Tennis Elbow Is Common — and Your Strings Might Be Making It Worse

If you’ve ever felt that sharp, burning ache on the outside of your elbow after a match, you’re not alone. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) affects a huge number of club players, and while technique and racket choice play a role, there’s one factor that most players completely overlook: their strings.

As a stringer based in East London, I see it constantly — players coming in with arm pain who’ve been hitting with stiff polyester strings at high tensions for months, sometimes years, without restringing. The good news? A simple string change can make a dramatic difference. This guide covers the best tennis strings for tennis elbow, the tensions to aim for, and how to set up your racket to protect your arm.

Why Your Strings Are Causing Arm Pain

Every time you strike the ball, vibration and impact shock travel up the racket, through the handle, and into your arm. Your strings are the single biggest factor in how much of that shock reaches your elbow. Three things make it worse:

• Stiff polyester strings — Poly strings are brilliant for spin and control, but they’re inherently rigid. That stiffness means they absorb less energy on impact and transmit more shock to your arm.
• High tension — The tighter the string bed, the less it gives on contact. A string bed at 58 lbs is like hitting against a wall compared to one at 48 lbs. Check our tension guide for a deeper look at how tension affects feel.
• Dead strings — This is the one most players miss. Polyester strings lose their elasticity within weeks of play. Once they go dead, they become boards — all the stiffness with none of the original performance. If you can’t remember when you last restrung, that’s a problem. Here’s how to tell if your strings need replacing.

The combination of all three — stiff poly, high tension, long overdue for a restring — is the worst-case scenario for your elbow. And it’s exactly the setup most recreational players are unknowingly using.

Best String Types for Tennis Elbow (Ranked)

Not all strings are created equal when it comes to arm comfort. Here’s how the main string types rank, from most arm-friendly to least. For a full breakdown of string categories, see our guide on how to choose tennis strings.

1. Natural Gut — The Gold Standard

Nothing beats natural gut for comfort. It’s incredibly elastic, holds tension beautifully, and absorbs shock like no synthetic can. The downside? Cost and durability. It’s the best choice if arm health is your absolute priority.

2. Multifilament — The Practical Best Choice

Multifilament strings are designed to mimic natural gut’s feel at a fraction of the price. They’re made from hundreds of micro-fibres woven together, giving them excellent shock absorption and a soft, forgiving feel. For most players with tennis elbow, this is the sweet spot of comfort, performance, and value. We go into more detail in our polyester vs multifilament comparison.

3. Soft Polyester — A Compromise

Some modern polyesters are engineered to be softer and more elastic than traditional polys. They won’t match a multifilament for comfort, but they offer significantly more spin potential. Worth considering if you’re a bigger hitter who needs some poly characteristics but wants to protect your arm.

4. Standard Polyester — Avoid If Possible

Standard polyester strings like Luxilon ALU Power or Babolat RPM Blast are fantastic strings, but they’re designed for advanced players who generate their own power and restring frequently. If you have tennis elbow, these should be the first thing you change.

Top 5 Strings for Tennis Elbow

Here are my specific recommendations, based on what I’ve seen work best for players dealing with arm pain. For more arm-friendly options, check our full best strings for comfort guide.

1. Wilson Sensation Plus

Type: Multifilament | Price at PT: £25 installed

This is the string I recommend most often for players with tennis elbow. Wilson Sensation Plus is a well-established multifilament that delivers excellent comfort, decent power, and surprising durability for a multi. It’s soft without feeling mushy, and the price makes it easy to restring regularly — which matters, because fresh strings are always more arm-friendly than dead ones. We stock this as a Tier 3 string, so it’s the most affordable option on this list.

2. Babolat Xcel

Type: Multifilament | Price: Bring your own (£20 labour)

Babolat’s premium multifilament offering. The Xcel is noticeably softer than most multis on the market, with a plush, cushioned feel that’s superb for arm comfort. It offers a touch more power than Wilson Sensation Plus and holds tension well. We don’t currently stock this one, but you’re welcome to bring your own set — we charge just £20 for labour-only restrings.

3. Tecnifibre X-One Biphase

Type: Multifilament | Price: Bring your own (£20 labour)

Widely regarded as the best multifilament on the market and the closest thing to natural gut without actually being gut. Tecnifibre’s PU400 resin coating gives it exceptional tension maintenance, meaning it stays arm-friendly for longer than most multis. If budget isn’t a concern and you want the absolute best synthetic option for tennis elbow, this is it. Grab a set online and book in with us for a labour-only restring.

