Last updated: August 2026

Current Men’s Stars

Carlos Alcaraz

String: Babolat RPM Blast 1.30
Construction: Full bed of polyester
Reported tension: Approximately 55 lbs in the mains and 53 lbs in the crosses

Alcaraz uses a firm, spin-oriented polyester that complements his explosive racquet-head speed and aggressive baseline game.

Jannik Sinner

String: HEAD Hawk Touch 1.30
Construction: Full bed of polyester
Reported tension: Approximately 61 lbs

Sinner uses one of the highest polyester tensions on the professional tour. His setup provides the control necessary for his exceptionally fast and powerful groundstrokes.

Novak Djokovic

Main strings: Babolat VS Touch natural gut 1.30
Cross strings: Luxilon ALU Power Rough 1.25
Construction: Natural-gut/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 59 lbs in the mains and 56 lbs in the crosses

Djokovic’s hybrid combines the power, comfort and tension maintenance of natural gut with the control and spin potential of polyester.

Alexander Zverev

Main strings: HEAD Hawk Touch
Cross strings: Babolat VS Touch natural gut
Construction: Polyester/natural-gut hybrid
Reported tension: Commonly reported between approximately 45 and 55 lbs

Zverev frequently makes precise tension adjustments based on court and playing conditions. His polyester mains emphasize control, while the natural-gut crosses provide additional power and feel.

Taylor Fritz

Main strings: Babolat VS Touch natural gut
Cross strings: HEAD Hawk polyester
Construction: Natural-gut/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 55 lbs in the mains and 51 lbs in the crosses

Fritz’s setup combines the power and feel of natural gut with the control of a polyester cross. His exact tension can vary according to tournament conditions.

Ben Shelton

Main strings: Yonex Poly Tour Strike
Cross strings: Yonex Poly Tour Pro
Construction: Polyester/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 57 lbs in the mains and 54 lbs in the crosses

Shelton’s relatively firm setup provides control for his powerful serve and aggressive left-handed game. Higher tensions of approximately 60/57 lbs have also been reported.

Current Women’s Stars

Aryna Sabalenka

Main strings: Luxilon ALU Power
Cross strings: Luxilon Ace
Construction: Polyester/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Not reliably published

Sabalenka combines two control-oriented polyester strings to complement her exceptionally powerful baseline game.

Iga Świątek

String: Tecnifibre Razor Code 1.25
Construction: Full bed of polyester
Reported tension: Approximately 53 lbs

Świątek’s polyester setup supplies control and spin for her fast, modern groundstrokes and heavy forehand.

Coco Gauff

String: Luxilon ALU Power 1.25
Construction: Full bed of polyester
Reported tension: Approximately 53 lbs

Gauff uses one of the best-known polyester strings in professional tennis. ALU Power provides a crisp, controlled response for her powerful and athletic game.

Elena Rybakina

String: Yonex Poly Tour Fire 1.25
Construction: Full bed of polyester
Reported tension: Approximately 56 lbs

Poly Tour Fire provides a firm and controlled response that complements Rybakina’s powerful serve and clean, penetrating groundstrokes.

Naomi Osaka

Main strings: Yonex Poly Tour Strike
Cross strings: Babolat VS Touch natural gut
Construction: Polyester/natural-gut hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 59 lbs in the mains and 56 lbs in the crosses

Osaka’s hybrid emphasizes control from the polyester mains while the natural-gut crosses add power, comfort and feel.

Jessica Pegula

String: Commonly reported as Luxilon ALU Power
Construction: Polyester; some reports have identified a hybrid setup
Reported tension: Not reliably confirmed

Pegula’s exact setup has not been consistently documented publicly. This is a good example of why professional string information should be treated as a reported reference rather than a permanent specification.

Greatest Men of All Time

Roger Federer

Main strings: Babolat VS Touch natural gut 1.30
Cross strings: Luxilon ALU Power Rough 1.25
Construction: Natural-gut/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Usually between 50 and 55 lbs

Federer helped popularize the modern natural-gut/polyester hybrid. The natural-gut mains provided exceptional power and feel, while the polyester crosses added control and spin.

