My love/hate relationship with strings

I don’t know about you guys, but I have a serious back and forth relationship with the tennis string market. Just thinking about poly, monofilament, gut, hybrid, rough, twisted, etc. makes my head start to spin more than a ball hit with the latest polyester string! I have some thoughts I want to share with you:

1. Why do so many strings have names that sound like horrible comic book super heroes? In my search for strings, I have come across names like “Razor”, “Viper”, “Venom”, “Flash”, “Beast”, “Shark”, and “Typhoon” among many others. There is definitely a part of me that struggles to resist the temptation to add a string to my order just because of the sheer ridiculousness of its name. I would love to tell people that I am hitting with “Sasquatch Triple Black Venom Razor Blade” or something to that effect just to see their reaction.

2. I view looking for strings as pretty similar to dating. Some strings are flashy, attractive, expensive and lots of fun but will abandon you at a moments notice and usually at the most inopportune time. Other strings are less ostentatious, but are consistently reliable and will always be there for you. Some strings are fun to spend time with but aren’t anything you would want to live with for the rest of your life. And then there is THE ONE. That string that meets all of the criteria (power, control, longevity…) you are looking for and gives you everything you need. Some people find that certain string while others will always be looking for it with their next purchase.

Matt