ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR THE PROS {2008}

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.

Do you have different racquets or string set-ups for different opponents? Do pros have their racquets strung all the same or at different tensions for one match?
I can say without any hesitation that the pros use only one racquet type at any one period. They may change racquet types, but in my experience, never during a tournament. If they do change frames, it is after a relatively long period of adjustment. In general, the pros have a tension they feel most comfortable with which will change slightly depending on court surface, temperature, humidity and altitude, but not their opponent. Some players have some racquets with lower or higher tension (usually no more than about 2 pounds) to assure they have the right tension for the playing conditions. Given the differences in stringing machines at different tournaments, players may test different tensions at first, then have their frames strung at the same tension throughout a tournament.

Is there anything you do to your racquets that your prefer doing yourself?
Most pros will put on their own overgrip. Additionally, I have had a few who wanted to stencil their logo on the strings.

Do you get your racquets one size smaller to be able to use overgrip? How important to you is having your racquets matched on balance, weight and so forth?
Those pros who can afford it have their frame handles custom molded to their exact specs. The others are split between getting a smaller grip and just using overgrip on their regular size grip. Matching frames is extremely important to almost every pro, and I would venture to say all sponsored pros. The frame manufacturers all provide this service to their sponsored players, with mixed results. At all the major pro tournaments, we provide this service for a fee, and many of the players avail themselves of this. The service is not cheap (it can be as high as $300 per frame!) but the top players find it essential to play their best.

COPYRIGHT 2008