The ITF Rules of Tennis as presented in the Friend at Court indicate that the hitting surface of the racquet contains a pattern of crossed strings. If I were writing the racquet specification from scratch, that is probably all I would have included about the strings. Shortest post ever. Good talk. The ITF is doesn’t let us off so easy.
After a few readings and a couple of beers, I tmay have figured out one origin of the subsequent descriptions and restrictions on the strings: To prohibit “star” stringing patterns. I think this what leads to the description that the strings have to be generally uniform and not less dense in the center than any other area. Envisioning a star stringing pattern, I can imagine a pattern where less density in the center of the racquet that would create a pocket which would theoretically enable the ball to remain on the strings longer allowing for greater directional control for the player. It would be a little bit like striking the ball with a butterfly net.
The ITF also also specifies that the stringing pattern has to create identical playing characteristics on both faces. Requiring the strings to be arranged in a crossed pattern pretty much enforces that restriction from a physics perspective. If a racquet was strung without alternating patterns of crossed strings, then I would think the spin that a player could impart from each face would be markedly different.
There is a Case ruling in Friend At Court section 4 that indicates that only one set of strings is allowed to be used in the racquet. At first reading this would seem to imply that the hybrid stringing approach that all the cool kids are using right now would be illegal since it uses different strings in the mains and the crosses, but verbiage in the decision indicates that the rules specify a pattern rather than the plural patterns of crossed strings.
An additional Case ruling indicates that if a player accidentally breaks a string that he can continue to play with the racquet unless doing so was specifically prohibited by event organizers. This begs the obvious question why does it have to be accidentally? If a player intentionally broke a string would continued play be allowed with that racquet?
I am amassing quite an inventory of questions for when I break down and take the USTA officials course. Probably I am fortunate that the initial training is all online. An instructor might kick me out of a live course.
- United States Tennis Association (2020) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
