How Often Should You Restring Your Tennis Racquet

Have you ever wondered if there’s an exact equation that will tell you the optimal time to restring your tennis racquet?

The answer to that question is yes … and no.

Just like selecting the right string, knowing when to restring your racquet is subjective and unique to each individual player.

For starters, tennis strings, no matter the style, have a tendency to lose tension quickly, and tension is what helps control the ball on your racquet.

When the tension on your racquet decreases, your strings are likely to stretch more during impact. This means that the ball will stay on the strings longer, which translates into a less-controlled trajectory when the ball finally comes off the racquet.

This is why it’s important to restring your tennis racquet on a consistent basis. There’s a rule of thumb swirling around the industry that you should take the number of days a week that you play and use that as the number of times a year you should change your string. Meaning, if you play tennis four times a week, you should restring your tennis racquet four times per year.

This guideline could work well for the recreational players who play to reap the benefits of the exercise but aren’t as focused on the competitive aspects of the game.

If you’re focused on improving your ranking and winning tournaments, considering that your racquet is your best weapon against your opponent, you’re going to probably want to take another approach when it comes to restringing.

For the more competitive, frequent players, you’ll likely want to base your restringing on the frequency of your play. Let’s say you play five times a week. You would take that number and double it to figure out how many times a year (give or take) you should restring your racquet. In this example, you’d be restringing your tennis racquet roughly 10 times per year.

Consistently restringing your tennis racquet will save you from the frustration of having to overcompensate for your strings’ lack of tension. As we mentioned before, an exact answer as to when you should restring your tennis racquet doesn’t exist. However, just like when picking your strings, base your decision on how the ball feels on your string. So, let your strings do the talking and be sure to listen.

Here’s a quick recap of what you should look for to know when it’s time to restring your tennis racquet!