What strings are the college kids using these days?
- Thread starter Booger
- Start date
Ihatetennis
Hall of Fame
The ones the schools pay for.
I see a lot of rpm and solinco outlast and revolution
I see a lot of rpm and solinco outlast and revolution
Will Wilson
Semi-Pro
I believe tour bite is popular as well
eelhc
Hall of Fame
Not all schools pay for equipment/stringing. Even D1 ones...
Ihatetennis
Hall of Fame
Well some do, and at those i see a lot of solinco
If it's a ranked program it's free tho
Based on experience, from what I can tell, if the coach makes an effort to get a deal on strings it's not that hard to find a company that will supply them for very cheap, if not free. While I can see some programs not paying for equipment, it seems common at a minimum for players to get at least 1 pair of shoes per semester and free string (brand supplied by the coach). I do know many players string their own on the teams machine because they may not like the way the team stringer strings the racquets. It's also common for a player or two to have their own stringing machine in their dorm room or apartment and share the use of their machines with teammates who know how to string.
Back in the dark ages when I played college, the first two sticks were strung free each semester. From there I paid $5 per string job. God help the player on our team that needed string jobs on the road. HAHA
Back in the dark ages when I played college, the first two sticks were strung free each semester. From there I paid $5 per string job. God help the player on our team that needed string jobs on the road. HAHA
I played D2 tennis at a small school in Florida. Our coach bought isospeed strings from TW (the $40 ones), but a few of us had our own reels. There wasn't a "designated stringer," so to say, a lot of us strung and if players needed stringing, they would pay $5 per racquet. In our last year, we got a deal with Solinco through a teammate and majority of the team was using Tour Bite.
Booger
Hall of Fame
How many hours of hitting do you normally get out of a set of tour bite?
BjornToBeWild
New User
I get about 2 3/4 hrs out of Tour Bite in my Babolat APD. We practice 3ish hrs/day. Solinco Hyper G is another popular one these days, however it's not nearly as durable as TourBite
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
what if the player only likes natural guts, would the school pay for that too ?
Depends on the program Feddie and if they have access to free or cheap gut. Your statement begs the question, what player can you name at a top program that plays with and demands gut in their racquet today?
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
many , many would like to hybrid with natural gut just as Federer does.
I know some programs that have gut strings for their players. Heck I know a junior college that has offered it for some players. It's usually not a regular thing though. I will say I bet if a UVA player wanted gut they could get whatever they want.
Ihatetennis
Hall of Fame
few schools have that budget, especially since tennis doesnt make money.
True. Some schools get some gut for free. That's certainly the exception and far from the norm. There are other soft multi options that are good options at a fraction of the price. Most college players would do themselves good by not expecting super high levels of free equipment if they are not playing on a top ranked DI team.
Ihatetennis
Hall of Fame
Where do they get free gut?
All the schools I've talked to only get wholesale pricing on string and only buy reels
haqq777
Legend
You wouldn't happen to play circa early 2000s? Our school was all Lux BBO.
Sample packs. Look, I'm saying college players using gut and programs supplying gut is the exception but not entirely unheard of. Feddie would not get gut on any team. HAHA!
Ihatetennis
Hall of Fame
Feddie would end up on a team that asks for funding from the parents of the players...
Sebastian Belmont
New User
Find this thread interesting. Anyone know what setup Mackenzie Mcdonald uses in his Blade 98?
Booger
Hall of Fame
You are correct. Lux BBO was the jam, even if it killed your arm. I thought I would be playing with it forever.
Zacenroe86
Rookie
Solinco seems to dominate. Whether it's Tour bite or extreme g. Taking over from the years of Red Code
Zacenroe86
Rookie
Hyper-G*
kingcheetah
Hall of Fame
I see a lot of Solinco, Cyclone, and RPM blast. I still use 4g soft, which lasts me a while and has the right balance of spin production/pop.
