It's clear, then, that the flatter the string bed remains during a shot, the better the ball control will be (at the expense of power). How do you maintain a flat string bed? By using less-stretchy string.
Thin strings are more elastic than thick ones, and loose strings are more elastic than tight ones. So what's to choose? Can you take a thick string and simply string it loosely to duplicate the power and control of a thin one?
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. At equal stringing tensions, thin string is stretched further than thick string, so thin string behaves stiffer than thick string, and this seems to give thin string an edge on control, just as it has an edge on power. Additionally, thin string penetrates the surface of the ball deeper than thick string, and this provides more "bite" for spin shots.
First find the playability characteristics that are most important to you, then select string gauge and tension accordingly.
Here are two final considerations. Thick strings hold tension better: at the same pound-tension, they won't go "dead" as quickly as thin ones. And more elastic strings transmit less shock to the player's arm, so they may be better if you're worried about "tennis elbow."
Once you've found the tension at which your racquet generates maximum power for a particular string, you may want to tune the racquet further to suit your style of play. By reducing the tension a few pounds, the string will be less prone to breakage. By raising the tension a couple pounds, you'll stiffen the string bed: it will remain flatter when you hit the ball, and you'll gain control.
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