No, this is not about cheating! At least on-court cheating.

This is about cheating the players that have their racquets strung at tournaments!

Tournaments are tough enough on parents due to travel, scheduling, equipment, and racquet stringing. Many times the player must have a racquet, or racquets, strung during the tournament.   If, and when, the racquets return to me I see, in too many cases, they are not getting their money’s worth! They are being cheated!

The problems range from poor workmanship, bad knots, cross-overs, to incredibly inconsistent string beds. Inconsistent string stiffness from side to side and generally too “soft” or “hard” string beds are common as well as serious racquet distortion.

Does this mean the player is going to loose? No, of course not,but it is not giving the player the best performance they, and their racquet, are capable of.

I know the cost of stringing at a tournament is generally not “too” high but not getting what you pay for is very expensive. These poorly strung racquets need to be re-done and that is an additive cost that makes playing tournaments even more expensive.

I urge that tournament directors, parents, and players demand better stringing at the tournament site. And, if the racquet is not properly done it should not be charged. The problem is the person picking up the racquet may not know if it is right or wrong, good or bad!

I know some of these “stringers” try very hard but they may not have equipment required to affect a really good result. Other “stringers” simply don’t know, or care about, what they are tasked to do. It shows!

Players: make sure your parents know you need racquets strung before you go to a tournament.

Parents: have as many racquets as possible prepared by your regular racquet technician before the tournament. This can actually save some money!

Players: don’t accept racquets that are not properly done. Don’t blame the racquet for poor performance if you accept it!

Parents: don’t pay for racquets that are not properly done. Let me know if you are not sure what to look for.

Parents: take at least three (3) racquets to every tournament.

Parents: if you think you are not getting the quality you deserve send me the tournament name and I will reach out to them and suggest they attend the Annual IART Symposium where all stringers learn how to do a better job…for you!