Tennis String Guide: Poly vs Multi vs Gut — Which Matches Your Game?

Why Strings Matter More Than Your Racket

The ball contacts your strings for approximately 4 milliseconds on every shot. During that time, the string bed determines power, spin, control, and feel. Changing strings on the same racket frame produces a bigger performance difference than changing frames with the same strings.

Yet most recreational players never think about strings. They use whatever the stringer recommends (usually cheap synthetic gut) and restring only when strings break. This is like buying a sports car and never changing the tires. For the complete picture, see our string types breakdown.

String Types Explained

Polyester (Poly)

The dominant string type on the professional tour. Over 95% of ATP and WTA players use polyester (at least in part). Poly strings are stiff, durable, and generate massive spin because the slick surface allows the ball to slide across the string bed and "snap back," creating topspin.

• Spin: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — best spin generation
• Power: ⭐⭐ — low-powered (by design)
• Comfort: ⭐⭐ — stiff and harsh, especially when tension drops
• Durability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — lasts longest
• Tension loss: High — lose playability faster than other types
• Best for: 4.0+ players with full swings who generate their own power

Multifilament (Multi)

Hundreds or thousands of tiny fibers bundled together to mimic natural gut's feel at a lower price. Multifilaments are soft, powerful, and arm-friendly.

• Spin: ⭐⭐⭐ — moderate
• Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — good power from elasticity
• Comfort: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — best comfort after natural gut
• Durability: ⭐⭐⭐ — moderate
• Best for: 2.5-4.0 players, arm issues, all-around playability

Natural Gut

Made from cow intestine (serosa layer). The original tennis string and still the gold standard for feel, power, and tension maintenance. Nothing else feels quite like it.

• Spin: ⭐⭐⭐ — moderate (but excellent snap-back)
• Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — most powerful string type
• Comfort: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — ultimate arm comfort
• Durability: ⭐⭐ — breaks faster, moisture-sensitive
• Tension loss: Minimal — best tension maintenance of any string
• Best for: Players who can afford it, arm problems, touch-game players

Synthetic Gut

A single solid core with one or more wraps. The cheapest and most common string. It's what comes pre-strung on most rackets. Jack of all trades, master of none.

• Best for: Beginners, players who break strings infrequently, budget-conscious
• Price: ~$4-$8/set

Head-to-Head Comparison

String Tension Guide

Most rackets have a recommended range (e.g., 50-60 lbs). Where you string within that range affects everything:

• Lower tension = more power, more comfort, larger sweet spot, less control
• Higher tension = less power, more control, smaller sweet spot, more arm stress

General starting points:

Hybrid Setups: Best of Both Worlds

A hybrid uses different strings in mains and crosses. The most popular hybrid: poly mains + gut or multi crosses. This gives you poly's spin on the mains with gut/multi's comfort and power on the crosses.

Roger Federer famously used Luxilon ALU Power mains with Babolat VS Gut crosses for most of his career. This setup works brilliantly for 3.5-5.0 players who want spin without full poly's harshness.

See when to restring — poly strings go dead faster than they break, and timing your restring matters.

Top Strings by Type

Sources & Further Reading

1. Tennis Warehouse University. "String Performance Database." twu.tennis-warehouse.com, 2025.
2. USRSA. "String Type Comparison and Player Matching Guide." 2025.
3. Babolat. "String Technology: RPM Blast Design." babolat.com, 2025.
4. Luxilon. "ALU Power: 20 Years on Tour." luxilon.com, 2025.
5. Tennis Magazine. "The Great String Debate: Poly vs Gut in 2025."