Ranked on lab data

Best tennis strings fortension maintenance

It goes dead a week after stringing. Every one of 783 currently-produced strings carrying the measurements this ranking needs was scored against it — these are the 15 that came out on top, capped at two per brand so gauge variants of one string cannot fill the list.

  1. 1

    Pacific

    Prime Gut Orange Bull 16L (1.25)

    GutGauge 16L1.27 mm
    100%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 99% of the database
  2. 2

    Pacific

    Prime Gut Orange Bull 16 (1.30)

    GutGauge 161.27 mm
    100%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 99% of the database
  3. 3

    Gamma

    Ocho TNT 17 (1.25)

    NylonGauge 171.34 mm
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database
  4. 4

    Tecnifibre

    HDX Tour 16 (1.30)

    Nylon/PolyesterGauge 16
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 97% of the database
  5. 5

    Babolat

    VS Touch 15L (1.35)

    GutGauge 15L1.31 mm
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 99% of the database
  6. 6

    Klip

    Legend 17 (1.25)

    GutGauge 171.31 mm
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 98% of the database
  7. 7

    Wilson

    Natural Gut 16 (1.30)

    GutGauge 161.33 mm
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 97% of the database
  8. 8

    Luxilon

    Natural Gut 1.25

    Gut1.31 mm
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 98% of the database
  9. 9

    Gamma

    Synthetic Gut 17 (1.25)

    NylonGauge 171.34 mm
    98%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database
  10. 10

    Tecnifibre

    HDX Tour 17 (1.24)

    Nylon/PolyurethaneGauge 171.16 mm
    98%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 88% of the database
  11. 11

    Babolat

    Xcel French Open Black 16

    NylonGauge 161.30 mm
    97%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 98% of the database
    • Livelier than 96% of the database
  12. 12

    Yonex

    Dynawire 16 (1.30)

    NylonGauge 161.25 mm
    97%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 97% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database
  13. 13

    Tourna

    Quasi-Gut Armor 16

    Nylon/PolyesterGauge 161.26 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 98% of the database
    • Livelier than 88% of the database
  14. 14

    Klip

    Legend 16 Uncoated

    GutGauge 161.32 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 96% of the database
    • Livelier than 99% of the database
  15. 15

    Gosen

    AK Pro CX 17 (1.24)

    NylonGauge 171.22 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 96% of the database
    • Livelier than 93% of the database

The same ranking, without gut

Seven of the 15 above are gut, which is an honest result and an unhelpful page — it wins this ranking outright and costs several times what anything else does. Ruled out before scoring rather than penalised during it, so the fit percentages below stay honest about what is left.

  1. 1

    Gamma

    Ocho TNT 17 (1.25)

    NylonGauge 171.34 mm
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database
  2. 2

    Tecnifibre

    HDX Tour 16 (1.30)

    Nylon/PolyesterGauge 16
    99%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 97% of the database
  3. 3

    Gamma

    Synthetic Gut 17 (1.25)

    NylonGauge 171.34 mm
    98%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database
  4. 4

    Tecnifibre

    HDX Tour 17 (1.24)

    Nylon/PolyurethaneGauge 171.16 mm
    98%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 88% of the database
  5. 5

    Babolat

    Xcel French Open Black 16

    NylonGauge 161.30 mm
    97%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 98% of the database
    • Livelier than 96% of the database
  6. 6

    Yonex

    Dynawire 16 (1.30)

    NylonGauge 161.25 mm
    97%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 97% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database
  7. 7

    Tourna

    Quasi-Gut Armor 16

    Nylon/PolyesterGauge 161.26 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 98% of the database
    • Livelier than 88% of the database
  8. 8

    Gosen

    AK Pro CX 17 (1.24)

    NylonGauge 171.22 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 96% of the database
    • Livelier than 93% of the database
  9. 9

    Wilson

    Synthetic Gut Power 17 (1.25)

    NylonGauge 171.33 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 96% of the database
    • Livelier than 96% of the database
  10. 10

    Wilson

    Sensation Control 16 (1.30)

    NylonGauge 161.30 mm
    96%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 97% of the database
    • Livelier than 86% of the database
  11. 11

    Head

    Velocity MLT 17 (1.25)

    NylonGauge 171.25 mm
    95%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 96% of the database
    • Livelier than 92% of the database
  12. 12

    Gosen

    AK Pro Spin 15L (1.38)

    NylonGauge 15L1.30 mm
    95%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 99% of the database
    • Livelier than 74% of the database
  13. 13

    Yonex

    Mono Preme 16 (1.30)

    NylonGauge 161.31 mm
    95%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 97% of the database
    • Livelier than 84% of the database
  14. 14

    Babolat

    Origin 16 (1.30)

    NylonGauge 161.32 mm
    95%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 96% of the database
    • Livelier than 90% of the database
  15. 15

    Tourna

    Synthetic Gut Armor 17

    Nylon/PolyesterGauge 171.30 mm
    94%fit
    • Holds its tension better than 94% of the database
    • Livelier than 95% of the database

What "tension maintenance" is actually ranked on

Least tension shed under the test protocol, with a nudge toward strings that stay lively as well as staying at tension.

Each string is scored on where it sits in the database on each measurement above, never on an absolute figure, so the ranking is always relative to what actually exists. How these numbers are made →

Make this specific to your racquet

This page ranks the database on the need alone. String pattern, head size and frame stiffness each move the answer, and a stiff frame removes the firmest quarter of the database outright rather than merely ranking it down — the finder applies all of that and shows you which picks changed as a result.

Add your racquet to this ranking Browse all 788 strings

Ranked for something else