Thanks to Philip H, I got some pro string tensions from Halle 2024 to review and comment on. There are some surprising findings here.
In the sheet above we have a bunch of top players like Hurkacz, Zverev, Tsitsipas, and Bublik to name a few. If you want to compare with last year’s pro string tensions from Halle, you can check this post. You can also see my commentary on the 2022 Halle string tensions in this video on our YouTube channel (please subscribe).
Back “in the day”, you would associate grass court tennis with higher tensions for better control on fast surfaces. In some cases, this still rings true, but many players are stringing relatively low also on grass. Tsitsipas used to always string 24 kg, but with Luxilon 4G in an 18/20 Blade, it makes sense to reduce it and his results have been better lately. A string like Luxilon 4G is responsive enough to be played at lower tensions and it actually opens up more life, a bigger sweet spot and better spin potential from the string, while the slight loss of control is worth the price.
Alexander Zverev is the only player who strings in hundreds of grams. Some players like asking for half a kilo, like Hurkacz or Bublik, who both use gut and poly hybrids. But Zverev asks for 20.1 kgs, I think the only player on tour who does that. Does that 100 grams of string tension make a difference? Not if you ask me, but it seems to work for him.
Safiullin is having a tough year on tour so far and has gone from a gut poly hybrid back HEAD Hawk, which sounds strange to me as he was always using HEAD Lynx Tour. Maybe the lack of results have promoted him to test something new.
Tensions are lower, but not yet below 20 kg
Adrian Mannarino is famous for his 10 kg string setup, but most player string tensions, no matter what surface, still hover between 20-25 kg (44 to 55 lbs). The majority seems to be stringing somewhere around 22-24 if I look back at other sheets. I still think recreational players can try stringing lower, depending on their racquet, level and physicality. A low string tension will give you more on the ball and better comfort. It is especially important for players using stiff strings like Luxilon 4G in smaller head size racquets (95-98).
