What are the different types of tennis strings?

There are four main families: polyester (co-poly), multifilament, natural gut and synthetic gut — plus hybrids that combine two of them. They differ mainly in stiffness, which sets the trade-off between comfort, control, spin and durability. Natural gut is the softest, polyester the firmest.

Polyester vs multifilament — which should I use?

Polyester gives more spin, control and durability but is stiff and hard on the arm; multifilament is far more comfortable and powerful but offers less spin and breaks sooner. The deciding factor is usually your arm: if you have any elbow or wrist sensitivity, choose multifilament (or a hybrid). If you swing big, break strings and have a healthy arm, polyester suits you.

Is natural gut worth the money?

For comfort-first players, often yes — it's the most comfortable, most powerful string with the best feel and the best tension maintenance, and it stays comfortable even strung tight. But it's expensive and less durable in humid conditions, so it's overkill for beginners or string-breakers. Many players get the best value by using it only in the mains of a hybrid.

What's the difference between natural gut and synthetic gut?

Despite the similar name, they're completely different. Natural gut is made from animal intestine — premium, very soft, expensive. Synthetic gut is an inexpensive nylon string with no actual gut in it, sitting in the middle of the comfort range. Natural gut is a top-tier string; synthetic gut is a budget all-rounder.

What's the best tennis string for beginners?

Synthetic gut or a soft multifilament. Both are comfortable, forgiving and affordable, and they won't punish a developing swing the way stiff polyester can. Beginners should generally avoid full polyester until their technique and arm are ready for it.

Which tennis string gives the most spin?

Polyester, especially shaped or textured versions that grip the ball, strung at a slightly lower tension so the strings can snap back. Multifilament and synthetic gut produce less spin. A thinner gauge of poly adds a little more bite if durability isn't a concern.

What is the most comfortable tennis string?

Natural gut is the most comfortable, followed by multifilament — both absorb impact shock far better than polyester. The least comfortable common setup is a stiff polyester strung at high tension, which is also the most likely to aggravate arm pain.

What is hybrid stringing?

A hybrid uses two different strings — one in the mains, another in the crosses. The classic is natural gut mains with a thin polyester cross, which blends gut's comfort and feel with poly's control and durability. It's a popular way to get two qualities that no single string offers on its own.

Guide

Tennis String Types Explained

The string is the only part of your racket that touches the ball, so it shapes how you play more than almost any other piece of gear — yet it's the most overlooked. Nearly every tennis string belongs to one of four families: polyester, multifilament, natural gut and synthetic gut, plus hybrids that combine two. This guide explains what each one feels like, who it suits, and how to choose.

Answer a few quick questions about your game, your racket and how your arm feels, and we'll recommend a specific string, gauge and tension — built around you, in about 60 seconds.

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The four string types at a glance

What separates the families is mostly stiffness, and stiffness drives the trade-off between comfort, control, spin and durability. From softest to firmest: natural gut, multifilament, synthetic gut, then polyester.

The quick version: natural gut is the premium all-rounder (soft, lively, expensive). Multifilament is the comfort and power choice. Synthetic gut is the affordable middle ground. Polyester is the control, spin and durability string favored by hard hitters. Hybrids mix two families to get the best of both.

There's no single 'best' string — only the best string for what you want and how your arm feels. The rest of this guide breaks each one down so you can match it to your game.

Polyester (co-polyester) — control, spin and durability

Polyester, usually sold today as 'co-poly' (modern polyester with softening additives), is a single firm strand. It's the stiffest, most durable family and the most break-resistant, which is why it dominates the pro tour and is the default for hard hitters.

Strengths: the best spin potential — especially shaped or textured polys that grip the ball — plus excellent control and the longest resistance to snapping. If you swing fast and break strings, this is your family.

Weaknesses: it's the harshest on the arm, and it loses tension quickly. A poly string goes 'dead' within roughly 10–15 hours of play and turns stiff and unforgiving, so it needs restringing more often than people expect. Stale poly is the leading string-related cause of tennis elbow.

