Polyester Hybrid Setups – the go-to strings of the future?

As we all know, hybrid string setups have been around on and off tour for quite some time. Players like Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic have been playing with hybrid setups of gut and poly for some time. String manufacturers, such as Wilson and Babolat, often even have pre-packed hybrid gut setups for sale. But high prices and sometimes limited playability in humid regions remain a problem for recreational and local players. Companies around the world have therefor tried to create a multifilament string with gut feeling, that can be put into these hybrids in place of natural gut.

You might want to argue about the success of this approach, as I am yet to find a very good multifilament/polyester hybrid. This is why I was especially interested in setup like Casper Ruud’s Yonex hybrid, with Poly Tour Spin in the mains and Poly Tour Pro in the crosses. With the new brand Toroline and their multiple poly/poly hybrid offerings, the awareness of this possibility keeps growing. Where other niche brands, such as Weiss Cannon, had offered this before, the larger brand rarely offered something similar. So how do these strings play and what are the advantages?

Polyester strings keep on evolving

One thing, that enables the use of two poly strings in a hybrid, is that they get increasingly differentiated and even arm friendly. Looking back at initial polyester offerings, they were more or less all stiff and focused on control. With developments of shaped strings, softer polyester strings or new coatings, the variety has increased significantly. Let’s look into the portfolio of Luxilon for example – they have super soft strings like Element IR Soft and super stiff strings like 4G. If you want to have the control of 4G with some more touch and comfort, you can either go for 4G Soft, or maybe try to string it in a hybrid.

Or you have a very soft string with a lot of power, such as Toroline Enso Pro, and you want to get a bit more control into your setup. Not every brand has a perfect offer of softer variants and nuances, so a poly/poly hybrid gets super interesting. Therefor, more and more brands have seen the possibility for this market and have created products. But the real interesting feature for a tennis nerd is to experiment, isn’t it?

Current polyester hybrids offered

If there is a market leader in these hybrids, then it surely would be Toroline with their colorful and very well marketed offer of poly-only strings. Their core poly/poly hybrids are:

• K-Pro and K-Pop – a combination of Toroline Wasabi and Toroline Caviar
• Wasabi Pro – combined of Toroline Wasabi and Wasabi X
• What the Hybrid – Toroline Wasabi and Toroline Toro Toro

I have played the first two options already and they really have a nice feel to them. K-Pop and Wasabi Pro are a bit stiffer, whereas K-Pop feels a tad softer. As all strings of Toroline, they are marketed as very tension stable and excelling with snapback. Indeed, these strings play 8-12 hours at an impressive level and hardly slip out of place. But is the hybrid worth its hype? 

Well, the main string is always the square shaped Wasabi, which offers spin and an aggressive launch. The hexagonal or round cross options add a bit more control and add a bit more touch, which is true compared to a regular full bed of Wasabi. Would a full bed of hexa- or pentagonal poly do a similar job? Maybe – but the concept definitely works here, plus you get a very nice-looking string-bed with the colorful combinations of pink/yellow or green/blue. With their Omakase offering, you might even be able to get different options on top of the fixed ones.

Other brands that have similar offerings include Head with their Lynx^2 string (Lynx Tour/Lynx) or Weiss Cannon with the Rock & Power hybrid. All these usually have in common that there is an aggressive, shaped string in the mains and a rounder, softer option in the crosses, similar to old-schooled hybrids with gut in the crosses. 

My favorite hybrid experiments

Based on this, I did a fair share of my own hybrid experiments, and I want to share the best ones with you fellow tennisnerds of course. I stuck to a shaped poly in the mains and a softer, round one in the crosses mainly, especially when I was looking for a bit more liveliness from a string in a full bed. 

• Luxilon Alu Power (rough)/ Luxilon Element – Jonas mentioned this in a previous video as well and this was played by pro players even. It is a setup of the heavens, combining the sheer power and control of Alu Power with the soft touch of Element. If you like some extra spin, go for Alu Power Rough here! Just a bit pricy for my liking, and as per usual Alu Power wears out quite fast.
• Yonex Poly Tour Spin / Poly Tour Pro – aka the Casper Ruud setup. I did not like Poly Tour Spin in a full bed at all, it was way too jarring and stiff for my liking, but really opened up once mixed with PTP. The setup feels stiff, yet forgiving and plays well longer than a full bed of Poly Tour Pro, which usually just lasts a few hours for me.
• PLYGN Pro Six or PLYGN Hyper Four / Poly Tour Pro – a German string brand, that I will get into deeper soon, which does a fun lineup of strings. While their Hyper Four was similar to Ultra Cable and could use some ease, their Pro Six plays nice also in a full bed, but I loved the setup with PTP. It has a lot of spin yet offers touch and comfort in this combo.

My conclusion is that these hybrids are no gamechangers, where they offer a whole new world of experience, but they can open up certain strings to you. They do not want to recreate the feel of a classic gut/poly combination but can give that extra bit of bite or comfort that you might be missing. I strongly recommend testing some of these options if you are a tennis player who likes to experiment with their strings.

Let us know your experiences in the comments below, and for more racquet/strings recommendations, check out our guide to tennis gear.