The Top 12 Best Tennis Strings (2023 Buyer’s Guide)

There’s a lot of emphasis on choosing the right tennis racquet, but a racquet is only as good as its strings. With so many different options, choosing the right tennis string can be overwhelming. However, this huge diversity of string options also means that with a bit of research, you can find a string with the right features for the perfect fit for your racquet, style, and level of play. 

Let’s take a look at some of the best tennis strings on the market in 2022, and review the factors that you should be looking for in a string. First, here are our top picks.

Top 12 Best Tennis Strings in 2022

Click the links below to skip to any individual review.

• Solinco Hyper-G – Best Overall, Control, Spin
• Solinco Tour Bite – Control, Spin
• Babolat VS Touch – Premium Option, Power, Comfort
• Babolat RPM Blast – Control, Spin
• Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour – Control, Spin
• Head Rip Control – Control, Comfort
• Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex – Best Value, Easy Power, All-around
• Wilson Synthetic Gut Power – Great Value, Easy Power, All-around
• Wilson NXT Comfort – Power, Comfort
• Wilson Champion’s Choice Duo – Premium Option, Power, Comfort
• Luxilon ALU Power – Control, Spin
• Tecnifibre X-One BiPhase – Power, Comfort

You can also check out our Summary & Recommendations at the end of this post, for the best strings for beginner, recreational, intermediate, and advanced players.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Tennis String

If you’re a beginner or intermediate player, you’ll most likely just use the strings that came with their racquet. But even then, you’ll need to replace the strings if yours break, lose tension, or go “dead.” Here are the important things to keep in mind when choosing a string and restringing your racquet. 

Your Level of Play

If you’re a beginner to intermediate player, you’ll probably want to opt for softer (less stiff) strings that prioritize comfort and power over durability.

For one thing, as a beginner you most likely won’t be breaking strings with your play. This means you won’t need to replace them very often, and don’t need strings that are especially durable.

Softer, more powerful strings will also be more forgiving if you aren’t able to hit the ball in the middle of the racquet, which improves accuracy (in addition to power) for beginners.

And finally, using a string that is too stiff, or strung at too high a tension may also hurt your arm and wrist over time. 

String Tension

Before we get into the characteristics of tennis strings, let’s talk about string tension. All tennis racquets come with a recommended string tension range (usually around 40 – 60 lbs). 

Stringing your racquet towards the lower end of your tension range will give your strings more power, spin, durability, feel, and comfort. That said, the trade-off is that a lower tension tends to give you less control. 

So if you’re looking for a little extra pop or spin from your strings, or if you want them to last longer and feel better on your arm, then try dropping the tension a few pounds to the lower end of your racquet’s recommended tension range. But if you’re looking to maximize control, precision, and accuracy, try a higher string tension. 

Stiffness

Stiffer strings offer less power, more control, and less shock absorption. 

Softer strings offer more power, less control, and more shock absorption (more comfortable and easier on the arm). 

String Material and Composition

Tennis strings are usually made up of one or more of these materials: Polyester, Nylon, and Natural Gut. 

Polyester strings are a stiff string and tend to be harder on the arm. In recent years, their popularity has increased as they’ve been adopted by professional players as their string of choice. They tend to offer a lot of control, and are better suited for experienced players.

Co-poly strings are polyester strings with other material additives. They tend to be softer (less stiff) and are easier on the arm. Co-poly strings have also grown in popularity in recent years, and are a great choice for a range of skills levels and styles of play.

Nylon strings are often the string of choice for beginners and intermediate players, since they are softer, more comfortable, and provide more easy power than polyester or co-poly strings. And they are less expensive than natural gut strings.

Synthetic gut are ‘multifilament’ nylon strings. Opinions vary, but many say they offer better quality and playability than traditional ‘monofilament’ nylon strings.

Natural gut strings are the softest, most comfortable string, and remain soft even at high tensions. This means you can string your racquet tight to improve control, without losing power (rebound efficiency). Many consider natural gut strings to be the best strings to provide maximum power without sacrificing control and spin. They also tend to be the most expensive strings, and therefore usually only used by advanced players.

Gauge

Gauge is the thickness of the string. Most tennis strings are between 15 gauge (thickest) and 18 gauge (thinnest). Thinner strings (17-18) will generally provide more power and spin, while sacrificing some durability. Middle-of-the-road gauges (16-17) tend to offer the best mix of power and spin with durability. 

Power

As a general rule, the softer the string, the more power it has. How powerful your strings are is a matter of personal preference. Some players prefer a stiffer, dead-feeling, low power string, which usually means more control. 

