The GTN Tennis Blog

I have been selling Pressureball worldwide for almost 5 years now and have never had anyone ask for their money back because they weren't happy with the performance of Pressureball tubes .Pressureball will keep new balls from losing bounce so that they can be used until the felt is worn rather than being thrown out because of poor bounce .Pressure ball will also revive soft balls.You can ensure that everytime you play, the balls you have with you will have good and consistent bounce characteristics . Visit www.pressureball.com for more information .

Tennis balls are manufactured from a rubber compound and have an internal pressure of around 14 psi or 1kg/cm2. The Rubber compound however is slightly porous and so the pressure escapes over time. This results in an increasingly soft ball with decreased bounce. To counteract this, new balls are sold in pressurized containers. Once the container is opened, the balls start to lose their pressure . Pressureball is  a reusable version of the point of sale pressure can and as such will stop tennis balls going flat indefinitely .Because the tube can be pressurised to a higher level than the internal pressure of a ball , it will revive soft balls .This process will take less than a day to freshen balls that have just been used and up to a week for balls that are very soft .There may be some variation in the speed of revival depending on the age and brand of the ball.

New upgraded tube and clamping mechanism

Here is another installment of my $10 and under hybrid tennis string combinations.  This installment comes from the German company Volkl.  Historically Volkl is known for its quality production of downhill ski equipment and if you visit volkl.com that is where you will be directed to.  In 1972 Volkl made their first composite tennis frame and has been creating professional grade rackets since.  You might have heard about the big grommet technology,the C10, V1 or are more familiar with its recent ORGANIX or POWERBRIDGE racket lines, visit Volkltennis.com.

The Volkl V-maxx Poly 17g / synthetic gut 16g comes in at just under $10.00 with a sale price of $9.99 set.  Although Volkl is not generally known for its strings, this might be worth a look if you are trying to find some balance between your synthetic gut string and your full poly set-up.

Marketing info: Combining spin responsiveness and comfort the Volkl VMaxx 17/16 hybrid set including VPro 17 and VWrap 16 The thin copolyester string normally used in the mains provides incredible bite on the ball for excellent spin while also providing durability In order to soften the feel of the string bed VMaxx includes a double wrap synthetic gut VWrap to install in the crosses to provide some extra flexibility The combination makes it easy to experiment with hybrids providing a blend of the string properties for durability and playability.  Construction Monofilament copolyester Double Wrap 123 mm.  Monofilament polyamideGauge 130mm.  Color Silver/Black.  

This combination also comes with a thinner 18/17 version.  You will find that if you do not break much string than the thinner 1.18mm (poly) and the 1.25mm (synthetic) combination might work best.  You are sure to get more control and feel in the thinner set-up.  Sometimes going with a new poly brand string gives you some different feel than your used to so give some new options a chance.  Please email with comments.

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The Fact is that Professional Grade tennis racket stringing machines are responsible for the majority of racket stringing that happens at professional events around the globe!  I have been to many tennis events and have seen the spectrum of machines being used.  There are a few key machines that produce a consistent and professional product that are worth mentioning here.  If you are possibly looking to upgrade your current equipment or just want to see what is being used than keep reading.  Generally Babolat Sensors or Star 5 machines are used at tournaments, Yonex uses there top line for stringing Yonex players at events, Tecnifibre has a machine that is used around the globe at there sponsored events, Wilson Uses the Baiardo machine at the US OPEN, Australian Open, Miami and other events.  Pacific has a machine that is also used at some global events.  Some stringing teams use older Babolat star 4 machines at tournaments because they are more portable and very reliable.  If it's good enough for Roger, its good enough for me!.

Read the full story at racketstringingtips.com

I have just started writing a new blog feature at my site geared toward the beginning racquet stringer, trying to breakdown some basic questions that might come up will learning this fun and exciting trade.

Racketstringingtips.com

Thanks

Patrick

I'm searching for a good pair of shoes for flat feet.  I'm currently playing with Adidas Barricade 6.0s, but they're THE most uncomfortable pair of shoes I've ever worn.  Look at these Dawgs:

What I would love are some tenniis that won't hurt and fatigue my feet.  Anyone have suggestions?

