Now that you know tennis restringing is important and understand the reasons and factors to be considered behind doing that, it’s important to know how to do it. And the costs associated with racquet restringing.
Before we get down to the methods of restringing tennis racquets to go with the costs involved with doing that, here’s some basic reading around tennis restringing.
- What are the different types of tennis racquet strings?
- Time taken and factors to consider before tennis restringing
- Why should tennis players change their racquet string?
How to Restring your Tennis Racquets
Replacing your old strings with a new one is not something that everyone can do on their own. It requires specific equipment, machines as well as training and practice to do it perfectly. We shall look at the steps involved in replacing strings in brief.
Stringing Machines
Many sports clubs, stores and gyms have these machines which can be rented to replace the strings. They can cost from anywhere between $200 to several thousand dollars. If you are someone who restrings very frequently, it may be a good idea to buy one machine rather then renting it each time you do it.
Cut the Old String
Using a sharp knife or a similar tool, cut the old and frayed strings from the racquet. Start from the middle and work your way towards the outer parts. Check the rubber gums on the borders to see if they need replacing or not.
Place the Racquet Correctly on the Stringing Machine
Different types of machines have different ways of mounting the racquet. You need to adjust according to each machine. Some machines equally distribute the pressure on the racquet whereas some machines use a two or four-point pressure system. Whichever is the machine, there are mounting brackets on each machine where the racquet needs to be placed and pressed down to secure it on the clamps.
Choosing Your String Material and Pattern
Once the racquet is ready to be strung, one needs to decide what type of string they will use. As looked at earlier, there are options like natural gut strings, synthetic gut, polymer or hybrid where you can combine more than one types of strings.
Once decided which one you want and the length of it, the next step is to decide if you want one string or two string pattern. One string pattern will help in increasing the durability of the strings, whereas two string method will improve power.
Pull Strings, Tie the Knots and Choose the Desired Tension
The next and final stage of restringing is to pull strings parallel to the racquet, insert them in the holes and bring it down to the neck and repeat the process. Once all the main strings are secured, release the tension rod and start tying the strings using needle-nose pliers.
Once it is done, cut off the excess string. After that, you can decide the tension you want to keep on the string. Tight strings will help in accuracy where looser strings will boost power. You can customise the sweet spot according to your style of play as well.
How Much Does Restringing Costs?
Putting new strings on a racquet is not an easy job, and one may want to take the help of a professional to do so. The cost of getting it done will depend on two things primarily,
Price of the Strings
As discussed, the price of the string may vary depending upon the type you will choose. A synthetic string may start from as low as $5-7 whereas a high-end natural gut string may cost up to $70.
Labour Charges
Once you have given the reel of the string and the racquet to the specialist who will restring it, you will have to pay them for their service as well. Normally a tennis instructor at one of your local clubs may do it for you for around $20, but once again it will depend on the expertise of the instructor, and they may command higher fees for that.