How many restrings can a racquet go through before losing playability?

[Shangri La]

Thought I'd ask stringers here: how many restrings can a racquet go through before losing playability? For Federer, based on various sources, my calculation is 15-20 restrings each racquet before he is given the next batch of racquets. From what I gathered, racquets that went through a lot of restrings will become flexier, but not much loss in power/playability. What's your experience?

 

[borna coric]

1- You're NOT Roger Federer so it is no relevant
2- Unless you're wealthy, it is irrelevant.

I can afford to get new racquet after 15 restring jobs but that is NOT a wise way to blow my money. My son has been playing on the same racquet after 50 times of restrings, and still going.

 

[gmatheis]

If you have lots of money and play a lot you can either get a couple new racquets every 6 months or get 8 at a time and replace every 2 years.

But is it necessary? I don’t think so. Most people can keep the same 2 sticks for several years at least ... and many people I know have racquets that are 10+ years old.

Personally I like to replace my 2 racquets every 2 -2.5 years or so give or take, mostly because they get banged up and have paint chips etc and start to look ugly.

 

[Irvin]

I wonder how many years Del Porto played with his old rackets?

EDIT: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/01/del-potro-down-two-racquets/50175/

 

[Shangri La]

I wonder how many years Del Porto played with his old rackets?

EDIT: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/01/del-potro-down-two-racquets/50175/

Wow.. FOUR racquets in 4 years.

"But apparently, Delpo likes these particular racquets too much to switch. They’re four years old, Luis tells me, if not more. Do the math: These sticks won the US Open in 2009. "

Federer has 600-800 restrings on his racquets every year. Even if Delpo only has 400 restrings each year, 4 years 4 racquets. That's... 400 restrings every racquet !!! Plus extra 1.5 years for the remaining 2 racquets. They probably flex like wood racquets!

http://www.tennis.com/gear/2012/08/nuts-and-bolts-828-del-potros-final-four/39103/#.Us2aF3kTsfE

 

[Steve Huff]

That really doesn't sound unreasonable.

 

[Shangri La]

Well, a bit of miscalculation in my previous post...

The 4 he had at USO 2012 were the REMAINING 4 after 4 years of play, not the only 4 he used. So, a) other racquets he used shared the (assumed) 400 restring each year, and b) some were worn out and tossed away. But at least one average, each racquet had gone through at the very least well over 100 restrings. So it seems a racquet can perform at the pinnacle level of the sport as long as they dont break.

 

[PBODY99]

Fischer Pro 1 a pair used by a 4.5 player strung @ 60 lbs poly for the last 5 years, 5+ years before 1.35 mm PSGD @ 68.
4 Bumper changes each average of 8 / year restrings a year.
Frames are robust these days.

 

[dak95_00]

I’ve never had a racquet go bad. I don’t even know what that means. How would I know unless it fractured? Please don’t try to tell me you notice either. It just doesn’t make sense.

How would I know I didn’t slow down?
How would I know it wasn’t the strings?
How would I know if it wasn’t an actual fracture?

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

Restringing your racket will change the how your racket feels, but you didnt take into account, how much the racket is actually hit with. I think the amount of time spent hitting on that racket will affect the play ability as much or even more than the stringing process.

In DelPo's case, I think Wilson tried to make flexier versions of his rackets, but they probably didnt feel the same as a broken down rackets from all the Thunderous Fearhands.

 

[Shangri La]

I’ve never had a racquet go bad. I don’t even know what that means. How would I know unless it fractured? Please don’t try to tell me you notice either. It just doesn’t make sense.

How would I know I didn’t slow down?
How would I know it wasn’t the strings?
How would I know if it wasn’t an actual fracture?

Neither have I. But it doesnt mean that doesnt happen.

Racquets become more flexible, lose a bit of power, which is evident when compared to a new one of the same model. And they eventually break.

 

[Chadillac]

Ive had rackets get warped and more flexible. They were each strung around 300 times each.

 

[Rabbit]

Neither have I. But it doesnt mean that doesnt happen.

Racquets become more flexible, lose a bit of power, which is evident when compared to a new one of the same model. And they eventually break.

We have two former ATP world ranked doubles players at our club. I asked both if they ever had a frame go “dead”. Neither did.

