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How often should you restring your racquet
The rule tour stringers use, why strings die even when they do not break, and the signs you are already overdue.
Most people restring when the string snaps. That is the worst possible moment: by the time it breaks, you had been playing on a dead string for weeks without noticing.
The times-per-week rule
The standard is simple: restring as many times per year as you play per week. Play twice a week, restring twice a year. Play five times a week, restring five times a year.
| You play | Restring per year | Roughly every |
|---|---|---|
| Once a week | Once | 12 months |
| Twice a week | Twice | 6 months |
| 3 times a week | 3 times | 4 months |
| 5 times a week | 5 times | 10 weeks |
It is a guide, not a law. A heavy spin player kills string faster than a flat hitter, and polyester loses tension sooner than multifilament.
String dies even when it does not break
String starts losing tension the moment it leaves the machine. It drops noticeably in the first 24 hours, then keeps sliding every time you play. Polyester is the worst offender: it stiffens and loses its elasticity long before it snaps.
So a racquet that has gone eight months without a restring does not play like it did on day one, even if the strings look perfect. You lose control first and power later, and because it happens gradually, most players blame their own game.
Signs you are overdue
- Balls sail long even though nothing changed in your stroke.
- Contact sounds dull, more of a thud than a crack.
- Strings stop snapping back and you are straightening them by hand every other point.
- You can see notching where the strings cross, especially in the middle of the bed.
- You feel more vibration in your arm or soreness in the elbow after playing.
The racquet that sat for a year
String ages even unused. A racquet that spent a year in a car trunk in Puerto Rico's heat comes back with loose, brittle string. If you are returning after a long layoff, restringing comes first.
See strings and stringing prices
Read next: what tension to use and how to choose your string type.