Debunking the Gear Discourse Pt. 2
After my material analysis of the politically fraught process of racquet selection, tennis players leftist and otherwise should now have a suitable frame at their disposal. However, a stick without string is just a useless void. It is the string, not the racquet, that strikes the tennis ball, but, in a crowded and ever growing market, to what strings should an aspiring leftist tennis player turn?
The answer might not be so simple…
While the politics of racquets are concrete, string, an inherently disposable commodity, is a slightly different matter.
Really, I think the whole String Discourse is kind of bullshit. People who are too into string, like many collectors and hobbyists of various stripes, have fetishized the act of consumption. String is a conduit, not an idol of import. For that reason, I tend to eye roll at anyone waxing poetic about launch angles or friction coefficients. It’s a bit like being stuck in a conversation at some party with a weed strain enthusiast. I simply do not care.
Tennis is about hitting the tennis ball. If your string can hit the ball, you can play, you can learn, you can get out there. Beyond that, it simply doesn’t matter that much unless you’re trying to make a living playing, in which case you probably aren’t reading this column.
But maybe I’m also bias. I am, after all, a proud string philistine. There simply do not need to be so many brands of string. People should care way less about them. Will the move from a hexagonal poly to a heptagonal poly remotely effect your life? No. Will I still make a string political compass? Sort of.
String coheres to no coherent ideology. It is a necessary bureaucratic mechanism, but not a tool of revolution. To that end, instead of aligning strings with ideologies, I will be be assigning them archetypal, vibes based, comparisons.
Full Bed of Natural Gut: Trad Life Poster
For some, there’s a certain old-world charm in stringing your tennis racquets with the wound intestinal fibers of living creature[1]. Much like the shameful pleasures of the Ortolon, natural gut offers an incomparable combination of delicacy and power at the cost of dignity and practicality. It’s the game’s original string, and not only obscenely expensive, but, in full bed form, essentially unusable. The tension denatures. It must be purchased by the single set. And, in a modern frame, it’s impossible to control unless strung at astronomical tensions. No sane individuals are stringing a full bed of gut in the 21st century. However, for the true trads still swinging a woody, it’s the only option for sporting day at the local Lawn Tennis Club.
Overpriced Multi-Filaments: Stefanos Tsitsipas Posting Philosophical Musings
The overpriced multi-filament, best exemplified by Wilson’s NXT, is a string that attempts to mimic the properties of natural gut at a marginally lower price point with worse durability and playability. While the non-vegan counterpart of these strings possesses a genuine quality and historicity, the High Performance Multi-Filament represents a limpid facsimile of tradition. Much like the aesthetic position of Stefan Tsitsipas, it’s an incompressible mishmash of faux-philosophical musings, and a generally un-self-aware sense of importance. Beware of the the in-house pro/stringer who has too many tattoos of lunging jungle cats recommending this stuff.
Natural Gut Hybrids: Blue Roger Federer Hanging from the Ceiling at Art Basel
The natural guy hybrid[2] embodies true capitalist luxury. Here, old and new money seamlessly integrate. The classic feel of gut gets tampered just enough by the industrial modernity of polyester, making your tennis racquet not just an instrument of athletics, but a speculative investment into which capital can be stored or transferred. Ideal for players who study modern technique, but still mix in a serve and volley, ex-Ivey league stars now operating a hedgefund, and fiscally-conservative-but-socially-liberal econ majors imploring everyone around them to consider the “artistry” of the game. Whether one opts for gut on the mains or the crosses, the combination evokes the essential spirit of Tennis Jeff Koons, Roger Federer.
Small Brand Weird Textured Polys: Y2K Aesthetic Indoor Tennis Club/Rave Space in an Abandoned Building
The stick and poke tattoo of the tennis string market. Some of these strings are transcendent. Others will try to cancel your elbow unless you have perfect technique. We’re talking about strings produced by companies you’ve never heard of with Wordpress websites and graphics so out of date they’ve become on trend. Is Genesis a company or a burgeoning edgy lit mag. Is Poly Star known for their arm friendly strings or is it an app for celebrity polycules. What is a Solinco? Why is this string neon? I do not have a definitive answer to any of these questions, but if you swing by the DIY Pro-Shop near Myrtle-Wycoff, you might find out.
Major Manufacturer High Durability Polyester String: Liberal Arts Graduate Employed by a Non-Profit and Living in Crown Heights
A practical string for a practical tennis player. These options hold their tension and don’t break easily. They can be used extra loose in the low 40s[3], but won’t shred your shoulder if you prefer to live closer to 60lbs. Of course, there’s RPM Blast, ALU Power, and many other offerings with not particularly interesting names. Sure, they might cost a touch more than the Small Brand Weird Textured Polys, but their superior tension maintenance actually makes these strings a better long term buy for the weekend warrior not regularly burning through string. They’re also reliable and available nation wide. Besides, who wants to worry about string choice when you’re consumed with getting the first spot on the Fort Greene list Sunday Morning? Go with the classics.
Last Words
So ends the ATP Insider’s equipment roundup. In coming weeks, the column will take us to new corners of the tennis landscape, including a Wimbledon preview. For now, though, I’m focused on my return to competition play this weekend at a small Men’s Open in Portland, ME. Should I not go into cardiac arrest, maybe I’ll include a brief recap next week.
[1] It is not, contrary to popular opinion, made from cats.
[2] Half natural gut, half polyester string. Usually with a 2-6 lbs. tension gap. The gut tighter.
[3] Or lower, for the truly extreme.
Yeah, but *which* of the weird polys are transcendent?
what would poly mains/multi crosses be?
love the hat