I don’t hear of frames breaking either. To further the point, I string for a WTA event. One of the girls had her APD’s strung so much that the paint was missing where the string goes across the throat when being strung! She broke 3 sets of poly a day on average.

 

[Shangri La]

We have two former ATP world ranked doubles players at our club. I asked both if they ever had a frame go “dead”. Neither did.

I don’t hear of frames breaking either. To further the point, I string for a WTA event. One of the girls had her APD’s strung so much that the paint was missing where the string goes across the throat when being strung! She broke 3 sets of poly a day on average.

There were a few things I was curious about racquet longevity and got answer for: change in flexibility (widely observed), going dead (no), losing power (a bit for some), and racquet breaking (yes though rare, some forum member and touring pro e.g. Delpo). And from your experience, racquets do last a long time.

Breaking 3 sets of poly a day! This is the type of information probably stringers would more likely know and thats why I asked the original question here. I wonder how many restrings her racquets have gone through...

 

[mxvb]

Some shop owner in my area claimed +- 35 stringjobs due to the warping of the frame during stringing.

 

[Rabbit]

Some shop owner in my area claimed +- 35 stringjobs due to the warping of the frame during stringing.

I’ve seen frames strung 100s of times

 

[am1899]

I’ve seen frames strung 100s of times

Yep. Also, for me, racquets that start out on the stiffer end of the spectrum tend to soften up and play better the more they are restrung and played with.

 

[Traffic]

Thought I'd ask stringers here: how many restrings can a racquet go through before losing playability? For Federer, based on various sources, my calculation is 15-20 restrings each racquet before he is given the next batch of racquets. From what I gathered, racquets that went through a lot of restrings will become flexier, but not much loss in power/playability. What's your experience?

If 15-20 re-stringings is the limit, then my son would need to buy 2 new racquets every 8mos. We bought him a 3rd to spread the load a bit and also give me more time to re-string and allow him to have a freshly strung racquet in his bag.

My guess is my son's hoop will get worn down before his racquet "dies".

 

[pvw_tf]

Thought I'd ask stringers here: how many restrings can a racquet go through before losing playability? For Federer, based on various sources, my calculation is 15-20 restrings each racquet before he is given the next batch of racquets. From what I gathered, racquets that went through a lot of restrings will become flexier, but not much loss in power/playability. What's your experience?

An perfect answer is not possible. There are many factors playing a role. Tension, String, Stringer, Style of Play, How does one play with a string-job. And do not forget damage to the frame at the top scratching the tennis court surface.

The problem is a gradual process so you do not notice it that much. You will notice when you get a new rackets. More power, more control.

Lets take the factor which possible is the more important factor. The racket. Some rackets just can do more jobs, than others. In the past that was more easy. You have beginners, recreation rackets, high level rackets and top rackets. At the moment it looks like every body plays with the last 2 categories.

In general, based on experience, high level rackets can do 15 to 25 jobs, Top rackets can go up to 30-40. At that time you will find the difference with a new racket significant enough.

Federer is a top athlete, he want to take out any controllable factor limiting his performance. So as stated above 20 string jobs is for him the limit. You also have to consider he only plays 7/9 games a string job. Also Rackets get re-strong without being played. So he is very much on the safe side. I guess his racket can do 40 to 50 jobs, strung and used.

Peter

 

[Rabbit]

Federer also gets his rackets for free.

 

[Shangri La]

If 15-20 re-stringings is the limit, then my son would need to buy 2 new racquets every 8mos. We bought him a 3rd to spread the load a bit and also give me more time to re-string and allow him to have a freshly strung racquet in his bag.

My guess is my son's hoop will get worn down before his racquet "dies".

I'd say 15-20 restrings is the bare minimum even for Fed to notice the slightest change in feel. From information gathered here, the racquets should last a lot longer. Wilson does that probably a) to keep the racquets in good presentation and b) to let people know that racquets need to be replaced often to promote sale lol.

 

[Rabbit]

I'd say 15-20 restrings is the bare minimum even for Fed to notice the slightest change in feel. From information gathered here, the racquets should last a lot longer. Wilson does that probably a) to keep the racquets in good presentation and b) to let people know that racquets need to be replaced often to promote sale lol.