Feel/Touch

The feel or touch offered by tennis strings is a highly subjective measure, which is why we leave it out of our string review ratings. In general, this refers to how well connected you are to the ball.

Spin

The spin potential of a string is determined by friction. Lower ‘string-on-string’ friction means more spin, as the strings snap back into place quickly after being displaced by the ball. Conversely, lower ‘ball-on-string’ friction means less spin. The more the strings can grip the ball, the more spin they will generate.

A combination of low ‘string-on-string’ friction and high ‘ball-on-string’ friction allows for maximum spin potential.  

Control

More control often comes at the expense of other playability features like power, spin, and comfort. Stiffer, lower power strings with less shock absorption tend to offer greater precision and control. 

Comfort

Your tennis strings are a big factor in determining what you feel in your arm. A softer string will absorb more of the impact of the ball and be more comfortable on your arm. Once again, lowering the tension at which you string your racquet can also help to make your strings more comfortable. Using a flexible tennis racquet can helps too.

Just as a good pair of court tennis shoes can prevent foot and ankle pain and injury, a good racquet and strings can alleviate arm and wrist pain, and prevent injuries like tennis elbow.

Tension Maintenance

Tension maintenance refers to how long a string holds its tension before it needs to be replaced. Tension loss results from the strings stretching over time and with impact. Thinner, softer strings tend to hold their tension better. 

Durability

In general, strings that are more playable tend to be less durable, and vice versa. Stiffer, thicker strings are highly durable, but offer less playability (which includes features like power, spin, control, comfort). 

If you are a beginner or intermediate player, it’s unlikely that you will be breaking strings or needing to replace them very often. So this may not be that important of a factor when choosing a string, since even a more comfortable co-poly, nylon, or natural gut string will be durable enough.  

Intermediate and advanced players might opt for a more durable string, to save money by not replacing them as often. 

Tennis String Reviews

And now, let’s get into the reviews.

The Solinco Hyper-G is an exceptionally high quality tennis string, best suited for intermediate and advanced players looking for tons of control and spin.

Read our full review of the Solinco Hyper-G tennis string.

The Solinco Tour Bite is a tennis string for players who want ultimate control.

It’s a stiff string, and you might try the Solinco Tour Bite Soft if you’re looking for a similarly low-powered, softer, more comfortable string with some of the same emphasis on control and spin.

Head Rip Control is one of the more comfortable control-oriented strings. It offers great precision in a softer string that’s easier on the arm.

The Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex is maybe the ideal “starter string.” It’s perfect for players who want a good mix of comfort, control, spin, and power, but don’t need exceptional quality in any one category.

It’s also a very affordable string, making it a great option for beginners, casual player, or anyone who isn’t worried about having a high performance tennis string.

Our recommendation: Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex is perfect for the average tennis player looking for a low-cost, comfortable string that offers an adequate mix of power, spin, and control.

Previously named Wilson Extreme Octane, this string is actually very similar to Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex (our top pick for the best value string). In fact, some have claimed that the strings have identical construction.

Same with the Prince Synthetic Gut, the Wilson Synthetic Gut Power is a great all-around string. And its lower price tag makes it a great option for beginners and recreational players.

Our recommendation: Wilson Synthetic Gut Power is an excellent choice for recreational players who want an inexpensive, comfortable, and all-around adequate tennis string.

Wilson Champion’s Choice Duo is a premium string that blends natural gut with Luxilon ALU Power Rough tennis string. This makes for an incredible mix of comfort, power, and spin, and control.

One word to describe this string would be “power.” This is an extremely powerful, comfortable string.

This string is similar in some ways to the Wilson NXT, in that it’s a very comfortable string that offers a lot of power and sacrifices some control and spin. Compared to the Wilson NXT, it may also be a bit more durable.

Summary & Recommendations

With so many different tennis strings on the market, it can be difficult to choose the right one for you.

Here’s a recap of some of our recommendations.

Beginners and recreational players – If you’re looking for a comfortable string that provides some easy power, we recommend an inexpensive, all-around performance string like the Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex or the Wilson Synthetic Gut Power.

Intermediate and advanced players – For players who want ultimate control, we recommend the Solinco Hyper-G and the Babolat RPM Blast. These strings offer a ton of control and spin, are very durable, and are surprisingly comfortable for stiffer, control-oriented strings.

Premium options – If you want a super comfortable, high-performance tennis string that’s fit for the pros, then check out Babolat VS Touch or Wilson Champion’s Choice Duo. These come with a higher price tag, but if it’s in your budget, they provide an unrivaled blend of comfort, power, and control.

Thanks for reading, and we hope the information in this post has been helpful. Have fun out there!

Post last updated on January 13, 2023