The idea behind playing with a Hybrid string job is to combine the 'best of both worlds' in regards to the playing characteristics. Combining two various types of strings in order that the benefits of the combination out weight the benefit of just installing one type of string all the way around is the basic idea behind this theory.  Our hope is that we pick the correct combination and make it work for us.  Many players rely on the pre-packaged combinations to meet their needs but sometimes the trial and error along with a knowledgeable racket stringer / tuner can help you achieve the optimum combination on your own.  Prepackaged hybrids have been around for some time and offer a wide range of options such as with the Prince Hybrid EXP -this combination offers thin poly with multifilament hybrid.  In its basic form a hybrid will take one of  two basic approaches - durability or playability and all others stem from this basic concept to some degre.  There are some combinations that for various reasons seem viable on paper but in application they fall short.  I will give a specific example below.

Take the stringing client example with a Babolat Pure Storm Limited has been getting performance and playability he likes out of a Tecnifibre NRG 18g in the mains and a Volkl Cyclone Polyester string for the crosses.  The playability is fine and the topspin adequate but the issue lies with the friction element of this particular string combination and the premature wear in the string.  Tecnifibre NRG is a soft 'rubber' feeling string that notches easily although great care is taken when stringing in order to reduce the risk to notching.  The surface appears smooth but when pulling across other types of strings over the main string bed like a textured poly, the strings tend to need lubrication in order to move smoothly.  One thing that tends to happen to many stringers is that they ignore the friction and just 'burn' the strings as they go, causing the strings to already be partially worn before the installation is finished.  One way to alleviate the problem of string wear while stringing is to lubricate the main strings with a little wax stick to smoothen the strings, this will make the installation of the crosses go much easier.  Generally you won't need to worry about this when stringing the racket with one string type.

In this particular tennis frame the racket string pattern is dense and this also makes additional work for the stringer.  If the string combination was reversed and the main strings were the Volkl Cyclone and theTecnifibre NRG was in the crosses you would have much less friction and less premature notching.  The client wanted to stay with the multifilament in the mains and therefore we changed up the Cyclone and went with a smoother poly such as Tecnifibre Red Code.  The strings still where a bit difficult to install but the overall stringbed felt great.

Experiment, apply trial and error and continue reading so that you can become more acquainted as to the string hybrid issues that can arise when we take our racket to be restrung.

Pete Sampras has literally used one racket type in his entire professional playing career.  The St. Vincent Model along with heavy modifications helped propell him to the top of the tennis world.  It appears now that he is using a new prototype of sorts, a Wilson or Babolat? read more at my blog here.

Every die-hard tennis fan has heard of Babolat. Based in France, Babolat is known the world over for making high-quality tennis shoes, racquets, strings and accessories. Babolat isn’t just a name, like Holabird, it’s a family business. It was originally started by Pierre Babolat and decades later, it is now run by CEO Eric Babolat. Today, Babolat makes a variety of tennis shoes, racquets and equipment. Until 1994, Babolat’s main focus was on tennis strings. In fact, Albert Babolat is still known today as one of the great pioneers in string development. Professional Players

Two of the biggest stars in tennis play with Babolat racquets: Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick. Today Roddick also wears the Babolat Propulse 3. Babolat tennis shoes

In 2003, Babolat launched their shoe division. The first thing they did was partner with Michelin, the tire company. This allowed them to create extremely durable tennis shoes. Roddick works with Babolat’s shoe engineers to help them create the perfect tennis shoe. What could be better than having a professional, ranked player tell you what’s working with your shoe and what’s not? This just goes to show, that Babolat is truly dedicated to what the player needs. Babolat Propulse 3

Those of you who loved the Babolat Propulse 2, don’t despair. The Propulse 3 keeps everything that’s good about the Propulse 2 and makes it better. The two major changes between the Babolat Propulse 2 and Babolat Propulse 3:

•    The 3’s are lighter (Babolat found a way to shave some weight without sacrificing anything else)

•    They added the Kompressor

I want to take a survey on labor prices around the country.  I string racquets in Hawaii and charge $20.00 labor.  I am a certified MRT racquet technician with 20 + years stringing and use computerized equipment.  How much does it cost in your part of the country and what type of equipment is used?  I wan't to know, please post your comments.