The 100 Most Fascinating Things about Strings

[Rob ITST]

I was reading through some old articles, and found this one: "The 100 Most Fascinating Things about Strings"

Unfortunately, it's only for USRSA members, so I can't link to it, but here are my favorites:

Recent studies have shown that perception of string tension (and thus power) depends foremost on the sound of impact. Even one out of two satellite pro players wearing ear plugs couldn't tell which of two racquets was loose or tight within 15 pounds of each other.

Racquets strung at the same tension at different temperatures will end up at different tensions.

Power is the same (within 1% or so, which is less than can be detected by the player) for all strings, loose or tight, thick or thin, old or new, gut or polyester. What does perceptually change is sound, impact duration, shock, angle of trajectory and direction of trajectory. These things may combine psychologically to be interpreted as more or less power, but they have nothing to do with ball speed.