Q. What's the best string tension for more power?
A. Generally, if you string at the lower end of your racquet's recommended tension range, the same stroke will make the ball fly farther. Lower string tensions generally result in the ball rebounding off the string bed with just a bit more energy, but this effect is too slight to make the ball fly significantly farther. The United States Racquet Stringers Association recently published a study that concluded that the reason lower tensions hit farther is the result of the ball remaining on the strings longer as the racquet is swung upward.

Q. What's the best string tension for more control?
A. At any given swing speed, higher string tensions improve control.

Q. What's the best string tension for more spin?
A. You'll find two views on this question. One camp believes lower tensions produce more spin because the ball remains on the strings longer, but lab results indicate that increasing string tension by 50% (quite a lot) increases spin by approximately 5% (not much). The most common explanation is that this slight increase occurs because the ball compresses more on the string bed, with each string biting farther into the ball.

Q. What's the best string tension to protect my arm?
A. Lower string tensions prolong the contact between ball and strings, spreading the impact shock over a longer period of time and thus reducing stress on your arm.

Q. What's the best string tension to make the strings last?
A. Lower string tensions will generally help your strings last longer unless they're so loose that that they shift every time you hit the ball. Constant shifting makes the cross strings rub notches into the mains, which break at those notches.

Q. What type of tennis string lasts longest?
A. Kevlar (the stuff bullet-proof vests are made of) is the most durable string material, often lasting many times longer than the average nylon or synthetic gut.

Q. What type of tennis string gives you the most power?
A. Most strings come with a resiliency rating. The higher the resiliency, the more power the strings should offer. Generally, thinner strings are more resilient, as are gut and synthetic gut materials.

Q. What type of tennis string gives you the most spin?
A. Thinner strings are widely believed to bite into the ball better and produce more spin, but published lab results indicate no significant correlation between spin and string gauge.

Q. What do those tiny string holders (e.g. String-a-Lings or String Savers) do?
A. String holders are intended to keep the main strings from shifting upon ball impact, especially on spin strokes. Preventing shifting enhances spin, as does the extra texture the string holders add to the string bed. By keeping the strings from rubbing one another, the string holders should, in theory, also prolong the strings' lifetime, but some argue that they concentrate stress at one point along the string, causing it to break sooner.

Q. What gauge of tennis string is best?
A. Thinner gauges offer more resiliency (ofen equated with "feel"). Thicker strings last longer. Thick, 15 gauge strings are generally used in beginner and some intermediate racquets. Most serious players who don't like to restring too often use 16 gauge. 17 and 18 gauge are for those who can afford string luxury. Each gauge has a light (L) variation that's a little thinner.

Q. How often should I restring my tennis racquet?
A. The common rule of thumb is to restring as often per year as you play per week, but at least twice per year. This is just a rough guideline. Some types of string lose tension faster than others, heavy spin hitters wear strings out much faster than flat hitters, and some players seem quite happy to let the strings decide when to be replaced -- by breaking.

Q. Can I just repair my broken string?
A. You can repair a string as an emergency fix, but you should restring as soon as possible. The neighboring strings lose tension when one breaks, and restoring even tension across the string bed is difficult with one repaired string tied off separately.

Q. What is a hybrid string?
A. A set of hybrid strings uses kevlar or a similar, ultra-durable but stiff string for the main strings and a more resilient, less durable string for the cross strings. The crosses don't need to be especially durable, because it's the mains that take most of the abuse and are first to break at least 95% of the time. The more resilient crosses add springiness to the string bed, which with all-kevlar strings would be extremely stiff. The kevlar mains should usually be strung at a lower tension than the crosses because their greater stiffness would prevent the crosses from deflecting properly if both were equally tight.

Q. Is natural gut worth the price?
A. Natural gut used to be the most resilient string available, but synthetic gut has caught up to the point where testing indicates that advanced players who aren't told which they are using often can't tell the difference. Natural gut breaks faster and reacts badly to moisture and humidity, but it still has loyal users who can afford the expensive and frequent restringing.