As a college player, I call bull. Most of us have never hit with gut, nor do we have any interest in switching to it. It's expensive (and most of us are paying a lot of cash already for good ol' tuition.) it doesn't last, and almost nobody used it growing up. Maybe if you're at a top 10 program and they want to appease you, you could get gut. Otherwise break out the pocketbook.
azn_lefty_roddick_jr
Rookie
Solinco - Tour Bite, Revolution
Tecnifibre - Black Code, Rough Code
Lux - ALU Power/Rough
Babolat - RPM Blast
I try to keep tabs on the most common polys college teams use when they're in town, and these top the list. UNC used Genesis if I recall as of last year, don't know if they still do. They also had a player who used PSGD a couple years ago.
Gut is uncommon - but not extinct - especially for the top women's teams and especially in the mains.
Tecnifibre - Black Code, Rough Code
Lux - ALU Power/Rough
Babolat - RPM Blast
I try to keep tabs on the most common polys college teams use when they're in town, and these top the list. UNC used Genesis if I recall as of last year, don't know if they still do. They also had a player who used PSGD a couple years ago.
Gut is uncommon - but not extinct - especially for the top women's teams and especially in the mains.
randomcollegeplayer
New User
We get deals from Solinco, so a lot of tour bite and Hyper-G. For those who don't like it, there is an array of polys that people put in their sticks. Cyclone, luxilon, some white wilson stuff that I can't remember the name of, and a poly/multi hybrid for a dude with some elbow issues.
I find the concept of a college player demanding gut laughable. Half of the dudes on our team don't have half a clue what they are playing with. It just gets handed to the team stringer and they play with it when its handed back.
I find the concept of a college player demanding gut laughable. Half of the dudes on our team don't have half a clue what they are playing with. It just gets handed to the team stringer and they play with it when its handed back.
monfils is my homeboy
Semi-Pro
I was the stringer for Wake Forest men's program for years and everything was free to the players. They could pick whatever string they wanted and I was paid 10.00 per frame. They broke ALOT.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
and they picked Babolat natural gut hybrid like Federer and that was still free ??
Ihatetennis
Hall of Fame
Very few people choose to play with natural gut.
For big programs like that though...yes it will still be free.
Herb
Semi-Pro
New to your forums, but thought I would add what info I have. I have strung for the visiting teams, and the NCAA 1st and 2nd round this past weekend. All of the Universities I have dealt with supply the string for the kids, and most have contracts with multiple companies. Some are sponsored by a company. I see mainly Babolat RPM Blast, Solinco Tour Bite, Outlast, Luxilon ALU power/rough.
Below are the strings I put on racquets
Boston University - RPM Blast
Clemson University - ALU power, Babolat Pro Hurricane, Addiction
Mississippi State - Luxilon Savage Black, 4G, ALU Power, Head Sonic Pro
SMU - Technifibre Razor Code, Solinco Tour Bite, ALU Power
TCU - RPM Blast, ALU Power
University of Arizona - Solinco Tour Bite Diamond, Tour Bite, Outlast, Revolution
University or Illinois - Luxilon 4G, ALU Power Rough, Solinco Tour Bite
University of New Mexico - Wilson Revolve
University of Oregon - Solinco Revolution
University of Texas - Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour, Head Sonic Pro Edge, ALU Power, ALU Power Rough, RPM Blast,
University of the Pacific - Genesis Typhoon, Black Magic, Wilson Revolve
University of Tulsa - ALU Power, ALU Power Rough, Solinco Revolution,
University of Washington - Solinco Barb Wire, Tour Bite, Tour Bite Diamond,
Utah State - Technifibre Red Code
UTSA - Technifibre Razor Code
Virginia Tech - Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour, ALU Power
Texas Tech - RPM Blast, Solinco Tour Bite, Outlast
I have only had one player use Natural Gut, A girl from UT I believe had it in her crosses.
