Ok, I know I’m opening a can of worms when this debate is discussed but what does 2 of the 3 G.O.A.T. contenders have in common? Their strings of choice. Natural gut in the mains and a monofilament in the crosses.

Natural gut has been part of tennis since 1875 and it continues to be used by professionals today. Typically natural gut is strung in the mains AND crosses but I think a full bed of natural gut is like too much of a good thing. Especially in today’s powerful modern racquets. But as a hybrid it opens up into something amazing. Natural gut in the mains but the crosses will be a smooth monofilament (such as most polys).

Why do they hybrid natural gut with poly? Well, they do this because most polys are a monofilament and have a smooth surface. You want something smooth because it allows the main strings to slide back and forth freely, imparting more spin on the ball. However, as you know of the theme from my entire site, polys die quickly and lose their playability and tension within hours of playing.

Isn’t PEEK ALSO a smooth monofilament, you say? Why not put PEEK in the cross strings?! Genius!!

So you get the same spin affect when you cross the natural gut with PEEK. But in addition, this hybrid feels like a full bed of natural gut (softer and more arm friendly) but capable of so much more spin. And on top of that, PEEK lasts so much longer than poly (it doesn’t loose playability like poly), effectively giving you a string that remains playable throughout the ENTIRE life of the string. The smooth and slick PEEK monofilament crosses help the mains snap back every time. Like. EVERY. TIME. It plays BETTER than a full bed of natural gut. It’s natural gut on steroids.

And contrary to what you might think, I personally think natural gut is one of the more economical strings. Why? Because I don’t restring this as frequently as I would any other synthetic or co-poly because it remains playable until it breaks. This hybrid sometimes lasts over 6 months in my racquet before they break and it remains playable the ENTIRE time! Natural gut’s organic fibers stay stretchy and playable until they break/die. I’ve found that longevity to be the same with PEEK, even though it is a synthetic. So your initial up front costs are higher but you’ll re-string far less often. Debate is OVER!

• Contains animal fibers
• 60lbs max tension
• the advanced coating on this gut allows it to be used in humid weather
• works best in 18×19, 16×20 or 18×20 racquets (or racquets with tighter string patterns)
• To keep this hybrid feeling fresh, I recommend rubbing beeswax on it before and/or after every time you play
• maintains tension extremely well
• Don’t store this in the trunk of your car on a hot day
• humidity & temp affects how the natural gut plays (plays stiff in cold & dry weather)