NATURAL GUT -- STILL KING OF STRINGS {2000}

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

Many professional players, including the fastest servers and hardest hitters, use natural gut. Since natural gut strings are neither the most durable nor the least expensive strings, there must be SOMETHING about them that attracts top players. Several qualities of natural gut keep it in a class by itself. Properly strung natural gut holds tension extremely well and is lively and gentle on the arm. And although the newer multi-filament strings come close, natural gut still has a renowned responsiveness all its own.

So what exactly is "natural gut"? You may have heard the term "catgut" in the past as a name for natural gut. In fact, "catgut" refers to any cord made from the intestines of cows, sheep, or hogs--but not cats because their intestines are too small. The "catgut" used for tennis strings comes most often from cows, since they have the longest intestines. The manufacturing process involves cleaning, removing all protein, slicing the gut into very narrow strips, drying, twisting, coating, and special packaging. Much of the process must be done by hand, and with great care.
Yes, there are drawbacks to using natural gut strings, starting with cost. One set of good quality, natural gut string can cost $50 or more. Another drawback is that natural gut requires extremely careful handling. Twisting, kinking, crimping, nicking, "burning" (by pulling cross strings through too rapidly), or stepping on the string during installation can lead to premature breakage. Pre-stretching is a technique used by some stringers with natural gut to enhance its tension-holding ability. Although not explicitly required by manufacturers, my experience has shown that this technique does work. However, this is an additional step of handling the string, which must be done with extreme care. In Florida especially, moisture is a problem for natural gut. The original coatings that come from the factory give reasonable protection, but once the coating wears off and the fibers begin to fray, a few raindrops can ruin your day.

If you tend to take your game seriously, natural gut is worth trying at least once. Major brands (with country of origin in parentheses) available today include Babolat VS (France), Bow Brand (England), B/D/E (France), and Pacific (New Zealand). You can also get natural gut from Alpha, Gamma, Prince, and other string suppliers that have it made for them.

You can lessen the potential problems noted above to increase your chances of enjoying the experience. Make sure the person stringing for you is experienced with stringing natural gut. Next, insert string protector devices on the spots where you first notice fraying. Try the natural gut during the driest time of the year. Handle your racquet with care between matches--protect the strings from nicks, abrasion, moisture, and excess heat. Have a backup racquet strung with synthetic string.

Copyright 2000 (Previously published in FLORIDA TENNIS - April 2000)
By Vincent A. Chiarelli, MRT, USPTR
Owner, String Along With Vince, Largo, FL