You’ve probably seen professional tennis players continue playing even after one of their racket strings breaks. It’s one of those situations that can happen unexpectedly in the middle of a match and catch us off guard. However, using a damaged racket will do more harm than good—not only to the racket itself but also to your performance on the court and even your health. Want to know why it’s important to replace broken strings as soon as possible? Keep reading!
MORE DAMAGE TO THE RACKET
When the strings break, the tension throughout the racket frame becomes unbalanced, since the remaining, unbroken strings exert uneven tension. This will cause the racket frame to start bending, eventually warping the racket or, in the worst-case scenario, causing the frame to break completely.
INCREASED RISK OF INJURY
If the previous reason didn’t seem convincing enough, what would you say if we told you that your health might also be at stake? When your racket strings are broken, you’ll feel the vibration caused by hitting the ball much more intensely. Although it might not seem like it, these vibrations are harmful to your arm, which can lead to an injury that jeopardizes your future as an amateur or professional tennis player.
And although strings that are too tight can cause what is known as “tennis elbow”—that is, inflammation of the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the outer part of the elbow—that doesn’t mean loose strings are the best choice.
REDUCES BALL CONTROL
It seems obvious that with broken strings, your shot will be the most affected, right? The player’s sense of control will be diminished with every shot played on a broken string set, due to the lack of tension and the strings shifting out of place with each shot. This makes it much harder to keep the ball in the court and play clean, precise shots.
LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN THE GAME
Related to the previous point, if we can’t hit the ball properly, our confidence in our game will start to wane because we’ll have to focus even more on controlling the ball. This can distract us and keep us mentally scattered, making it difficult to focus on what should matter most: having fun on the court and giving it our all!