I was watching this video of Roger Federer(below 1:04 min). Someone ask how many racquets does he used a year he said 50 to 60 with 600 to 800 restrings per year. That would put his number of restrings per racquet around 13 before he replaces it. How many restrings do you guys go before you notice any changes on your racquet? Does this mean after only a dozen or so restrings your racquet is performing below spec?
How many restrings before racquet noticeably changes?
- Thread starter flargosa
- Start date
Crocodile
G.O.A.T.
I think a lot depends on how the racquet is used, the type of racquet it is, the stringer and the machine and how many racquets you have in use at the same time.
Some racquets for example will distort more than others when they are strung. The old Wilson FST burn 100 is one racquet that's actually hard to remove from the machine after its strung as it distorts quite a fair bit. Some racquets are like plasticine. An RF on the other hand is pretty heavy duty and I would expect it to last a long time.
I would imagine that judging by the TW forum community many would update their racquets within 2 to 3 years, when the new model comes out and before the racquet starts to fatigue.
Some racquets for example will distort more than others when they are strung. The old Wilson FST burn 100 is one racquet that's actually hard to remove from the machine after its strung as it distorts quite a fair bit. Some racquets are like plasticine. An RF on the other hand is pretty heavy duty and I would expect it to last a long time.
I would imagine that judging by the TW forum community many would update their racquets within 2 to 3 years, when the new model comes out and before the racquet starts to fatigue.
bigserving
Hall of Fame
In the back of my mind I thought that it would be more but now that I actually think about it, I string about one frame per week, sometimes a little more. Rotate between three identical frames at a time. Replace a frame about every three to four years. So I am thinking about forty string jobs over about three years before I notice that the feel begins to change ..... ish.
bigserving
Hall of Fame
Dear Roger,
I am not a charity, but I am a good cause. Be cool and break my off a few frames.
Sincerely,
Bigserving
Hmmm, lets see. If you hit at 50% of Roger’s power your racquet should last twice as long so that would be about 25 restrings. Since we are not pros and have average technique, no offense to anyone, it will probably take us 2X longer to notice the racquet going bad so that would be 50 restrings. That is probably a good 3 to 5 yrs before the lower racquet performance affects our game. So keeping a racquet for that long should be ok, I think.
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C
Chadillac
Guest
I think materials and head size are important. Fiberglass vs kevlar. Hoping my carbon fibers hold up
Irvin
Talk Tennis Guru
Well think about this just a little. They change out the balls every 9 games because they (the pros) are crushing the ball. Roger Federer changes his racket as often as they change balls, and if he doesn't play with it he'll have fresh strings before he does play. Roger Federer can sell his used rackets for as much as $10,000 and as he said that goes to charity. If I could sell my rackets for just the price of a new one I'd never play with a used racket.
gplracer
Hall of Fame
My son plays a lot of tennis and around 90 tournament matches a year. He is 14 and 6'2" and hits the ball really hard. His pro staffs are over two years old and he has been complaining about not getting depth on the ball. He has 5. I wonder if they are going dead by now. I have strung them constantly since he got them.
Incidentally we have some new frames on the way.
Incidentally we have some new frames on the way.
Herb
Semi-Pro
My daughter goes through about 2-3 racquets per year. We get her 3 at the beginning of each season and by the end of the school year they start to show serious signs of wear, and she tells me they start playing differently. She was telling me last night that one of them is playing was off, so she has quit using it. She has not had a racquet last more than a year since she was 14. Several of the top juniors I string for in our area are the same way. They will go through several per year. Typically by the end of each season most will start to develop cracks.
All that said, I do not believe it is the number of re-strings that determines racquet life, but the amount and type of use.
mikeeeee
Professional
When you have a few hundred million in the bank you tend to do some unnecessary things. I think high quality frames should last a lot longer than 13 restrings. For a 4.5+ level player that could mean your racquet is no good after a month? I highly doubt it. Fed does it because he can and there's really no other reason.
Irvin
Talk Tennis Guru
Stand 20 in front of him, feed him balls, and let him drill them back at you.
gplracer
Hall of Fame
I would be hit lol. He hits a a heavy topspin ball and he complains more about getting depth on the ball. He hit with the new RF97 the other weekend and power was not an issue. It was new and has more plow through even though his ps97 is leaded up.
Irvin
Talk Tennis Guru
That's a good thing, if it doesn't hurt the racket is dead. LOL
Here is an interview of Samantha Stosur I found online from **********.
http://www.**********.net/news/gear/2010/07/15/me-and-my-racket-sam-stosur
th: How often do you get new frames?
