPs I played best with the poly/multi or all poly, but the gut is easier on my arm.

Always have a backup non-gut racket in case you have to play in rainy conditions.