Tennis string tension guide

Start with the racket and string you actually use

A tension number is incomplete without the racket, string material and gauge. Begin with the guidance for your exact frame and the string manufacturer's advice, then discuss a suitable starting setup with your stringer. Do not copy a professional player's number without the rest of the context.

Reference tension is the setting requested for the stringing job. It is not a permanent measurement of the installed stringbed. A later estimate from a different method should not be treated as the same number measured in the same way.

Make units explicit

Keep pounds and kilograms clearly labelled. One kilogram-force is approximately 2.205 pounds-force. A note reading only “24” is easy to misinterpret when changing stringers or reading advice from another country. Tennistory's website tools include a pounds/kilograms converter.

What should you change first?

Decide what you want to learn. If you are testing tension, keep the racket, string and gauge consistent where practical. Changing all four at once may produce a setup you like, but it will not tell you which change mattered.

Record the baseline and the proposed adjustment. Compare the setups in similar conditions and after similar amounts of play. Note ball type, temperature or unusual session conditions when they could affect your impression.

For hybrid jobs, save separate mains and crosses details if your stringer uses different strings or tensions. Preserve the units and avoid reducing the whole setup to one unlabeled number.

Does higher tension automatically mean better control?

General tension advice is a starting point, not a guarantee of a particular result for every player. Material, racket, stroke and personal preference all affect how the setup feels. Use a repeatable comparison and your stringer's input to narrow the choices.

Keep reference numbers separate from estimates

Tennistory records your setup and tension history. Its Pro acoustic feature provides an estimate; it is not a stringing-machine measurement. Compare like with like and keep the original reference tension visible in your records.

Keep exploring

• How often should you restring a tennis racket?
• Pure Aero string setup: keep a useful baseline
• EZONE string setup: from demo to your racket
• Wilson Blade string setup: model, pattern and strings
• Tension converter and tennis tools