Shaped vs Round Poly Strings: Why Pros Prefer One More than the Other
It’s 2024, and Solinco Hyper-G is the most popular string in my area and has been for at least 7 or 8 years now. The famous lime green string, as well as its close relative Tour Bite are two examples of shaped polyester strings that have taken advanced recreational tennis by storm. These two strings are square shaped, and the edges of the square help “bite” the ball and generate spin. This is a good thing for most players, but is there a drawback? Why don’t most pros use this type of string as much as regular players if it offers a competitive advantage?
Although I’m not a pro, I prefer the round shape too. I’m not exactly sure on the physics, but I think that shaped strings generate higher launch angles from the racquet face. Again, this might be a good thing for players that want the extra depth on groundstrokes, but for players that want absolute control, there seems be a small, barely noticeable whiff of unpredictability. And the more stark the shape, the more pronounced this characteristic. A relatively smooth 8-sided string like Babolat RPM plays more predictably than 4-sided string, but the most predictable is the round shape.
Many of these complaints have to do with how it feels to play with a shaped string compared to a round string. I can’t say if I actually hit higher with a shaped string or by how much, but I can say that it feels like my racquet is lifting the ball more than I’d expect – and I don’t like that. I also find the roughness of the string bed unpleasant when I play with shaped strings. I would imagine that my reservations about shaped strings are not far off from the world’s elite players. The pro game is about fine margins and high pressure. Players want absolute predictability and absolute confidence in high stakes points. They also want to feel the ball with as little distraction as possible. Even if the differences are marginal, I’d imagine pros would err on the safe side.
I should mention at this point that there is a third kind of poly - the round and textured or “rough” kind - that offers spin and predictability. This may seem ideal, but like most things, it’s more of a trade off than a solution. This is because textured strings are usually made of the same stuff as their smooth siblings but are extruded in ways that create a rough surface. Dents and pockmarks placed along the string affect the string’s stiffness and resilience, and the product typically loses a small amount of integrity. What’s left is something that plays well in a fresh bed, but loses tension fast and dulls out as the texture wears down. If you’re a pro (Roger Federer uses this kind of string) that’s fine because you can string up a bunch of fresh racquets for every match. But most of us are not Federer; we don’t have the time, money, or energy to restring our racquets when the tension goes, so the trade off is no where near worth it.
Shaped Strings
Marginal improvement in spin production
Slightly higher launch angle helps improve average depth
Rougher string bed feels like the racquet is lifting the ball
Possibly longer life - strings retain shape even if tension dies
Round Strings
Less spin, more control in the traditional sense
Lower, more predictable launch angle means higher confidence in shot placement
Smoother string bed feels more pleasant on contact
Shorter life - once tension goes, playability decreases quickly
Textured Strings
Marginal improvement in spin production
Consistent and predictable shot trajectories
Feel is slightly rough but not unpleasant
Very Short life - texture and tension both volatile - string loses playability faster than other strings
