What causes this sensation or feeling ...

[Davis937]

... I play with the Luxilon Big Banger Alu Fluoro (54 pound tension) ... because of wrist and elbow problems, my stringer suggested that I play with this string (supposedly the softest / most forgiving of the Luxilon strings) ... anyway, playing today I noticed that when stroking the ball, the ball seemed to "linger" a milisecond longer on my racket face ... definitely felt like the ball was "sticking" more to my racket ... was a nice feeling ... felt like I was able to control the ball a little better ... I especially noticed this sensation on my one hand slice backhand and on my second serve (... a kicker) ... to a lesser exent, on my volleys ... did not notice this sticky sensation on my forehand ... is this one way to tell when your strings are "dead" (i.e. lose that sticky / control sensation on my shots) ... thanks in advance for your comments ...

 

[Ivan Lendl's Backhand]

All good polys when freshly strung at the optimial tension for you/your racquet will feel crisp. That's the sticking/lingering sensation that you're describing because although they're stiff there's still some initial elasticity to them. Good polys are amazing in the first hour or two of play. But as you play, the string starts breaking down, the elasticity goes, and after a few hours, its dead. All those lovely properties you've described have gone!

 

[Davis937]

All good polys when freshly strung at the optimial tension for you/your racquet will feel crisp. That's the sticking/lingering sensation that you're describing because although they're stiff there's still some initial elasticity to them. Good polys are amazing in the first hour or two of play. But as you play, the string starts breaking down, the elasticity goes, and after a few hours, its dead. All those lovely properties you've described have gone!

... thanks, Ivan ... well, in that case I best enjoy my strings now because that wonderful play sensation won't last much longer ... I'm amazed that these strings lose that much elasticity (... after only an hour or two) ... feels like my good money is flying right out that proverbial window ... I can see why players such as Nadal, during the course of a single match, will have six, eight, or ten racquets continually re-strung ... must be nice to always be able to play with "optimal" strings ...

 

[gameboy]

Davis, do you have some aversion to using just a period? Just wondering...

 

[Davis937]

Davis, do you have some aversion to using just a period? Just wondering...

... one of my many bad habits ... was a US Navy SEAL ... had to serve as a radioman (i.e. forced to learn Morse code) ...