Other Tennis Topics

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Scenario 1: You are playing a furiously competitive match and suddenly you break a string. No problem; you’ve got another stick in your bag. You get your other racquet and complete the match, pack up your gear and go home. You don’t get around to getting the broken string replaced for two weeks.

What’s wrong with this picture? Give up? That racquet with the broken string has changed shape during the period you waited to get it strung. In this case you broke a vertical (main) string. That causes the rest of the main strings to loosen up, but the horizontal (cross) strings are all still just as tight as they were before. This causes the frame to be distorted (elongated). This could do a number of things. It could cause the frame to be deformed permanently; the frame could develop micro fractures affecting the way it plays; or the frame could even crack making it unusable. The frame might not show any signs of a problem but later on it could crack while stringing.

What to do? Simple; don’t put the racquet in your bag. Take it home and cut a cross string in the area where the main string broke. Better yet have a sharp knife or pair of cutters in your bag and cut the string right on the court. Then, when you get a chance you can cut the rest of the strings working from the center, cutting both a main and cross string at the same time. Cut two or three toward the top then two or three toward the bottom on a diagonal. This might save you the cost of a replacement racquet.

Scenario 2: You finished your match. No broken strings this time. You put away your gear and go home.
Nothing is amiss. Au contraire. What you have done is put a germy wet grip into a nice dark bag. Unless you are attempting to create a new form of life, you should leave the handle out of the bag to dry out. Keeping that grip in the light and exposed to the air to dry will inhibit the growth of fungus as well as other nasty stuff; extend the life of the grip; and save us stringers from having to handle it.

Scenario 3: You finished your match; no broken strings and your grip is drying nicely. Now what?
One last tip: let your shoes dry out, too. Rotate a couple of pair and both pairs will last longer.

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Here are some questions and answers regarding grips and natural gut string. ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Part of the time I had in Miami after stringing at the Sony Ericsson Open was to be used to interview some of the pros for this column. The questions came from my readers and customers. Thanks to all who submitted questions; they were very thought-provoking and it was tough selecting the ones our readers would find most interesting. Unfortunately, after stringing for 6 days, it was impossible for me to get back to the site for interviews before my flight home.

As a consolation, I will try to answer some of the questions based on my contact with the players over the years. ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

After such a cool winter, you may have forgotten how the hot, muggy Florida weather can knock you out. Prepare yourself for the heat from head to toe, inside and out. Refresh yourself on how to be a "good neigbor" tennis player. ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Now that you have your proper tennis shoes, do you think of socks as an important part of your equipment, too? You should. Socks can make a lot of difference in how your feet feel. Engineered fabrics or natural; the difference could make your feet feel cooler (or hotter). What about thick socks; thin socks? ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

For those who don’t remember their high school Latin, “Buyer Beware” is what you need to remember when shopping for tennis shoes.

It amazes me how many customers come into the store saying that they can’t find tennis shoes anywhere. I’m also amazed that the majority of people I talk with don’t know the difference between tennis shoes and other “court shoes.” I’ve even been told by some customers that they went to a big box sporting goods outlet or department store and been sold shoes they were told were tennis shoes and later found out they weren’t true tennis shoes! ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

If you play tennis in Florida during July and August, you have to battle heat and humidity as another “opponent.” You need a plan for keeping cool and dry from head to toe, and from the inside out. ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

We don’t talk about grips very much. I guess that’s because there isn’t much to say about them; you either have one or you don’t. Right? Wrong! Even my well-informed customers don’t understand the function, concept or life of their grip. ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Happy New Year! Make a resolution to enjoy more tennis and avoid injury. One of the most common injuries I get emails about is tennis elbow, a form of tendonitis. The two main sources of elbow pain are equipment factors and stroke techniques. ...[continue reading]

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

As the old saying goes, “There is no such thing as a dumb question.” You can always learn something new or interesting by asking questions. These are some from customers and readers. ...[continue reading]