By Robert Martin
(September 29, 2011) Tennis Now’s Robert Martin takes a look at three strings made for the majority of tennis players, synthetic multifilaments designed for players of all levels. Despite the hype surrounding co-polyester strings used by the vast majority of professionals, the fact remains that most tennis players would be better off with something softer.
Players of all levels are watching Rafael Nadal and immediately think that they need to switch to his Babolat RPM Blast. Interestingly, a large percentage of these same players come back a few weeks later complaining that the string plays terribly and not as shocking, that their arm is hurting. Since we all know that the last thing a tennis player wants to do is rest and recover, the typical answer is to move to a softer string, and it turns out that Tecnifibre makes some of the best out there on the market.
Until recent years, Tecnifibre has been known almost exclusively for their exceptional synthetic multifilament strings, and the high quality products remain in line today. While there is no doubt that multifilament strings are great for the arm, they do have their negative sides, and Tecnifibre is one brand that makes different styles of similarly constructed strings, which I delve into to find out what is different. It is also worth noting, that if you do not know the name Tecnifibre, they are also responsible for making strings for other companies, most notably Wilson and their hugely popular NXT string.
Disclaimer: My current string set up of choice uses Yonex Tour Super 850 in the mains with Yonex Poly Tour Pro 125 in the crosses at 28/26kg. In order to allow the fairest comparative test, all strings were tested in 16g in only the mains of my matched frames with the same cross string and at the same tension as usual.
Tecnifibre TGV
What Makes It Special: When it comes to comfort, this is your string of choice. By far the softest string in the Tecnifibre line, this was the replacement to their previous marshmallow soft string, 515. Despite what you may have been told, they are slightly different. During construction, this string is made of 1540 individual fibers and up to 45 percent polyurethane resin binding material. The large amount of polyurethane is responsible for the ultra-soft, pillow-like comfort.
On Court: In relation to the other strings, this one was far and away the most comfortable of the batch. In fact, between the flex of my Yonex RDiS200 and the softness of this string, the combination was a little too soft for my preferences. The overall feel was excellent for the first 8 hours of play, after which I could feel a definite drop of elasticity and power. One complaint is that the string bed did have a surprising hot spot in the lower part of the face where the ball would rocket off with a surprising amount of pace. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I did spray a few balls long due to this.
Closing Remarks: Just a touch too soft for my preferences, this string is the king in terms of comfort for the synthetic string market. At a price of $15 per set, this is a nice economic alternative to natural gut in terms of comfort for players that need the soft feel but still break strings fairly regularly.
Tecnifibre NRG2 SPL
What Makes It Special: An update to the original NRG2, this high performance string was good enough to be used on the pro tour by Bob and Mike Bryan (they have since switched to a hybrid of Prince Natural Gut and Luxilon TiMo). Exclusive to Tecnifibre, the Elastyl fibers used in NRG2 offer 12 percent more power compared to traditional synthetic nylon materials.
On Court: In comparison to TGV, this string offers a slightly firmer feel without sacrificing power or control. This is still very much a comfort string, and seems to provide even greater elasticity than TGV, resulting in a large sweet spot and nice pop. This string played very similarly to my normal string, but with a bit of extra durability thanks to the Silicium Pyrogene Lubritec (SPL) anti-abrasion coating. I enjoyed that this string did not have any apparent hot spots and played consistently for the 10 hours of time before it broke.
Closing Remarks: As a player that used the original NRG2 regularly for a time, I can say that I do like the added durability of this SPL version. It was not enough to save it from breaking at the 10 hour mark, but that is typically the time where playability tends to drop off for me anyway, so I was happy with that fact. Best of all, I enjoyed the bit of extra power this one provided compared to my normal string.
Tecnifibre X-One Biphase
What Makes It Special: The flagship of Tecnifibre’s line and quite possibly the most technologically advanced string in existence. This can be thought of as the “Bionic Man” of strings, featuring everything that makes the NRG2 SPL so great, and adding the H2C and Biphase technologies. The H2C fibers that are integrated are manufactured using a high-temperature pre-stretching step in order to increase tension maintenance. A special, trimerized polyurethane resin is used to ensure comfortable feel, one of the closest to natural gut.
On Court: Quite simply, this string blows away anything that is not natural gut for me. This had a very crisp feel to it, not firm or soft, just excellent crispness with incredible depth and control. The only string I have played with more power than this was Babolat VS Team, which comes in at nearly three times the price. Unlike the other two strings that played their best freshly strung, this one took about an hour of break-in time, settling in and becoming by far the best of the group. Unfortunately, it began to fray around eight hours, and while the playability did not diminish, it did break around the 12 hour mark, still playing well.
Closing Remarks: My favorite of the three, best of all I enjoyed the crisp feel of the string bed which provided plenty of power and control without being in the least bit uncomfortable. This is purely the best playing synthetic string I have used to date.
Images provided by our friends at Tennis Express and Tecnifibre.