What are natural gut tennis strings?
Natural gut tennis strings are majorly made up of sheep gut which is the innermost layer of sheep intestine called mucosa. Nowadays, these gut strings are produced from the outermost layer of the cow’s intestine called serosa owing to its advantages such as higher tensile strength, and less intestine required which ultimately leads to greater durability.
It is a completely natural product as professional stringing machines are being used for the standard development of the strings. Manufacturers pay special attention to avoiding excessive friction and kinks between the crosses and mains. Moreover, most individuals or professional tennis players prefer tennis rackets made up of natural gut tennis strings due to their advantages.
Natural gut tennis strings have their own advantages such as providing power with elasticity, tension maintenance, and comfort to the players. Strings included triple helix composition of serosa which gives a high level of elasticity. Also, natural gut strings have the ability to maintain their string tension over a long time period. Nowadays, players have shifted their preference toward natural gut strings due to their comfort as a result, players feel safe with their arm injuries and tennis elbows tend to enjoy natural gut.
Processing for the natural gut strings:
- After the strands of cow intestine arrived at string production facilities workers removed strands from the barrels and washed them completely to remove salt which is for the perseverance of the intestine en route to the facility. Softening detergent is used for washing.
- Then gut moves toward the inspection to ensure that fatty or discolored strands are removed or not. After the inspection, for producing a gauge of string strands are layered together by a specific predetermined number.
- Strands are being measured which must be 42 feet long and approximately it takes three cows to produce one set of natural gut tennis strings.
- Guts are sent to a curing tank where chemicals are used to remove that orange hue that is a natural occurrence on guts.
- Then gut keeps for humidity in the drying room for up to three weeks which consider one of the most crucial steps for producing a great set of strings.
- After ensuring the strings are completely dried sent for a smooth even finish in the grinder and then give a protective coating for durability.
- In the end, strings are checked for quality and then shipped.
What is the current scenario of the natural gut tennis strings?
Tennis players prefer durable materials worldwide due to the pressure maintenance of their bats and natural gut strings provide better pressure maintenance than any other material such as multifilament strings and synthetic tennis strings. Usually, natural gut tennis strings are flexible and softer than any other material used for making strings. Furthermore, natural strings decrease the impact shock, which provides safety to the player from the elbow and other joint injuries.
What is the future for Natural Gut Strings?
Major brands are offering advanced tennis racquets which are made up of well-developed natural gut strings. Manufacturers use new coating and improved feel of rackets according to the comfort and demand of players. Moreover, hybrid designs show a major impact on the market owing to their comfort and power-heavy string.
Major developments:
25 August 2022, Babolat launched the new Pure Aero racquet which contains natural flax fibres. It helps decrease the risk of injuries by reducing malign vibrations.
Summary:
tennis racquets made with natural gut strings are gaining popularity worldwide. It provides a comfortable and flexible experience to consumers. It provides safety by decreasing impact shock and vibrations. Moreover, the industry’s continuous research and innovation for developing new designs and better efficiency, along with the environmental concerns in the future.