How Often Should You Restring a Tennis Racket?

The standard rule is simple: restring as many times per year as you play per week.

For example, if you play twice a week, restring twice a year.

This baseline gives you a starting point, but it's not the complete picture.

How often you actually need to restring depends on several factors. Your playing frequency matters, along with your tennis level, play style, and the court surface you compete on.

The string material you choose plays a major role too. And whether those strings have been engineered to play better for longer makes a significant difference in how long your stringbed maintains its fresh feel.

We’ll cover each factor in more detail throughout this article.

Depending on How Often You Play

Beginner players who hit the court once or twice monthly should restring every 6 to 12 months. Even when your racket sits in your bag, strings lose tension over time.

Recreational players who play 1 to 2 times weekly need fresh strings roughly every 3 to 6 months. This schedule keeps your racket feeling responsive without breaking the bank.

Tournament players hitting 3 or more sessions weekly should restring every 2 to 4 weeks. At this frequency, you'll notice tension loss affecting your shots if you wait longer.

Professional players take restringing to another level. They string before every match and practice session to maintain absolute consistency at the highest level of competition.

Depending On Your Playing Style

Your playing style directly impacts how quickly strings break down. Baseline grinders cause significantly more strain on strings compared to serve and volley players.

Long rallies with heavy topspin create constant friction between the mains and crosses with every shot. This friction wears down string coating and creates notching at contact points much faster than short point play styles.

The court surface amplifies these effects. Clay courts mean longer rallies and the dirt particles cause additional abrasion on your strings. Grass courts offer shorter points and relatively low impact on string longevity. Hard courts are somewhere in the middle.

Depending on Your String Material

Natural Gut

Natural gut is the softest material and most prone to tension loss. Weather and humidity effects can damage these strings quickly, especially if you play outdoors in varying conditions.

These strings require more frequent restringing regardless of your frequency or level. The material's sensitivity to environmental factors overrides other considerations.

Natural gut is also the highest priced string option available. Changing it often makes maintaining your racket really expensive over a season.

This is why generally only sponsored pros can use this material in a natural gut and polyester hybrid. When you don't pay for your own strings, the superior feel justifies the costs.

Multifilament

Multifilament strings offer a middle ground in terms of durability. They last longer than natural gut but not as much as polyester options.

These strings provide a good option for players seeking comfort without frequent restringing. The softer feel on your arm comes with reasonable longevity.

However, multifilaments are not going to give you the performance benefits of polyester or natural gut. This is why these strings are more aimed at beginner and recreational players.

Polyester

Polyester strings are the most durable string type and are least prone to tension loss compared to other materials. The reason is that the molecular structure is more resistant to temperature.

However, there is a big difference within polyester strings. The coating on first generation strings wears off quickly, leaving you with a dead feel after just a few sessions. Modern strings last longer by using improved coating technologies.

ReString innovates even further with our slick coating integrated throughout the construction of the string. Our strings are specifically engineered to play better for longer and extend the fresh feeling beyond what traditional polyesters can offer.

String Less With ReString

Our signature snapback coating reduces friction between the mains and crosses in ways traditional polyester strings can't match. This low-friction surface allows strings to slide freely and return to position after every shot.

This technology maintains a fresh feel significantly longer than traditional polys. Where other strings lose their responsiveness after 10 hours, Zero and Sync maintain their snapback quality throughout their string life.

Longer playability means you'll restring less frequently over the course of a season. This reduces both waste and your annual restringing costs while keeping your racket feeling responsive.

How To Tell You Need To Restring

Even with our long-lasting strings, you will need to restring eventually. Knowing when saves you from playing with dead strings that hurt your performance.

The signs to look for start with noticeable loss of tension, power, and control. When shots start sailing long or landing short without changing your technique, your strings have lost their life.

Visible fraying on the string surface indicates wear. This is particularly a characteristic for strings like natural gut and multifilament that show damage on their outer layers.

Deep notching where strings cross tells you the mains and crosses have worn grooves into each other. This is particularly a characteristic for polyester strings.

Increased arm or elbow discomfort often comes from dead strings. When strings lose elasticity, they transfer more shock to your arm with every impact.

Finally, the "dead feel" test is simple. If contact doesn't give you the crisp feedback you remember from fresh strings, trust your instincts and restring.

About the Author: Juan is the co-founder of ReString. He was born in Argentina, raised in Japan, and moved to the US to pursue college tennis. He now plays as an ATP & WTA hitting partner.