When you’re out on the tennis court, you’ll want to be secure in knowing that you have made full use of every possible advantage. This means getting the best equipment that you can comfortably afford to use.
As a tennis player, you don’t need much equipment to play. However, the most crucial aspect of your kit is undoubtedly your racket, and there’s a lot of thought that goes into designing a tennis racket, so there are many features that you should ideally look out for.
We are going to be focusing on only one aspect of the racket today — the strings. In particular, we will review the Wilson Champion’s Choice Tennis Duo Hybrid String Set and highlight the highs and lows of how these strings perform.
Table of Contents
Wilson Champion’s Choice Duo Hybrid Tennis String Set
Wilson is by and large the number-one brand for a vast array of sports. From basketball to baseball to tennis, Wilson has made a name for themselves for exceptional quality and an unmatched inventory of sporting equipment and accessories. Thus, you can expect these tennis strings to offer the same level of premium quality, especially since these are designated as the “Champion’s Choice.”
Who Is This Product For?
Any tennis player looking for some high-quality tennis strings will naturally be interested in these. However, there is a bit more nuance to finding the right set of strings for your particular style.
These strings combine the Wilson Natural Gut and Luxilon ALU Power Rough strings to provide an incredibly unique feel that is comfortable to use. This makes these strings an excellent choice regardless of whether you’re new to the sport or you’ve been playing for quite some time as a professional.
However, not everyone may gel with the combination of gut and string used for the strings, such as those who prefer full-bed poly strings. Additionally, these strings are on the pricier end of the spectrum, which can deter many players who don’t have a large budget.
Specifications:
- Hybrid String Benefit
- Duo Material: Natural Gut and Poly-Ether-Ether
- String Gauge: 16G (1.30mm) and 16L (1.25mm)
- Naturally Colored
As stated above, this set of strings is designed using two different string materials, which can be jarring for some. By combining Wilson Natural Gut and Luxilon ALU Power Rough strings, Wilson has managed to achieve a happy medium between power, comfort, and control. In particular, the comfort of using these strings is what draws you in and seals the deal for you. However, as we just stated, the control is only slightly lacking, as it takes some time to get used to the hybrid string materials and benefits.
For the sake of simplicity, we will break out our review of the string set into several subsections based on how they perform in the average tennis game. We will be judging them based on their power, comfort, and control, as well as their overall strength and durability.
The Wilson Champion’s Choice string set has a noticeable pop to its power, originating from the natural gut woven alongside the poly-ether-ether strings. It may take some time to get used to if you aren’t quite used to the strength that the natural gut provides, but the change isn’t so drastic as to be impossible or not something that you can’t iron out after a bit of practice, especially since it’s not all-natural gut.
- PLAY LIKE ROGER FEDERER: OK, that may not be completely realistic, but you CAN play with his hybrid string set of choice. Roger uses Wilsons natural gut in the mains and Luxilons ALU Power Rough (a poly string made for extra spin and durability) in the crosses. The combination provides the power, comfort, and control of a natural gut, with the durability and spin generation of a poly string. Many of the touring pros followed suit and use this combo as well.
Additionally, while the power is considerable, it’s not uncontrollable. Overall, there is a bit more power than the average string setup, with a little more pop coming from the natural gut.
The main drawcard of the features for many is the comfort of using these tennis strings. Again, this is primarily attributed to the natural gut. It is incredibly soft as a string material and couples incredibly well with the poly-ether-ether, as it balances out the average rigidity and firmness of the plastic.
This creates a level of comfort unique to hybrid strings that not many people know about, as many prefer the staple all-poly string setup. In addition, when using these strings, you’ll notice a distinct pocketing of the ball that will reduce the impact transfer into your arm, removing any worry of a sore arm, wrist, or elbow and leaving you without any aches or pains after a good practice session or game.
It is practically impossible to have a set of strings perfectly balanced for optimal play, and where some aspects cause these strings to excel, some factors are slightly lacking. That isn’t to say that these strings don’t control well — in fact, far from it.
Wilson has managed to create a set of incredibly well-balanced strings, but it isn’t quite perfect yet. These strings take some getting used to regarding control. This means you may struggle initially and may have to force yourself to concentrate on your swings to play correctly, but it shouldn’t be an issue with enough practice. It can be challenging for those who are used to playing with all-poly strings, too, so be mindful of that if you’re one of those players.
Finally, we’ll touch on the strength and durability of the strings. You’ll be happy to know that these strings fit well within Wilson’s catalog of items, as they carry that same premium quality. The natural gut can hold its tension much longer than most other string types but is often prone to weakening when being installed.
Additionally, they are known to see or notch when rubbing against the poly strings, thanks to the texture difference. However, Wilson has made sure that these two materials work well together, and there is no such weakening or damage done to any of the strings. The poly-ether-ether strings themselves are incredibly durable and will serve for quite some time, as is their nature.
Pros
- Feels comfortable to use
- Prevents shock from impact transferring to the arm
- Has noticeable pop in power
- Simple to adapt to using
- Durable while playing
Cons
- On the pricier side and won’t fit into many people’s budgets
- Can take some getting used to if you’re an all-poly string player
- PLAY LIKE ROGER FEDERER: OK, that may not be completely realistic, but you CAN play with his hybrid string set of choice. Roger uses Wilsons natural gut in the mains and Luxilons ALU Power Rough (a poly string made for extra spin and durability) in the crosses. The combination provides the power, comfort, and control of a natural gut, with the durability and spin generation of a poly string. Many of the touring pros followed suit and use this combo as well.
- STRING COMPOSITION: Natural gut is made of natural serosa fibers from the cow intestine. It is still the most resilient and power returning fiber known to man. Luxilons ALU Power Rough is made of polyester and tends to be more stiff and durable.
Conclusion
While they may be on the pricier end, these strings are premium-grade and will serve well. They come with the Wilson guarantee of quality, and while they can take some practice to get complete control with them, you’ll undoubtedly see and feel the benefits of these strings in your games. After all, these are the strings used by Roger Federer.