And, most importantly, because the frames get auctioned off at charity.

 

[V1M+]

My 2013 Volkl V1 Classic is dying a quick death. I've been hitting with it a lot for about 3-4 years. Probably restrung anywhere from 35-50 times my best guess. I bought a very lightly used replacement off of **** and the difference is night and day. The highly used 2013 V1 seems to be about HALF the racket compared to the barely used 2013 V1.
Thank God I found this used one, this 13 version of the V1 Classic is very hard to find and I really don't know what other racket to replace it with!

 

[Shangri La]

And, most importantly, because the frames get auctioned off at charity.

That's a very good point.

My 2013 Volkl V1 Classic is dying a quick death. I've been hitting with it a lot for about 3-4 years. Probably restrung anywhere from 35-50 times my best guess. I bought a very lightly used replacement off of **** and the difference is night and day. The highly used 2013 V1 seems to be about HALF the racket compared to the barely used 2013 V1.
Thank God I found this used one, this 13 version of the V1 Classic is very hard to find and I really don't know what other racket to replace it with!

Can you elaborate how the old V1 plays differently from the newer one? I had a V1 Classic Silver which played nicely. Only wish it had more direct ball feel. I think TW still has the V1 available, just in different cosmetics. But it's the same racquet underneath.

 

[V1M+]

Quote from Shangri La "Can you elaborate how the old V1 plays differently from the newer one? I had a V1 Classic Silver which played nicely. Only wish it had more direct ball feel. I think TW still has the V1 available, just in different cosmetics. But it's the same racquet underneath."

I believe there have been 3 different versions of the V1 Classic since 2013, as follows:
2013: V1 Classic(Black W/Yellow lettering)
2014-2016: V1 Classic(3 color schemes, German flag colors, USA Flag colors, Spanish Flag colors)
2018: V1 Classic(Black W/Silver lettering)

I own two 2013 V1's and two 2014 V1's. The 2013 model is a much, much better racket than the 2014 model. In short, the 2013 model is a very solid, stiff racket made of high quality materials. The 2014 model is not very solid and feels very cheap. When I hit with the 2014 model it is so cheap and twangy I often hit shots into the net, which I very rarely do with the 2013 model. I even went so far as to do a blind test and I can tell which racket is which by tapping each with a coin or my fingernail. Totally different sound. In short, these models ARE NOT the same racket underneath.

I have one good 2013 model left and I'm going to take very good care of it, all the while I'll be looking for at least one more.

I haven't tried the new 2018 V1 Classic, I will demo it I but I won't buy it unless it hits a lot closer to 2013 than 2014 models.

 

[gazz1]

Assuming that frames do wear, is it the stringing process that has the biggest impact on the frame or the actual amount of play time?

For example, if I was testing various string tensions and combinations, then I may restring frequently without playing very much. Another player may play until the strings are about to break so plays a lot more tennis per restring.

 

[V1M+]

I definitely think the stringing process has more to do with racket wear than playing time. I've lived and learned by blowing out one racket, I'm going to take a lot more care of my future rackets by restringing less often and when I do I will use at least a 6 point mounting stringer.

 

[Shangri La]

Assuming that frames do wear, is it the stringing process that has the biggest impact on the frame or the actual amount of play time?

For example, if I was testing various string tensions and combinations, then I may restring frequently without playing very much. Another player may play until the strings are about to break so plays a lot more tennis per restring.

The stringing process.

 

[Irvin]

I’ve seen a player wear through the grommet and into the frame before the strings break. He woouldn’t cut the strings out because he was so cheap. When the strings broke and he brought it to me to string I could stick my finger in the racket. 1 string job and time for a new racket.

 

[gazz1]

I guess that's good to know, because I tend to restring frequently to experiment.

Maybe I should reserve 1 racket to experiment with and restring the others as needed...I never let them wear significantly anyway.

How do you tell if a racket is fatigued short of it breaking?

I mean, is it the grommets (which can be replaced) or is there structural damage to the carbon fibre or whatever they're made of?

 

[Irvin]

How do you tell if a racket is fatigued short of it breaking?

If you like the way the racket plays what difference does it make?