Below are the strings I put on racquets
Boston University - RPM Blast
Clemson University - ALU power, Babolat Pro Hurricane, Addiction
Mississippi State - Luxilon Savage Black, 4G, ALU Power, Head Sonic Pro
SMU - Technifibre Razor Code, Solinco Tour Bite, ALU Power
TCU - RPM Blast, ALU Power
University of Arizona - Solinco Tour Bite Diamond, Tour Bite, Outlast, Revolution
University or Illinois - Luxilon 4G, ALU Power Rough, Solinco Tour Bite
University of New Mexico - Wilson Revolve
University of Oregon - Solinco Revolution
University of Texas - Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour, Head Sonic Pro Edge, ALU Power, ALU Power Rough, RPM Blast,
University of the Pacific - Genesis Typhoon, Black Magic, Wilson Revolve
University of Tulsa - ALU Power, ALU Power Rough, Solinco Revolution,
University of Washington - Solinco Barb Wire, Tour Bite, Tour Bite Diamond,
Utah State - Technifibre Red Code
UTSA - Technifibre Razor Code
Virginia Tech - Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour, ALU Power
Texas Tech - RPM Blast, Solinco Tour Bite, Outlast
I have only had one player use Natural Gut, A girl from UT I believe had it in her crosses.
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monfils is my homeboy
Semi-Pro
Any string they wanted was free yes!
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
Why is the Wilson Blade so popular in College D1 tennis ?? it seems like so many players are using it........................LOL
Zacenroe86
Rookie
I'm sure they use the Blade because it is a good base racquet to customize.
Herb
Semi-Pro
20% of the players I have strung for the college's used the blade 98. 16 % use a pure drive.
Are those the highest?
If not, what are those higher?
Herb
Semi-Pro
Those are the two most common, yes. After them you have AeroPro 13%, and Pure Drive 2015 and Pure Aero both at 10%.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
don't know about that. looks like 80 % of college players are using the Blade 98 to me...
Faker
Semi-Pro
Because both the 16x19 and 18x20 are good jack of all trades master of none racquets.
t.o.tennis
New User
If you don't mind me asking, do some of the blade users use the 16x19 blade or do the vast majority use the 18x20 blade?
Thanks.
Herb
Semi-Pro
pretty even. Around 60% use the 18x20. I will say very few of the girls use the blade almost all guys.
Herb
Semi-Pro
did some quit numbers of the blades i strung 23% were for girls, 77% for guys
t.o.tennis
New User
Herb, thanks for your reply and info. That's interesting, I would have thought that the 18x20 blade would have been quite a bit more popular than the 16x19, but it seems that the 16x19 is getting more popular with college players. I use the 16x19 (customized) and can see why college players like the blade, imho it's a comfortable all-round racquet with controllable power.
Herb
Semi-Pro
All said around 60% of the players use various Babolat racquets, only 21% use Wilson almost exclusively the blade (19.4% blade, 1.6% other) The other 19% are your Head, Yonex, Tachnifibre, Mantix, Solinco, etc.
tennisplayer1993
Professional
Ignore this first post. Read 2nd.
tennisplayer1993
Professional
I do not play D1 but I know someone who did (graduated a few years ago). I have seen most of his rackets and they mostly had RPM/Cyclone. He was always a big fan of Babolat rackets especially the Pure Drives.
I tried one of his AeroPros but it was too rough on my arm personally (but at the time, I also had a nagging shoulder injury). I also was hitting with one of the biggest hitters I've ever played against so that may have also been a major reason why too.
Babolats have definitely become more popular over time. I remember where I grew up, the majority of young players (under 18) used Wilson/Head. The racket almost everyone wanted growing up was the Pure Drive Team Plus 2003 when Roddick was hitting the ball like 150 on serves. As kids, we all thought if we got his racket we could do the same
I tried one of his AeroPros but it was too rough on my arm personally (but at the time, I also had a nagging shoulder injury). I also was hitting with one of the biggest hitters I've ever played against so that may have also been a major reason why too.
Babolats have definitely become more popular over time. I remember where I grew up, the majority of young players (under 18) used Wilson/Head. The racket almost everyone wanted growing up was the Pure Drive Team Plus 2003 when Roddick was hitting the ball like 150 on serves. As kids, we all thought if we got his racket we could do the same
kingcheetah
Hall of Fame
I saw a whole lot of Solinco Hyper G this weekend at an ITA, and a good amount of RPM blast, along with several varieties of luxilon, technifibre etc.
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