Rafael Nadal

String: Babolat RPM Blast 1.35
Construction: Full bed of polyester
Reported tension: Approximately 55 lbs

Nadal’s thick, spin-oriented polyester complemented his extreme racquet-head speed and heavy topspin. He was also known for remaining remarkably consistent with his equipment.

Novak Djokovic

Main strings: Babolat VS Touch natural gut 1.30
Cross strings: Luxilon ALU Power Rough 1.25
Construction: Natural-gut/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 59 lbs in the mains and 56 lbs in the crosses

Djokovic’s relatively firm hybrid provides a combination of control, stability, comfort and responsiveness.

Pete Sampras

String: Babolat VS natural gut
Construction: Full bed of natural gut
Reported tension: Approximately 70–75 lbs

Sampras used natural gut at an extremely high tension in his small Wilson Pro Staff 85. The result was a very firm and controlled string bed with outstanding feel.

Andre Agassi

Main strings: Ashaway Kevlar
Cross strings: Natural gut
Construction: Kevlar/natural-gut hybrid
Reported tension: Frequently reported around 65–70 lbs, although his setup changed during his career

Agassi’s extremely durable and controlled Kevlar hybrid suited his powerful baseline game. He experimented with different strings, including polyester, during later portions of his career.

Björn Borg

String: Natural gut
Construction: Full bed of natural gut
Reported tension: Frequently reported near 80 lbs

Borg used natural gut at an exceptionally high tension in a small wooden racquet. His equipment was dramatically different from the larger and more powerful racquets used today.

Greatest Women of All Time

Serena Williams

Main strings: Wilson natural gut
Cross strings: Luxilon 4G
Construction: Natural-gut/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 64 lbs

Serena used a firm hybrid that supplied the power and feel of natural gut with the control and durability of Luxilon 4G.

Steffi Graf

String: Natural gut
Construction: Full bed of natural gut
Reported tension: Often reported in the upper 70s to low 80s

Graf played during an era when natural gut and much higher tensions were common. Her firm string bed provided control for her powerful forehand and precise attacking game.

Martina Navratilova

String: Natural gut
Construction: Full bed of natural gut
Reported tension: Exact tension is not reliably documented

Natural gut provided the touch, power and feel suited to Navratilova’s exceptional serve-and-volley game.

Chris Evert

String: Natural gut
Construction: Full bed of natural gut
Reported tension: Exact tension is not reliably documented

Evert’s natural-gut setup offered excellent feel and consistency for her precise groundstrokes and remarkably controlled baseline game.

Venus Williams

Main strings: Wilson natural gut
Cross strings: Luxilon 4G
Construction: Natural-gut/polyester hybrid
Reported tension: Approximately 66 lbs in the mains and 64 lbs in the crosses

Venus used a relatively firm version of the natural-gut/polyester hybrid, providing control for her powerful serve and aggressive groundstrokes.

Monica Seles

String: Natural gut
Construction: Full bed of natural gut
Reported tension: Approximately 83–92 lbs at different points in her career

Seles was famous for using extraordinarily high tensions in her large Yonex racquets. Her setup remains one of the most extreme examples in professional tennis history.

Should You Copy a Professional’s Setup?

Professional string setups are fascinating, but they are not necessarily appropriate for recreational players.

Tour professionals generate tremendous racquet-head speed, use heavily customized racquets and have their racquets restrung extremely frequently. A high-tension polyester setup that provides control for a professional player could feel stiff, underpowered and uncomfortable to a recreational player.

Professional setups are best used for inspiration—not as automatic recommendations. Your ideal string and tension should be selected according to your racquet, playing style, swing speed, desired performance, string-breaking frequency and history of arm discomfort.

If you are unsure which string construction or tension would work best for you, Thyroff Racket Stringing can help you select a setup suited to your individual game.