Natural Gut, The King Of All Strings

Natural gut has been regarded as the premiere tennis string since the early 1800s. It has been, and remains, the most frequently used string on the pro tour. The history of natural gut tennis string dates back almost to the beginning of tennis itself - the first set of natural gut tennis string was manufactured by Pierre Babolat in 1875. Fifty years later, Babolat would launch VS Brand Gut. Seventy-eight years later, VS Brand Gut continues to be one of the most recognized brands of natural gut.  There has been a constant development of synthetic strings since shortly after natural gut found its way into a tennis racquet. With each advancement in technology comes a new string that the manufacturer claims will "play more like gut" than its predecessor. However, for the tennis purist natural gut remains king. Yes, some may argue that natural gut costs more than a multifilament synthetic, but to many players the performance more than justifies the expense.

 

What is Natural Gut?

Contrary to some beliefs, the source of natural gut tennis string is the cow. Well, not the whole cow, just a part of its intestine called the serosa.

 

What makes Natural Gut so Special?

The structural design of natural gut makes it unique and gives it superior performance qualities for a tennis string. The collagen found in serosa has a molecular make-up that is designed to withstand the stretching and contraction of the intestine. Collagen is a major fibrous component of many types of connective tissue and it is the elasticity of the material that makes it a good source for tennis string. The collagen in the serosa is made up of a triple helix molecular structure. A triple helix features three bands of ribbons that are braided in a rope like fashion. The braided formation of the helix not only provides good elasticity; it also manages to provide a cushioning aspect to the material. The result is that a natural gut tennis string not only offers good power and elasticity when at tension in a racquet, but it is also very easy on the arm.

A racquet strung with nylon will play with a stiffer and less forgiving stringbed than one strung with natural gut. With less tension increase natural gut will be more forgiving in play, placing less stress on a player's arm and shoulder. The cushioning aspects that are built into the molecular structure of natural gut makes it the most arm friendly string available, and it is often recommended for players suffering from tennis elbow.

The fact that natural gut plays softer than synthetic strings creates another advantage in the playability characteristics of natural gut. What players call 'ball pocketing' - a sense of prolonged dwell time of the ball on the strings - leads to a greater sense of control when playing with natural gut. Many players like the feel of natural gut because they feel more connected to what is happening with the ball as it impacts the stringbed.

Natural gut is also better than synthetic strings at holding tension. Do you like that fresh strung feeling? You'll get to enjoy it longer with natural gut in your racquet. Here the appeal to professional players becomes more obvious. When professional players break a gut string they can reach for a new racquet and be confident that it will play and feel similar to the one they were just using.

Because it maintains tension so well, natural gut will continue to offer its superior playability characteristics for the duration of its life. Players who do not frequently break strings may find natural gut to be a better value than synthetic strings. Rather than having to cut out and replace 'bagged-out' synthetic strings, a player using natural gut can continue to benefit from the playability of the string until it breaks.