 

[gazz1]

Very true

 

[Shangri La]

The important part is when the racquet does start to fatigue, it doesn’t seem to lose any performance from what people experienced. It just plays more flexible.

 

[Steve Huff]

Graphite rackets generally do not "warp". They "deform", which is different than warping. Deforming is when the head shape changes (racket gets a little shorter or longer). Warping is when the racket is no longer straight, from handle to head, or from side to side. Sorry for the rant, just one of my pet peeves.

 

[Shangri La]

Graphite rackets generally do not "warp". They "deform", which is different than warping. Deforming is when the head shape changes (racket gets a little shorter or longer). Warping is when the racket is no longer straight, from handle to head, or from side to side. Sorry for the rant, just one of my pet peeves.

Can’t stop thinking you’re the photography gear review guy lol.

 

[Ft.S]

I am not sure how to explain where the issue maybe: I have five frames, three of them see regular use with frequent re-stringing, two of these frames have been restrung about 30-35 times over the last 14 months. On these two frames I always get DT/SBS 1 point and RT reading 1-1.5# lower than the other three frames if I use the same reference tension. So, knowing which are those frames, when I restring I set the reference tension 1 to 2# higher. Maybe this is due to frame fatigue of some sort, or maybe something completely different. The grommets are fine, no cuts or major deformations.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

The word of the day,, "frame fatigue"
wether its by stringing or playing,, material fibers breakdown over its use
poly and or kevlar strings will make this fatigue faster
ive had personal experience hitting with a 20yo head.prestige.mp,, it felt like a wet noodle at impact
head.prestige.mp rakets where never meant to feel like that..

Do rakets become unplayable due to fatigue? NO!

 

[Irvin]

Do rakets become unplayable due to fatigue? NO!

Let’s say you play with a racket that’s just a tad stiffer that ideal for you. Over time that racket may get better and better. OTOH if you buy a racket that’s too flexible it could get worse and worse. But either way if you liked the rackets to begin with I doubt over time you will ever notice a difference.

 

[Rabbit]

@Irvin which makes the above comment pointless!

 

[Ronaldo]

Used three Wilson racquets for over five yrs, re-stringing each at least once/month. Stringer mentions each may suffer a pull-through at the throat and suggested buying new racquets. Of course they are discontinued. And that was before poly and players re-stringing every 8-10 hrs.

 

[Rabbit]

When you consider the cases of James Blake and Juan Martin del Potro, it's kind of a moot point. Those two guys were down to 2 or 3 rackets each at one point. They wouldn't change because they were so attached to their frames. Now I know that there are TW'ers out there (like myself) who hit the ball just as hard off both wings as Blank and delPotro, but if those guys couldn't wear them out, what would ever make us think we could? Seriously at our club, we had two ex-ATP world class pros -- doubles specialists. I asked both of them separately if they ever had a frame "go dead" while they were on tour and both said "No". Both guys restrung before every live match and sometimes before practice.

Bottom line, if you want a new racket, buy it.

 

[Ronaldo]

When you consider the cases of James Blake and Juan Martin del Potro, it's kind of a moot point. Those two guys were down to 2 or 3 rackets each at one point. They wouldn't change because they were so attached to their frames. Now I know that there are TW'ers out there (like myself) who hit the ball just as hard off both wings as Blank and delPotro, but if those guys couldn't wear them out, what would ever make us think we could? Seriously at our club, we had two ex-ATP world class pros -- doubles specialists. I asked both of them separately if they ever had a frame "go dead" while they were on tour and both said "No". Both guys restrung before every live match and sometimes before practice.

Bottom line, if you want a new racket, buy it.

And buy a half dozen grommet sets while you can

 

[Rabbit]

And buy a half dozen grommet sets while you can

Well if you heard it and I heard it then it has to be true!

 

[Ronaldo]

Well if you heard it and I heard it then it has to be true!

Trying to avoid that Menace to Tennis Society

 

[Irvin]

Trying to avoid that Menace to Tennis Society

What racket is it?

 

[onehandbh]

Thought I'd ask stringers here: how many restrings can a racquet go through before losing playability?

If you use a careless stringer, the racquet may not even survive ONE restringing.

 

[Rabbit]

What racket is it?

Tangent #223,478