Professional tennis players use strings such as Babolat RPM Team, HEAD Hawk Touch, Tecnifibre Razor Soft, Luxilon ALU Power and Yonex PolyTour Fire. The exact choice varies between players, and knowing the product name does not necessarily reveal the complete setup.
This guide focuses on active players in the ATP and WTA singles top 10 in the November 2, 2026 rankings, with equipment information checked on November 3. It separates documented string use from endorsements because a manufacturer’s product listing does not always confirm a player’s match strings, gauge or tension.
What Strings Do Top ATP Players Use?
The following table covers five prominent players from the current ATP top 10.
| Player | ATP ranking | String identified by the manufacturer | Published information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Zverev | 1 | HEAD Hawk Touch | HEAD identifies him as an endorser |
| Jannik Sinner | 2 | HEAD Hawk Touch | HEAD identifies him as an endorser |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 3 | Babolat RPM Team | Listed on his current Babolat profile and identified in Babolat’s tournament reporting |
| Ben Shelton | 4 | Yonex PolyTour Force and PolyTour Pro | Both appear in Yonex’s September 2026 equipment report |
| Daniil Medvedev | 5 | Tecnifibre Razor Soft White | Listed among the products on his official Tecnifibre profile |
These disclosures establish product associations, but they do not all provide complete main-and-cross specifications. In particular, HEAD’s endorsement listings should not be treated as dated match-stringing records.
Carlos Alcaraz: Babolat RPM Team
Babolat’s current Alcaraz profile lists RPM Team, and its June 2025 Roland Garros report explicitly identifies that string in his racket. Older Babolat material named RPM Blast, which explains why both products appear in equipment articles.
RPM Team and RPM Blast are separate strings. The newer manufacturer information supports listing RPM Team here, without carrying over an older gauge or tension figure. Our Babolat RPM Team review explains the product’s construction and intended response.
Ben Shelton: Two Yonex Strings
Yonex’s September 2026 US Open equipment report names PolyTour Force and PolyTour Pro for Shelton. Both belong to the manufacturer’s polyester string range.
The report does not specify which goes in the mains or crosses. That detail matters when recreating a combination, so the order of the product names should not be interpreted as stringing instructions.
What Strings Do Top WTA Players Use?
Current manufacturer information also identifies several strings associated with leading women’s players.
| Player | WTA ranking | String identified by the manufacturer | Published information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elena Rybakina | 1 | Yonex PolyTour Fire 125 | Yonex’s player profile lists this as her string |
| Aryna Sabalenka | 2 | Luxilon ALU Power 125 | Wilson identifies it as her string of choice |
| Coco Gauff | 4 | HEAD Lynx Touch | HEAD identifies her as an endorser, rather than confirming a complete match setup |
| Iga Swiatek | 9 | Tecnifibre Razor Code White | Listed among the products on her official Tecnifibre profile |
| Marta Kostyuk | 10 | Luxilon 4G | Luxilon identifies it alongside her racket in its Wimbledon reporting |
Rybakina’s official Yonex profile specifies the 125 version of PolyTour Fire, while Wilson names ALU Power 125 for Sabalenka. Neither listing supplies a complete tournament-by-tournament stringing specification.
Swiatek’s listed Razor Code White is a different product from Medvedev’s Razor Soft White. Kostyuk provides another example with Luxilon 4G, showing why a brand name alone is not enough to identify a player’s string.
Gauff’s entry needs particular care: HEAD confirms her Lynx Touch endorsement, but that does not establish the strings installed in every competition racket. It would be misleading to turn that endorsement into a precise full-bed or hybrid specification.
Do Professionals Use Full Polyester or Hybrid Strings?
A full bed uses the same string throughout the racket. A hybrid combines different strings in the mains, which run lengthways, and the crosses, which run across the head.
A hybrid does not have to combine natural gut and polyester. It can also pair two different polyester strings, or combine polyester with a nylon-based string. The materials, diameters and placement all matter.
Natural gut has a more elastic response than polyester, but adding it to a hybrid does not make every combination equally soft or suitable for every player. The complete guide to choosing tennis strings explains the main material categories and how they differ.
For a specific retail example, the Wilson Champion’s Choice hybrid review examines a natural-gut and polyester pairing. Buying a hybrid package still leaves decisions about orientation and tension.
What String Tension Do Professional Players Use?
There is no single professional tension to copy. A useful specification needs the player, tournament, date, racket, string diameter and separate main-and-cross tensions where applicable.
Jessica Pegula, ranked No. 5 in the November 2 WTA rankings, explained this at Indian Wells in March 2026. She said she prepares rackets at three or four different tensions, notices changes with the weather and sometimes switches rackets during a match to find a better feel.
A number attached permanently to a player’s name misses those adjustments. Even an authentic stringing label describes one requested setup, rather than a universal specification for that player.
For your own racket, the guide to choosing string tension provides a more useful starting point than an unexplained tour figure.
Should You Copy a Professional Player’s Strings?
A professional’s string can be worth investigating, but matching the product name does not recreate the whole racket. Manufacturers acknowledge that their players may use customized equipment, and differences in the frame can affect how a familiar string feels.
That distinction is particularly relevant with pro-stock tennis rackets. A retail racket with similar cosmetics is not necessarily identical to the frame used in competition.
Before trying a professional player’s string, establish what you want to change in your current setup:
- Product: Match the exact name, rather than choosing another string from the same family.
- Diameter: Record the gauge you test instead of assuming the player uses that version.
- Arrangement: Specify a full bed or identify the mains and crosses.
- Tension: Choose a suitable starting point for your racket and string combination.
- Comparison: Keep the other variables consistent so you can judge what changed.
Use the professional association to build a shortlist. Then assess the string through your own rally depth, serving, returning and feel at impact, rather than treating a top-10 player’s choice as a recommendation for everyone.