A freshly strung racquet starts losing tension almost immediately. That’s normal — it’s part of how string materials behave under constant load and repeated impact.
Understanding how your strings lose tension and change during play can help you recognise when a restring is actually due.
The tension-loss curve
The biggest drop usually happens early.
A co-poly can lose a noticeable amount of tension during the first 24–48 hours, even before you hit a ball. After that initial drop, tension typically declines more gradually as the stringbed is played.
Multifilament and natural gut generally maintain their tension better than many co-polys, although the amount of tension loss varies significantly between individual strings.
This is one reason experienced stringers may use pre-stretching or a slightly higher reference tension with certain strings. The goal is to account for expected tension loss and achieve a more stable playing response.
Two different ways a string can go “dead”
Not all dead stringbeds feel the same.
Tension loss can make the stringbed feel increasingly powerful and less predictable. You may notice the ball launching higher or deeper than expected and find yourself reducing your swing to keep the ball in.
Co-poly can lose its original elasticity and playing response. Instead of simply becoming more powerful, an older poly can feel firmer, harsher, and less responsive. Snap-back and spin potential can decline, while comfort suffers.
That’s why a co-poly can be past its optimal playing window even when it still looks perfectly fine.
How often should you restring?
A useful starting point is the traditional rule: restring as many times per year as you play per week.
Play three times a week? Start with roughly three restringing sessions per year.
It’s only a guideline, but it gives recreational players a simple way to avoid playing for an entire season with an old stringbed.
Your ideal interval depends on the string, playing frequency, swing speed, spin production, and how quickly you notice changes in performance. Heavy hitters using co-poly may need to restring considerably more often than players using multifilament or natural gut.
Signs it’s time to restring
Don’t rely on the calendar alone. Pay attention to how your racquet feels and performs.
- Your shots are flying longer even though your technique hasn’t changed.
- You are changing your swing to keep the ball under control.
- The stringbed feels harsher or less responsive than it used to.
- Your usual spin is harder to generate.
- The strings no longer snap back into position after contact.
- The stringbed sounds noticeably duller when you hit.
For co-poly in particular, performance can deteriorate before the string breaks. If the racquet no longer feels or plays the way it should, a restring may be due even when the strings still look intact.