Pros and cons of polyester tennis strings

There's a wide variety of tennis strings to choose from, and you may be wondering whether polyester, multifilament, synthetic gut or natural gut is the best choice for you. Here we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of polyester strings.

If you closely follow pro tennis, you may have noticed several players choose to use polyester strings. Pros and many advanced level tennis players opt for polyester strings for a variety of reasons, but mainly they are durable and provide lots of control and spin potential.

Because of their firm make-up polyester strings naturally are control-oriented, and the spin potential is unmatched. Many polyester strings come in a variety of shapes, which can help grip the ball for more spin. They also snap back into place reliably, and that can also help boost spin.

But all the benefits do not come without some drawbacks. As we noted, polyester strings are quite firm feeling, so they are generally not a good choice for players who are struggling with arm problems. Still there are ways to incorporate polyester strings into a softer string set-up. You could choose to use them in a hybrid set-up by mixing a polyester with a softer multifilament or natural gut. Polyesters also still play well at low tensions. Whereas you wouldn't typically string other string types into the 40-pounds range, polyesters maintain their playability at those lower tensions.

If you're not breaking strings very often, other string types might be a better option for you. Lastly, We recommend polyesters for advanced players who have the full, fast swings that are required to tap into the benefits.