High level non poly users

[chazz]

Just curious how many 4.5 level and above members here use either synthetic gut or multifilament strings. No copoly or hybrid string jobs with poly or a copoly. Just full bed synthetic gut or multifilament. Natural gut users as well as long as it;s not a hybrid that includes a poly or copoly string. Would be interested in hearing what racquet you are using and your setup. Also your level and game style.

 

[Kevo]

I am a poly user because of the durability, but I use syn gut on occasion. Babolat Powergy is my favorite and I still have a partial reel of it. Doesn't last long, but it's a nice string. Sensation is probably my favorite multi, but it lasts even less.

 

[Happi]

Djokovic used to play with X-One and Gilles Simon intellitour. Williams Sisters FB Gut. Jim Courier FB syn gut.

 

[TennisJrDad]

@Happi Not doubting you at all, but when did Novak Djokovic play with X-One? Was it in a full bed or Hybrid? Do you know what tensions he used? How was he performing at that time?

Thanks.

Djokovic used to play with X-One and Gilles Simon intellitour. Williams Sisters FB Gut. Jim Courier FB syn gut.

 

[FoldingChair]

@Happi Not doubting you at all, but when did Novak Djokovic play with X-One? Was it in a full bed or Hybrid? Do you know what tensions he used? How was he performing at that time?

Thanks.

That was back while he was Wilson sponsored so I’m guessing 2008 maybe a bit earlier. I recall him using a nblade pj with a tecnifibre stencil on the stringbed. It was full bed as I recall. But I couldn’t tell you tension or how we was performing as I don’t have that info off the top of my head

 

[einca13]

You won’t find many 5.0’s and above that don’t use poly at least in a hybrid. Full bed multi’s, gut, SG durability is terrible, it locks up or once drops even a little, rocket launcher. Multis break in an hour for me, gut maybe 3. There was short time I used the Courier setup of a full bed of Gosen OGSM synthetic gut, but it wouldn’t last long. Played decent enough, but was constantly stringing and like poly much better. I did like a natural gut/poly hybrid for awhile, but again was breaking a lot of strings so it was very expensive.

i am sure there are a few out there, maybe super flat hitters or people with arm issues but I don’t know why anyone else at a high level would not have poly in their frames at least partially.

 

[serveandvolE]

NTRP: 4.5 C
String: Head Synthetic Gut PPS 16g (full bed)
Racket: Head Graphite Edge
String Pattern: 18x19
Tension: 55lbs

 

[socallefty]

i wonder if there are any 4.5+ players under the age of 40 who don’t use poly or poly hybrids. Older players grew up with soft strings and are more likely to use them.

 

[TimePlease]

I'm a 44 year old 5.0. I opt for poly or poly hybrids when my arm and shoulder can take it (when I'm fully fit this is most of the time), but last year, coming back from an injury, I eased back into the game with full beds of multi. I can quite happily play at 5.0 level with multi (and not the super expensive stuff either) but certainly poly hugely enhances control and spin, and makes everything last longer, particularly at that hard hitting level... so there's really nothing else to be gained from multi/syn gut at that level and above except arm health/comfort.

Hybrids using multis and/or syn guts are super interesting, though. I haven't found one yet that matches what poly can do, but the tech is gradually going in the right direction and there are some inexpensive hybrids that can allow high level play for a few hours at least. And if you do your own stringing, it's not too bad.

 

[aus89]

That was back while he was Wilson sponsored so I’m guessing 2008 maybe a bit earlier. I recall him using a nblade pj with a tecnifibre stencil on the stringbed. It was full bed as I recall. But I couldn’t tell you tension or how we was performing as I don’t have that info off the top of my head

As far back as 2005 or 2006 he was using full bed X1 Biphase in his LM Radical - he had the Tecnifibre logo on his strings too

 

[TennisJrDad]

Really interesting .. Thanks.

That was back while he was Wilson sponsored so I’m guessing 2008 maybe a bit earlier. I recall him using a nblade pj with a tecnifibre stencil on the stringbed. It was full bed as I recall. But I couldn’t tell you tension or how we was performing as I don’t have that info off the top of my head

 

[Happi]

I'm a 44 year old 5.0. I opt for poly or poly hybrids when my arm and shoulder can take it (when I'm fully fit this is most of the time), but last year, coming back from an injury, I eased back into the game with full beds of multi. I can quite happily play at 5.0 level with multi (and not the super expensive stuff either) but certainly poly hugely enhances control and spin, and makes everything last longer, particularly at that hard hitting level... so there's really nothing else to be gained from multi/syn gut at that level and above except arm health/comfort.

