What are grommets and when do I need new ones?
Most tennis racquets are molded without holes for the strings to go through. After molding, the unfinished frame is placed in a template and holes are drilled through the graphite. These holes have very sharp edges. If a string under tension came into contact with one of these edges, it would break very quickly. So the holes are lined with nylon tubes called “grommets”. These usually come on a long strip and for the most part each and every racquet has a grommet strip designed to fit it, exclusively. One specialized piece of the grommet strip is known as the bumperguard. It is really no different than the rest of the strip except that it has the dual function of protecting the upper rim of the frame from court abrasion. Most people will ask for a new set of grommets when they see that their bumperguard is severely worn. This is a good idea. But the internal condition of the grommets is also important. When the grommets are worn through internally, the string is no longer protected from