Best for: advanced players, big swings, heavy topspin and string-breakers with healthy arms. String it toward the lower end of the range to take some of the harshness off. Examples: Luxilon ALU Power, Babolat RPM Blast, Solinco Hyper-G, Yonex Poly Tour Pro.

Multifilament — comfort and power

Multifilament is built from hundreds of soft microfibers bundled together like a rope. It's the closest synthetic string to natural gut and the most popular arm-friendly choice for club and recreational players.

Strengths: soft, comfortable and forgiving, with easy power and good tension maintenance. If you have any arm or wrist sensitivity, or you just want effortless depth, multifilament delivers it.

Weaknesses: less spin and control than polyester, and it frays and breaks sooner — so it's not ideal if you're a string-breaker. It also costs more than synthetic gut.

Best for: players with arm pain, comfort-first players, seniors, and anyone who values feel and power over maximum spin. Examples: Tecnifibre NRG2 and X-One, Wilson NXT, Head Velocity MLT, Babolat Xcel.

Natural gut — the premium standard

Natural gut is made from cow intestine and is the original tennis string. Despite a century of synthetic alternatives, nothing has fully matched it.

Strengths: it's the most elastic and most comfortable string there is, with the best feel, excellent power, and — uniquely — the best tension maintenance of any string, holding its tension far longer than poly or multi. It also stays comfortable even when strung tight, which no other material does.

Weaknesses: it's expensive, and it doesn't love moisture — it can fray in humid or wet conditions. Spin is only moderate.

Best for: players who want the best possible comfort, feel and power and will pay for it. It's most often used in the mains of a hybrid, where its comfort does the most work. Examples: Babolat VS Touch, Wilson Natural Gut.

Synthetic gut — the budget all-rounder

Despite the name, synthetic gut contains no actual gut — it's a solid nylon core wrapped in thinner filaments. It's the inexpensive, do-everything default that most rackets come pre-strung with.

Strengths: cheap, reasonably soft, predictable and forgiving. It's a sensible starting point for beginners and casual players, and it responds to tension changes in a straightforward way.

Weaknesses: a jack of all trades and master of none — not as comfortable as multifilament, not as much spin or control as polyester. It's fine, rarely exceptional.

Best for: beginners, casual players, the budget-conscious, and anyone who restrings often and wants it cheap. Examples: Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex, Wilson Synthetic Gut Power, Gamma TNT2.

Hybrid stringing — mixing two families

A hybrid uses one string in the mains (the vertical strings) and a different one in the crosses. Because the mains do most of the work on contact, the mains string drives most of the feel.

The classic hybrid is natural gut in the mains with a thin polyester in the crosses: gut comfort and feel, plus poly control and durability. Many touring pros use exactly this — and because gut stays comfortable at higher tensions, it's a way for a control player to keep precision without the arm cost. The reverse (poly mains, multifilament crosses) adds a little comfort to a spin-oriented setup.

Hybrids cost a bit more and take slightly longer to string, but they're the most flexible way to get two qualities — like comfort and control — that no single string gives you.

How to choose your string type

Start from what you want most. For comfort or arm pain: natural gut or multifilament. For spin and control: polyester, ideally shaped and strung a touch lower. For power and easy depth: multifilament or natural gut. For durability if you break strings: polyester, or a thicker gauge. On a budget: synthetic gut. Want two of these at once: go hybrid.

By level, as a rough guide: beginners do well on synthetic gut or a soft multifilament; intermediates can explore multifilament, synthetic gut or a softer co-poly; advanced players tend toward polyester or a gut hybrid for control with comfort.

Remember that string type is only the first lever. Tension and gauge fine-tune any string — lower tension and a softer setup add comfort and power, higher tension adds control. Once you've picked a family, dial it in from there.

Frequently asked questions

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Not sure which string type is right for you?

Answer a few quick questions about your game, your racket and how your arm feels, and we'll recommend a specific string, gauge and tension — built around you, in about 60 seconds.

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