Hybrids using multis and/or syn guts are super interesting, though. I haven't found one yet that matches what poly can do, but the tech is gradually going in the right direction and there are some inexpensive hybrids that can allow high level play for a few hours at least. And if you do your own stringing, it's not too bad.

Technifibre Multifeel in black has almost poly like snapback, try use this as a cross instead of a syn gut.

 

[Chalkdust]

I used a Gamma multi in a LM Radical from about 2010 - 2015. Was maybe a low 5.0 at the time. This was a period where I had intermittent elbow and shoulder issues. Since then my issues have cleared up and I'm using full bed poly.

Anyway, I don't think my game suffered that much using multi. I'm not a heavy spin player. Of course durability was less, but even then I don't remember breaking strings as often as you'd think. Mostly what I remember disliking about it was constantly having to straighten strings.

 

[born_hard]

How long is durability with a multi or syn gut roughly? As i know as a rule of thumb for polys is 2 weeks or 10 hours max. Whichever comes first.

 

[Happi]

How long is durability with a multi or syn gut roughly? As i know as a rule of thumb for polys is 2 weeks or 10 hours max. Whichever comes first.

Multi strings does not go dead like poly strings, however some Multi can get kind of mushi when tension drops. Multi frays but are still playable.

For high level players who rips the ball, multi strings will not last long. If you break your poly in 10 hours, multi will perhaps last you less than 5 hours with same guage.

 

[einca13]

How long is durability with a multi or syn gut roughly? As i know as a rule of thumb for polys is 2 weeks or 10 hours max. Whichever comes first.

It depends on the player. I get an hour out of a multi tops, maybe a little longer with syn gut. I tried Triax once and broke both frames I strung in 45 minutes. Flat hitters will surely get quite a bit longer.

 

[Kevo]

How long is durability with a multi or syn gut roughly? As i know as a rule of thumb for polys is 2 weeks or 10 hours max. Whichever comes first.

That's like asking how many days a full tank of gas will last.

 

[born_hard]

Right, thats the same question. Or better analogy is: when is it time to change your oil in the engine. Because there is also a time or mileage treshold which car manufacturer recommend, but the more often you change oil, the better for the engine life. And if you think about it, most people dont care about regular oil change, so its the same with strings. You can get away without changing strings below a certain treshold but in the long run it is better to change regulary due to arm health, playability and risk of breaking the string during a match.

Strings characteristic change over time also, when strung in the racket and without playing time so the analogy to the gas in the tank is not the best.

 

[Kevo]

No analogy is perfect, and I like yours better for the particular aspect you mentioned. Some people will change the oil in their car every 3000 miles even if their car maintenance light is one of those smart systems that changes the interval based on usage.

My analogy was more geared toward the unanswerable nature of the question itself, but I like yours regarding string life as it's a bit closer.

 

[Automatix]

Djokovic used to play with X-One and Gilles Simon intellitour. Williams Sisters FB Gut. Jim Courier FB syn gut.

Same caveat as with polys though...
In both cases (fullbed nylon & fullbed poly) pros change strings during a single match which means that...
Poly isn't exploited long enough to die/lose elasticity/tension or whatever you want to call it.
Nylon/Polyamide is fresh enough to provide ample control and spin.

Not to mention the "small" issues such as technique (as in level), physical preparation etc. ...

Many of us, rec players, are looking for longevity while pros target performance that is why I feel we shouldn't even mention players as proof of applicability of particular strings.

 

[blai212]

I am 35 yr old 4.5 player that doesn’t use poly. I use X-1/Velocity 16g hybrid in my v7 blade 98 16x19 and my arm stays happy as a clam. Poly definitely provides more performance (can hit harder with more spin and control) but the pain is just not worth it. X-1/V doesnt lock up for the first few hrs which is nice. Stringbed lasts about 5-7 hrs before it craps out…I usually cut out the dead strings before it breaks or else my arms starts hurting.

 

[ey039524]

My son and I both use nat gut x monogut ZX. I had TE, he just liked how my racket feels so started using the same setup. Both 4.5 dubs players looking for touch/feel around the net. I'm using prince phantom pro 100; he's using yonex vcore pro 97. soft, high power string + soft low power rackets for maximum touch and comfort.

 

[Kevo]

My latest syn gut experiment ended today. I put Ashaway Liberty 16 in my Rossignol F230. I think I got about 5 hours out of it maybe. I think it was 5 or 6 sets of doubles and about 1 hour of some wall hitting and a bit of serving. It's been in my frame a few weeks, but my weekend doubles has been rained out the past couple of weeks so not as much play time as I wanted. I thought it was lasting fairly well, but it broke after a few minutes of warm up today before starting. I think this cheap string would be totally usable for players that aren't breakers. I didn't mind playing with it at all, but I just couldn't play it all the time. It might not last though one tough singles match for me.

