The Perfect Fit: Striking Match

Revitalize your swing and serve nothing but aces with a customized tennis racket.

 

The Perfect Fit: Striking Match

Dropping string tension and using multifilament string are customized racket changes that can reduce pain from ailments like tennis elbow.
Dropping string tension and using multifilament string are customized racket changes that can reduce pain from ailments like tennis elbow.

   The perils of tennis lie in the common thinking that any racket will do when it comes to equipment. “People will say ‘just give me a racket and I will learn to play with it,’” says Roddy Cantey, owner of ProAm Tennis (239-597-1222) in Naples. “[But] you don’t want to work for the racket. You want the racket to work for you.”

   As a master racket technician, certified by the United States Racquet Stringers Association, Cantey works with clients to perform a thorough evaluation of their tennis game, from understanding their style and habits to adjusting for any physical limitations. Some sport-related ailments, such as tennis elbow, may actually be linked to a poor-quality racket and its effect on a player’s stroke, according to Cantey. Making changes, such as dropping the string tension and using multifilament string that pockets the ball better, can help players minimize some of the pain, he says.

Restringing a tennis racket with customized tension and strings

   After evaluating clients, Cantey offers any of the rackets that ProAm Tennis carries for complimentary demos. Clients are encouraged to select several rackets at a time to practice with and then return to share their likes and dislikes with Cantey, who is also a teaching professional certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association. This feedback, along with that of their local pro, leads to the selection of the racket frame and grip, followed by the strings.

   “The racket is only half about the frame,” Cantey says. “The strings are the second half because they are, hopefully, what is going to touch the ball every single time.”  

   With 150 types of strings and varying tension designed to cater to a player’s specific needs, Cantey strives to deliver the perfect individualized product. “The fun thing about this is no one person is going to have the same racket as the next,” he says.

 

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