How to Know When to Restring Your Tennis Racquet

Your strings are still in one piece. Does that mean they are still doing the job you want?

Not always. Strings lose tension, and their response can change before they break. Here is what to look for.

A quick check I use

While I am waiting to return serve, I often hit the heel of my hand into the sweet spot of the racquet. I pay attention to both the sound and the feel.

When my strings are fresh and tight, the sound is higher pitched. I use a dampener, so it is not a sharp ping, but I can still hear the difference. As the strings loosen, the sound gets deeper and the stringbed feels softer.

Those changes get my attention. I also check for notching where the strings cross. Together, those checks help me decide when it may be time to restring.

This is a comparison with how my own strings sounded and felt when they were fresh. It does not measure tension or tell me exactly when a string will break.

Why pros do not always wait for a break

In a 2023 ATP interview, Felix Auger-Aliassime explained that, as a junior, he played until his strings broke. As a professional, he became more particular about tension and brought different tensions to matches. Adrian Mannarino described a different preference: starting with fresh strings, then keeping the same racquet unless he felt a need to switch. [3]

Strings can still be in one piece after their response no longer suits you. Fresh strings can help restore a familiar feel. You do not need to copy a pro's schedule. Pay attention to how your strings play, not just whether they have broken.

Look for wear

Check the strings around the sweet spot, especially where they cross. The grooves that form as strings wear against each other are called notching. Natural gut and multifilament strings can also fray as their small fibers wear. Wilson identifies notching and fraying as signs to watch when considering a restring. [1]

A little fuzz and a badly worn string are different things. If you are unsure, show the racquet to your stringer. A photo can help you compare wear over time, but it cannot show exactly how much playing time remains.

If a string has broken, put that racquet aside for restringing and use a spare if you have one.

Look for a pattern in your play

Think about a shot you know well. Is your usual rally ball traveling long? Does the response feel less predictable than when the strings were fresh?

One rough set does not settle it. Different balls, wind, tired legs, and late contact can affect your shots. Look for a change that keeps showing up in similar conditions.

Be specific: “My normal rally swing is sending the ball deeper than I expect” tells you more than “These strings are bad.”

“Dead strings” is an imprecise description. Tennis Warehouse University's research shows that tension, string movement, and friction can affect the response in different ways. It does not establish one expiration time for every player. [2]

Use calendar rules as reminders

You may have heard that you should restring as many times a year as you play in a week. That is a rough reminder to check your equipment, not a promise about how long the strings will last.

Wilson's guidance considers playing style and conditions as well as frequency. [1] An hour of gentle doubles and two hours of hard singles put different demands on the strings.

With polyester, do not judge only by whether it breaks. A string can resist breakage after its response no longer suits you. Ask your stringer when to review your particular setup.

Make your next string job easier to judge

If you liked your strings when they were fresh, consider repeating the setup. Changing the material, thickness, and tension at once makes it harder to know what helped.

Keep the string packet or a photo of it. Record the model, thickness, installation tension, and date. Then add approximate playing time and a short note after each session. You can keep those details in the free string log.

When you visit your stringer, try this:

“I liked this setup at first. It now has about ___ hours on it, and I keep noticing ___. Can you check the wear and help me decide whether to repeat it or change one thing?”

Your next time on court

• Before you play: Look around the sweet spot for notching, fraying, or a broken string.
• During play: Notice whether familiar shots keep responding differently. One rough set is not enough to blame the strings.
• After you play: Add your playing time and one useful observation to your string log.

If wear or a repeated change in response concerns you, bring those notes to your stringer. Over a few string jobs, you can learn a replacement routine that fits your game.