Babolat has been a pioneer in the field of shaped polyester-based strings. First, Pro Hurricane Tour debuted its popular octagonal shape for added spin generation. Next, RPM Blast took the same shape with a new formula for added power and spin, and RPM Team was injected with air for improved comfort. Now, Babolat has upped the ante even more with the introduction of RPM Dual, the first dual-compound RPM string.

There is a movement afoot in the tennis industry encouraging players to restring their racquets more often. Is it a fallacy, a rip-off, or the right thing to do?

Well, we can credit Roger Federer with another accomplishment: the trend toward hybrid stringing (using two different strings on the same racquet). While it’s been around for decades – the original hybrid setup first used in the 1970’s consisted of gut mains and nylon crosses– it took Roger to “mainstream” it. The question remains, however: Is it right for you?

The solid-core synthetic gut market is a heavily populated one. Prince created the original 30 years ago, and it seems most companies have followed suit with at least one entry in this segment. Wilson has four options in this class already: Extreme Synthetic Gut, Stamina, SGX and Red Alert. Now, they’re adding Extreme Octane 16 and 17, promising improved power and, perhaps more importantly, durability. Plus, this new string comes in black, white, and gold!

Buy Wilson Extreme Octane from TennisExpress.com when it becomes available on August 27th! 

In the mid 1990s, an obscure player from Brazil started using an unknown string. Little did he know that, not only would he help usher in a new era of string technology, but he’d also change how the game would be played. That player was Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, and the string was Luxilon ALU Power.

Now Luxilon has proudly introduced 4G (or Fourth Generation) – the latest iteration of their co-polymer string line. The follow up to Big Banger Original, ALU Power, and the M2 versions of Luxilon string is billed as the best of all worlds, providing increased comfort, power, spin, and tension maintenance. Serena Williams and Kei Nishikori are just two pros who currently use 4G on tour.