SS: About every three months, so I’ve still got the ones that got me to the semis of the French Open.
th: How many do you travel with?
SS: This week seven, but normally six.
If she gets new frames every 3 months and takes 6 to 7 with her. She goes through 6(Racquets) X 4(quarters) = 24 racquets per year. That is could be because she has less power than Federer so less racquet fatigue. Her racquets last longer.
http://www.**********.net/news/gear/2010/07/15/me-and-my-racket-sam-stosur
th: How often do you get new frames?
SS: About every three months, so I’ve still got the ones that got me to the semis of the French Open.
th: How many do you travel with?
SS: This week seven, but normally six.
If she gets new frames every 3 months and takes 6 to 7 with her. She goes through 6(Racquets) X 4(quarters) = 24 racquets per year. That is could be because she has less power than Federer so less racquet fatigue. Her racquets last longer.
Brett69
Rookie
The way her career is going 6 rackets should be enough to last her through retirement...
gplracer
Hall of Fame
Sounds like a great idea.
neverstopplaying
Professional
I agree - nothing to do with stringing. Think about it. A racquet is held in place and strung. It barely moves and the stress on the frame is negated by the mounting system. If a player hits a thousand balls a day and plays 4-5 days a week, thats a lot of repetitive bending on the frame.
I've done some research on fatigue of FRCs (fiber reinforced composites) and after about 3,000,000 cycles the fibers required noticeably less force to bend. This is what reduces power in the frame.
LocNetMonster
Professional
What are the symptoms of dying or dead racquet?
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
They start in your head first...
Relax, none of us, amateurs should experience those symptoms.
rockbox
Semi-Pro
Amateurs don't have to worry about it. It is much like pro cycling. Carbon bikes are designed to handle the most demanding users which are pro cyclist who generate a lot more power and force than normal humans. Since normal people don't log the same miles and don't generate the same force, carbon bikes pretty much last forever where a pro go through bike frames every few months.
Easy Rider
Professional
I used to play (still do) with same model for 4-6yrs, picking new ones after 1-1.5yrs ... There is significant diference ...
LocNetMonster
Professional
You can add D1 college coaches to that list. I know two, who still crush the ball to the corners and have awesome touch, that still using frames that are at least 7 years old... lol ...
D
Deleted member 23235
Guest
lol, i still use a racquet from 2003.... upgraded from a racquet from 1999
(3 frames, string lasts ~1w)
maybe it's time for me to pick a new modern frame...
[edit] reason for not upgrading... presumed that a fresh frame won't help my shank%
(3 frames, string lasts ~1w)
maybe it's time for me to pick a new modern frame...
[edit] reason for not upgrading... presumed that a fresh frame won't help my shank%
LocNetMonster
Professional
So it is best to buy a used babolat if you have any arm issues
Out of curiosity why Babolat?
Reputation for being a tad stiff, but there are others.
This is likely a Federer thing. I am sure most pros do not get that many rackets a year.
Plus, DelPo played with 3 then 2 rackets for a while. And no one hits harder than DelPo. I think us mortals are pretty safe.
0d1n
Hall of Fame
I have been playing with the same 5 frames (Vantage/Angell 95's 63 flex) since 2010. Almost 7 years.
I could most likely get another 5-7 out of them if I were so inclined.
I will probably change them in the following year or two with the 97 sq inch one, but certainly not out of necessity.
PS. I change grommets when needed and don't throw my racquets at anything other than the ball.
Nothing else comes to mind in terms of special treatment.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I could most likely get another 5-7 out of them if I were so inclined.
I will probably change them in the following year or two with the 97 sq inch one, but certainly not out of necessity.
PS. I change grommets when needed and don't throw my racquets at anything other than the ball.
Nothing else comes to mind in terms of special treatment.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
The top guys can get pretty much what they need/want.
Novak used to give away his frames after winning a tournament throughout 2011...
from tennis.com
Q. When will I know that my racquet is dead?
Bruce: The big uh-oh moment comes when you hit right after a new string job and you can’t tell the difference. It plays soft or mushy like a wet noodle, and you’re not getting any sense of where the balls are landing on the stringbed.
Q. When will I know that my racquet is dead?
Bruce: The big uh-oh moment comes when you hit right after a new string job and you can’t tell the difference. It plays soft or mushy like a wet noodle, and you’re not getting any sense of where the balls are landing on the stringbed.
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