The reason why tennis players have many racquets is that they want to keep a replacement ready in case the string breaks midway the game. They also change their racquets frequently to maintain the consistency of tension in the racquet during the game.
After some games of the play, the racquet loses its optimal tension and is no longer able to give its best. This is the primary reason why top pro players change their racquets frequently.
When the racquet is in action, it hits the ball hard. In the process, the racket’s string loses tension. Slowly, its ability to produce the desired intensity in the shots becomes less.
So, top pros who play against tough competitors in high-stake matches frequently change their racquets during the match so that they can consistently produce the same power and speed in their shots.
Why Multiple Racquets?
A spectator may not see the need for an additional racquet for the players but when he sees them with a bagful of racquets, he is naturally to ask why the tennis players need so many racquets.
Almost everybody who plays an amateur league has a minimum of two racquets. At this level, at least two types of racquets are used: One for power and, the other for control. Racquets with different string patterns are also used to tackle heavy topspin.
Generally speaking, players begin to carry multiple racquets much before they reach the professional league during the training itself.
Tennis demands a lot of hard work during the game and much of this is shared by the racquet. During the long and strenuous play that can stretch up to 5 hours for more makes the hand that holds the racquet sweat and loosen its grip on the racquet.
Popping and Breaking of String
Breaking and popping of string are common abruptions during a game. However, top pros pay up to $50,000 a year to their racquet technicians for stringing and de-stringing jobs during the tournaments. It is such an important task!
For beginners, these are not much of a problem and can be fixed by local racquet technicians.
Popping of string: Popping of string is a common problem among intermediate and advanced level players as they have to deal with a lot of topspin. It is advisable for them to have more than one racquet of the same make and model so that they are not left stranded without their best racquet during a match.
Racquet Technicians: If you are dissatisfied with your gear, you can approach a racquet technician who can not only fix any problem that it might have but can also customize it to your style, needs, and playing conditions.
For beginners: However, for the beginners who mostly have to deal with slower and shorter swings, the problem of a string popping is less common. The string does not wear quickly at this level of the game. However, this is a possibility for which it is wiser to remain prepared.
Confidence Matters: Most players find it uncomfortable to switch to another racket of a different make and model. Since the game demands the best performance from the players, they too want to play with a racquet that gives them maximum confidence. This is why most pros keep identical pairs of racquets so that they are not left without their best racquet.
Top Pros Show the way
Players like Nadal produce a lot of spins and the sting in their racquet which performs this against high-speed oncoming ball takes a good deal of wear and tear, to the extent that it can break midway the game and a potential point could be lost due to this.
So, to avoid such an eventuality, players frequently change their racquets and play with freshly strung racquets. If the racquet is not strung appropriately, it can make a difference to the ball flight and that can cost a player his game.
As per reports, Federer goes through 60 racquets a year while Nadal would experiment with 35 or so. Nadal is reported to arrive on the court with as many as nine freshly strung racquets.
The pros play with higher intensity for a longer duration than most amateur players. They hit the ball hard more often. Given this, their racquets are more likely to give up sooner, a situation for which all the top players have to be ready.
• Most pro players would usually carry 5 to 15 racquets with them during important tournaments. Based on the available information about the playing conditions and the opponent’s style of play, most of these racquets are strung afresh for a new match.
• Even restringing during an ongoing match is not very rare. Pro stringers available at the tournaments can de-string and re-string a racquet in about 15 minutes or less. Pro players will get their racquets re-strung before every match even if they have not played with their racquets before the match.
• To give the best performance, the top pros have to be masters at their craft. This calls for taking into account various playing conditions such as sun, shadow, humidity, wind, and altitude.
• All these factors play an important role in determining how the ball is going to come off the racquet after being hit. If the shots are not match up with the player’s expectation, it can lead to distraction and poor performance.
Rationale behind keeping many racquets
When so much of money is to be made by playing one’s game, why crib spending $50 on a new racquet or a dozen of it with some more money. But if you have not broken a string in the past or not choosy about your racquet, you will perhaps not need an extra racquet.
Changing racquet can also be part of a particular player’s habit. It can be related to the psychology of the player and the game. Sometimes, it can also be part of a sponsorship gimmick.
Some players like to play with a racquet of different degrees of tension when they are serving. It dependence a lot on a player’s preferences as to which racquet he wants to use and when.
It is not that the racquet string takes the stress and wear-and-tear during the game. In fact, the stringing of racquet before every match and de-stringing after the match wears the string more than the game itself.
Once the match is over, the strung set of racquets are kept strung for practice the next day or cut out and re-strung before the start of a new match.
At the pro level, the margin of loss and defeat is extremely narrow. So, every player wants his equipment to be in the top order otherwise the opponent may have an advantage over him.
Even if the racquet itself may not put a player at a disadvantage, the doubt that it can create in the mind of a player can put him at unease during the game. For this reason, as soon as a player realizes that his racket is showing fatigue, he would simply replace it with a newly-strung racquet.
In this scenario, it sounds logical for tennis players to keep as many racquets as possible so that it is never difficult for them to replace a racquet during the game if it shows signs of losing its tension.
Sport merchandise companies would like to see their sales grow through celebrity brand endorsements. They would not like people to see their product giving way midway a televised match.
So, they supply a huge stock of racquets to the players and encourage them to a new racquet or almost a new racquet for every match. For the top pro players, the racquets mostly come for free as part of endorsement deals.
Why women players don’t change their racquets so often?
It is true that the tendency to change the racquet frequently is found mostly among male players. Women players have not exhibited this tendency in a major way.
One of the reasons for this could be that the male is usually more particular about their things – cars, shoes, clothes, looks and the racquet. Another reason could be the cost involved in getting them strung and de-strung on a daily basis.
What Happens When String Breaks?
It is not recommended to continue playing with a racquet whose string has snapped. The racquet’s stringbed loses its precise tension, control, and predictability of the shots if its string is snapped.
Most players keep identical pairs of racquets of the same make and model. This serves many purposes and the chief of them is to be prepared for a situation when the racquet’ string breaks.
What Should a Player Look for in an Extra Racquet?
Tennis players keep many racquets ready during the game so that they can change their racquet if it malfunctions or loses its tension. For an exact replacement, the racquet should be of the same make and model.
However, a player may like to keep ready a set of racquets with varying degrees of tension before the match so that he can use the one that suits the playing conditions most. For beginners and amateur, just an extra racquet can be enough.