 

[FootFault18]

@Happi Not doubting you at all, but when did Novak Djokovic play with X-One? Was it in a full bed or Hybrid? Do you know what tensions he used? How was he performing at that time?

Thanks.

Djokovic used X-One Biphase when he was with Wilson, only when he played with the Nblade paintjob.
And, of course, when he played with Head before go with Wilson.

You can search images on internet.

In those years, I remember that the Bryan Brother played with a fullbed of Tecnifibre NRG2 in his Wilson racquets

Anyway, all the players that used to use fullbed of multi, or full bed of natural gut, now use hybrid stringjobs (natural gut in mains / Poly in crosses.

Djokovic, Bryan brothers, Williams sisters, Federer, Haas, Hewitt, etc.


I don't like multifilament or synthetic gut to play tennis, but, my favorite multi string is Tecnifibre NRG2, and in a second close position Tecnifibre TGV.
Tecnifibre has the best multifilaments string in my opinion. For me, so much better than other beloved multi strings, like Wilson Sensation, Wilson NXT or Babolat Xcel (I hate that string).
Other multifilament I like is the Head RIP control. I would like to try RIP Tour, but I prefer full poly stringbed.

 

[FootFault18]

You can see the pics of Djokovic here:

When will Head ever release Djokovic’s actual stick ?

This thread needs to die...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[esvc]

Djokovic used to play with X-One and Gilles Simon intellitour. Williams Sisters FB Gut. Jim Courier FB syn gut.

Very interesting! I'm watching Novak vs Nadal Miami 2007 and I think I can see the Technifibre stencil on Novak's racquet, just under the Wilson stencil. Not bad, beating Nadal with a multi string!

 

[chazz]

Very interesting! I'm watching Novak vs Nadal Miami 2007 and I think I can see the Technifibre stencil on Novak's racquet, just under the Wilson stencil. Not bad, beating Nadal with a multi string!

He's hitting with a pretty good amount of spin with the multi as well. Proof that you can play high level tennis with a multi as long as you aren't hitting like Nadal.

 

[graycrait]

My son and I both use nat gut x monogut ZX.

@ey039524 , could you expound upon your NGxZX setups? Whats in the mains and crosses, gauges, tensions, how long the strings last?

 

[Bambooman]

At the AO in 2008 the TF logo is not also on the string anymore, just the W.

 

[ey039524]

@ey039524 , could you expound upon your NGxZX setups? Whats in the mains and crosses, gauges, tensions, how long the strings last?

We both use proportional stringing: him based around 45 lbs, me around 40. All strings are 17g. NG mains, he currently has a couple sticks w/ VS and Wilson gut. I have Wilson and Klip. Strings last us both a couple of months, surprisingly. I only play a couple times per week. He plays about 6 days/week.

We both have Babolat Elastocrosses. I noticed that they promote string snapback. Don't really have to readjust strings on the ones that have them in, but on the outer strings, we don't use them, and they need to be repositioned. Definitely help w/ longevity, too. I've tried the Tourna string savers and they seem to lock in the strings; the elastocrosses are really slippery on the flat side.

I used to use multis before getting TE, and I would break them on every third outing. I think elastocrosses and gut are a much better buy (and play better).

Such a high power string setup necessitates a low powered racket, but this maximizes feel around the net and comfort.

 

[graycrait]

@ey039524 , Thank you. Might be just the set up to try in my Gravity Tour and Ultra Tours, plus some older Volkl 93 18x20s.

Approx how many Elastocrosses do you use per racket? How many mains and crosses or maybe easier - how many mains and crosses do not get them?

 

[michael valek]

I used dyreex spiral gut as full bed in many different frames and as a hybrid with dyreex powersoft. Now am trying pacific Spx I think and a new pacific poly as a hybrid. In max200g. Works well but I’m not sure if max200g needs poly.

 

[michael valek]

Pacific spx max the multi is called. New poly is called x force 5.

 

[ey039524]

@ey039524 , Thank you. Might be just the set up to try in my Gravity Tour and Ultra Tours, plus some older Volkl 93 18x20s.

Approx how many Elastocrosses do you use per racket? How many mains and crosses or maybe easier - how many mains and crosses do not get them?

I just posted a pic of my prince phantom pro in the prince thread. I think you can see the pattern. Certainly more than Fed, haha.