Tennis String Guide

The pioneer of polyester tennis strings, Luxilon revolutionized the game when pros began switching from natural gut in the early 2000s. Now owned by Wilson, Luxilon strings are used by almost 60% of the world's top 100 players. Their factory is completely powered by solar energy and every string set and reel has a unique batch number to ensure the highest quality control.

The oldest tennis equipment company in the world, Babolat invented the first natural gut string in 1875. Today they offer a complete range from natural gut (VS Touch) to polyester (RPM series) to multifilament (Xcel). Their RPM Blast became iconic when Rafael Nadal adopted it, and Carlos Alcaraz uses RPM Team. Babolat strings are known for exceptional spin potential and quality French manufacturing.

Based in Los Angeles, California, Solinco has grown from a California upstart to one of the top string manufacturers in the tennis world. With over 30 years of technical experience within the team, Solinco develops strings through extensive trial and error with feedback from collegiate and professional players. Their breakthrough came with Tour Bite in 2009, followed by the iconic Hyper-G in 2014. Solinco strings are often found in the rackets of major champions - sometimes incognito - and the brand is trusted by elite players including Hubert Hurkacz, Sloane Stephens, and the Bryan brothers.

Wilson Sporting Goods was founded in Chicago in 1913 as a subsidiary of a meatpacking company, initially manufacturing natural gut strings for tennis rackets from animal by-products. Under Thomas E. Wilson's leadership from 1915, the company transformed into a sporting goods powerhouse. Wilson owns Luxilon (acquired in 2004), making them the dominant force in professional tennis strings. From natural gut to NXT multifilament to Revolve polyester, Wilson offers strings for every level. Wilson is also the official ball of the US Open and French Open.

Tecnifibre was created in 1983 in France, pioneering polyurethane tennis strings with their revolutionary PU400 technology. They became the first string made 100% in France and remain so today. Known for their expertise in multifilament strings thanks to unique polyurethane technology offering 400% elasticity, Tecnifibre expanded into rackets in 2004 and became the official ATP World Tour supplier in 2013. Acquired by Lacoste in 2017, Tecnifibre continues to innovate - in 2024 they created the first t-shirt made from recycled tennis strings. Daniil Medvedev is their most prominent player.

Head was founded in 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland by aeronautical engineer Howard Head, who revolutionized ski design using aircraft materials. The tennis division was created in the late 1960s when Howard Head introduced the aluminum frame racket at the 1969 US Open. Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon 1975 with a Head racket. The company moved headquarters to Kennelbach, Austria in 1969 and transferred all manufacturing there in 1988. Head introduced graphene technology in rackets in 2013. Today, Head is one of the biggest string manufacturers, known for the Hawk and Lynx polyester lines. Alexander Zverev uses Head strings.

Yonex was founded in 1946 in Niigata, Japan by Minoru Yoneyama as a wooden fishing float manufacturer. After plastic floats displaced wood, Yoneyama pivoted to badminton rackets in 1957 and tennis in 1969. The company shortened its name from Yoneyama to Yonex, with the X signifying infinite possibilities. Yonex is one of the world's largest tennis brands and uniquely designs, develops, and manufactures most products in Japan. They pioneered the isometric head shape and became the first Japanese brand to provide stringing services at a Grand Slam (2016 Australian Open). Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, and Naomi Osaka use Yonex strings.

Völkl is a German sports equipment brand founded in 1923 in Straubing, Bavaria by Georg Völkl. Originally a ski manufacturer, the company entered tennis in 1972 using their expertise in engineering with wood and composite materials. The iconic Zebra print racquet was one of the earliest composite frames. Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker became a Völkl ambassador, and Petr Korda won the 1998 Australian Open with their C10 Pro Tour. Today, Völkl tennis racquets are produced at a factory in Bogen, Germany, separate from the ski division now owned by Elevate Outdoor Collective.

Prince was founded in 1970 by Bob McClure in Princeton, New Jersey (hence the name) as a manufacturer of tennis ball machines. The company transformed in 1976 when Howard Head, the legendary ski innovator, purchased Prince and introduced the revolutionary oversized racquet at 110 square inches. This design gave players a dramatically larger sweet spot and changed tennis forever. By 1980, Prince controlled 30% of the global tennis racket market. 16-year-old Pam Shriver famously used an oversized Prince to reach the US Open finals, establishing the technology's credibility.

Gamma Sports was founded in 1974 by nuclear engineer Dr. Harry Ferrari, who was dissatisfied with the synthetic gut strings available at the time. He developed the patented GAMMA irradiation process to improve synthetic strings, leading to GAMMA Gut which held the #1 string title from the United States Racquet Stringer's Association for 23 years. In 2004, GAMMA Live Wire Professional Synthetic String became the first synthetic string to rank ahead of natural gut in Overall Performance. Gamma is also renowned as the #1 stringing machine brand with over 40 years of industry-leading innovation.

Kirschbaum was founded in 1987 by Horst Kirschbaum in Witten, West Germany. The distinctive cherry logo represents the company name, which translates to "cherry tree" in German. Kirschbaum developed their own patents and surface finishing machines in cooperation with tennis players and research institutes, becoming a pioneer of polyester tennis strings. Their Pro Line series became legendary for consistent playability. Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber uses Kirschbaum strings, along with German Davis Cup players Florian Mayer and Jan-Lennard Struff, Vera Zvonareva, and former world #1 Carlos Moya.

Signum Pro is an internationally operating German tennis company known for high-quality strings with excellent price-performance ratio. All monofilament strings are made in Germany with several unique in-house developed designs. Poly Plasma was one of the first colored co-polyester strings and was voted String of the Year 2004 by Tennis Magazin Germany. Hextreme was one of the first shaped strings with its hexagonal profile. Notable players include former ATP top-10 Mikhail Youzhny, Sergiy Stakhovsky, and Matteo Berrettini who rose into the ATP top 10 using Signum Pro Firestorm.

Gosen Co., Ltd. was established in 1951 in Japan and made history in 1954 by developing the world's first synthetic racket string. Originally a fishing line manufacturer, Gosen expanded into racket sports and became one of the first companies to have strings approved by both the International Tennis Federation and International Badminton Federation. Tennis legends Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert Lloyd, Jim Courier, and Anna Kournikova have used Gosen strings. The OG-Sheep Micro, born in 1981, has stood the test of time as a favorite among value-conscious players.