Gamma Professional String Review

An Interview with Tiffani

Gamma Professional isn't natural gut, but in the minds of a great many players it is the next best thing. While some multifilaments can feel mushy, Gamma Professional manages to balance genuine comfort with refreshing crispness. This superior feel creates a heightened sense of the ball and leads to above average control for such a lively string. Given its impressive history as one of the game's best multifilaments, we decided to have one of our multifilament experts put it to the test. Here is what she said.

Power

The power level was really enjoyable. There's a good amount of pop from the stringbed, but it's very controllable. From the baseline my usual swing resulted in better than average pace. I prefer hitting groundstrokes, and they're my strongest strokes, but I especially appreciated the liveliness of the string at the net. When I didn't hit the ball cleanly on volleys the Professional 17 was forgiving enough and responsive enough to send the ball back over the net.

Spin

I felt there was decent enough grab on the ball. Though I play a mostly flat game, I didn't struggle to hit topspin or slice backhands. The spin I put on the ball was moderate, but adequate. It's not the first string I would turn to if I were looking to add spin to my game, but there is enough spin to control the power.

Control

I thought the control was great, mostly because of the feel. This is a soft multi, but it has a clean, not mushy, feel. I like that. It helps me feel more connected to the ball and in turn more controlled. There was a noticeable tension drop over the first few hours, but it didn't drastically affect control. It felt slightly softer and perhaps a little harder to control, but it only took me a few minutes to feel dialed in once again. The tension drop also seemed to level out. After hour five or so I didn't feel like it was losing more tension -- something that I have noticed with some other multis.

Comfort

As I said, this is a soft multi, and it's very comfortable. Though it's been a while since I've hit with a full bed of natural gut, I think the comfort level is comparable. This string isn't jarring on the arm at all, and it remains comfortable throughout the life of the string.

Compared to other strings

This has some similarities to gut with its comfortable feel and ease of power. However, I think I would compare this to Tecnifibre X-One Biphase since they're both multifilament strings. Professional feels a little softer, but both have that same clean feel at ball strike. Professional seems to drop tension a bit faster than X-One Biphase.

What do you like most about it?

I like the combination of power and control. What it really boils down to is the feel. It is powerful like other multifilaments, but Professional offers good feel, which allowed me to hit with control -- even as a flat hitter who doesn't use spin to drop the ball in. The response is also comfortable without being mushy.

Who would you recommend this to?

Players who want, or need, a string that's easy on the arm but don't want the feel to be too soft or mushy would enjoy this string. It's powerful, yet very easy to control. It also might be a nice alternative for someone who likes the playability of natural gut but wants something less costly.

String
Gamma Live Wire Professional 17/1.27 String Price: $16.49