Gear: First Aid for Strings

These doodads will increase your strings’ lifespan

By David Bone

From the September 2003 issue of TENNIS Magazine

Have you ever wondered what Lleyton Hewitt is doing when he reaches into his pocket between points, pulls out a gadget, and starts poking at his strings? He’s installing string savers. They’re little pieces of plastic, Teflon, or nylon designed to make your strings last longer.

Using the two-pronged tool, you insert the tiny string saver between the intersection of main (up and down) and cross strings to prevent them from rubbing against one another, which is the main cause of breakage. Some pros use string savers where they see signs of strings digging into each other, while other pros put them where they tend to hit the ball. (String savers can fall out, so repeated installation may be necessary.)

String savers also make the string bed a little bumpier, which may help you get a bit more spin on the ball, and they increase string tension slightly for more control.

Want to give them a try? Here are four options: (1) Babolat Elasto Cross ($10.95), (2) Wilson Friction Fighter ($9.99) (3) Unique Tourna Cross ($4.99), and (4) Gamma String Saver Deluxe ($7.95). Each package comes with a tool for installation and dozens of tiny string savers.