4. Luxilon Element

Type: Soft polyester | Price at PT: £40 installed

If you absolutely must play with polyester — perhaps you rely on heavy topspin and feel lost without poly’s control — Luxilon Element is the softest poly I’d recommend. It uses Luxilon’s unique IRE construction for a more flexible, elastic feel compared to standard polys like ALU Power. It’s a genuine compromise option: better spin and control than any multi, but significantly more arm-friendly than a standard polyester. We stock this as a Tier 1 string.

5. Babolat VS Touch (Natural Gut)

Type: Natural gut | Price: Bring your own (£20 labour)

The ultimate arm-friendly string. Babolat VS Touch is the benchmark natural gut — used by tour professionals for decades. Nothing matches its combination of power, feel, and shock absorption. The trade-off is price (typically £35–45 per set) and durability (string breakers will chew through it). But if your arm genuinely can’t tolerate anything else, natural gut is worth every penny. Purchase a set and bring it in — we’ll string it for £20. Check our full pricing for details.

Tension Recommendations for Tennis Elbow

Switching to a softer string is only half the equation. Tension matters just as much. Here’s the key principle: lower tension = more give = less shock to your arm.

My recommendations for players with tennis elbow:

• Drop 2–4 lbs from whatever you’re currently strung at. If you’re at 55 lbs, try 51–52 lbs.
• Aim for the 48–52 lbs range as a starting point. This gives most rackets a good balance of comfort and control.
• Don’t be afraid to go lower. Some players find real relief at 44–46 lbs. You’ll lose a little control but gain significant comfort.
• Multifilaments can go slightly higher than polyesters because they’re inherently softer. A multi at 52 lbs will still feel more comfortable than a poly at 48 lbs.

For a complete breakdown of how tension affects your game, read our tennis string tension guide.

Hybrid Setups for Tennis Elbow

Can’t quite give up polyester? A hybrid setup — poly in the mains and multifilament in the crosses — is a solid compromise. You’ll retain some of poly’s spin potential while the multi crosses add cushion and shock absorption.

Good hybrid combinations for tennis elbow:

• Luxilon Element mains + Wilson Sensation Plus crosses — A full arm-friendly hybrid using strings we stock
• Solinco Hyper-G mains + Tecnifibre X-One Biphase crosses — More spin-oriented but still gentler than a full poly bed
• Any soft poly mains + natural gut crosses — The tour-favourite setup for players who need poly performance with arm protection

When stringing hybrids, I typically recommend stringing the poly mains 2 lbs higher than the multi crosses — for example, 52 lbs mains and 50 lbs crosses. This helps balance the different elasticities. We’re happy to set up any hybrid combination for you; just let us know when you book your appointment.

Other Tips to Protect Your Arm

Strings are the biggest lever you can pull, but they’re not the only one. A few other things worth checking:

• Check your grip size. A grip that’s too small forces you to squeeze harder, increasing tension through your forearm. Most players benefit from a grip that’s slightly larger rather than smaller.
• Use a vibration dampener. They won’t transform the feel of a stiff string bed, but they do reduce high-frequency vibrations that can irritate the tendons. Every little helps.
• Don’t play with dead strings. This bears repeating. Dead polyester strings are the single worst thing for tennis elbow. If you play twice a week, you should be restringing at least every couple of months. Read our guide on signs you need to restring.
• Consider your racket. Lighter, stiffer rackets tend to transmit more shock. If you’re playing with a sub-285g frame with a stiffness rating above 68, your racket might be contributing to the problem as much as your strings.
• Strengthen your forearm. Eccentric wrist exercises (like the Tyler Twist with a FlexBar) are clinically proven to help. Strings can reduce the irritation, but rehab builds the resilience.

Get Set Up With Arm-Friendly Strings

If you’re dealing with tennis elbow and playing in Hackney or anywhere in East London, we can help you find the right setup. We stock arm-friendly options starting from just £25 installed, and we’re always happy to talk through your options — whether that’s a simple multifilament restring or a custom hybrid setup.

Book your restring online or message us on WhatsApp to chat about what’s best for your arm. We offer same-day turnarounds so you won’t be off court for long.