Tecnifibre XR 1 130/16 gauge Tennis String Review

January 11th, 2012

Tecnifibre recently released a mono-multi-filament tennis string they call “XR 1”. I obtained a set from Do It Tennis and strung my racquet (player’s racquet / 100” headsize) at 58 lbs.

MARKETING
Tecnifibre, a French Company, makes XR 1in France. The packaging states that XR 1 has “maximum playability” and “maximum comfort”. The center of the string has a rectangular monocore for durability and enhanced feel. Its inner material, Tecnifibre says, has 400% elasticity for ultimate comfort. XR 1 also has 1125 multi-filaments which surround the core for enhanced dynamic performance. Finally, its exterior has an anti-abrasion coating to increase durability.

STRINGING
Working with XR 1 is a pleasure. It is a pliable string that has little coil memory. It is very easy to weave the cross strings. The anti-abrasion coating, however, made the string a little “slippery”—I had to wipe my hands a few times to maintain a good grip.

GROUNDSTROKES / SPIN
XR 1 really delivers on its statement about playability—this string has incredible feel! I was able to consistently deliver deep shots with excellent pace. It encourages one to swing hard because it allows controlled power which makes hitting a ball HARD a great deal of FUN! (It’s not fun when you hit hard and they go “out”!). It is also much softer than a poly string and I really noticed how little shock and vibration was transmitted to my arm. And it sounds good too!

VOLLEY
XR 1 provides excellent power on volleys. I could accurately sense where the ball hit on my racquet (again—wonderful feel!). This string is a solid performer at the net.

SERVES & OVERHEADS
I discovered that XR 1 also increased the power of my serves, even with the same service motion and racquet head speed. Accuracy on serves and overheads was excellent. I did not observe as much spin on 2nd serves when compared to some other textured or poly strings, but its overall performance outweighed this minor issue.

TOUCH
XR 1 plays very similar to natural gut when it comes to “touch” shots. I felt in control and could sense exactly what the ball was doing and where it should be going. Slice, drop-shots, lobs, etc. were all well played.

SUMMARY
Tecnifibre XR 1 is a very high-quality synthetic gut tennis string. It reminds me of natural gut in many ways, but allows me to hit as if it were a polyester string! I could tell that it is very “arm friendly”—very little shock and vibration were noted. After over 20 hours of playing the strings still are not “moving” (but I am sure the will eventually). And the strings have not yet shown any real signs of wear.

I think XR 1 is a fantastic string for just about any tennis player. I believe it won’t last as long as some other “durable” stings, but that’s OK with me. I’d gladly string my racquet every 2-3 months, if necessary, to obtain the many benefits this string offers.

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