Tension and Shot Power

• Tennis racket string tension refers to the tightness at which string are set in the frame of a tennis racket. Most rackets come with a suggested range of string tensions for that specific racket type. One of the most important things sting tensions affects is the power the racket will generate and transfer into a ball. In general, the lower the string tension of a racket (within the rackets range of string tension) the more powerfully it will hit a ball. The reason that lower string tension produces more power is that it allows the strings to bend more when striking a ball, and store more energy before it whips back transferring it into the ball.
  
  

Ball Control

• The way string tension affects ball control is opposite that of power: the more tension there is on the strings, the easier the ball is to control. This has to do, in part with the fact that the additional power of looser strings is more difficult to control--a tighter strung racket will cause a ball to deform more when it contacts (since it is more like striking a solid wall) which allows the angle at which it bounces to be more exact than the trampolining cause by looser strings. Similarly, tighter strings tend to increase the amount of spin that can be put onto a ball since more of the ball comes in contact with the stings, which enables lateral racket movement to affect the ball more.
  
  

Other Considerations

• The racket tension a tennis player decides to use is largely a matter of personal preference. Players lacking in power might find that lower tension can make up for some of strength disadvantage, while others might find that the additional control of higher tension allows them to control their natural power more easily. There is no set amount of tension that makes the best players use, and may pros change their tension based on weather conditions and court surface. For example, tennis great Roger Federer tends to use racket tensions in the lower range recommended for his rackets, while Pete Sampras is known to use very high racket tension. Beginners would be wise to start somewhere in the middle and make adjustments according to their needs.