Not Everyone Switched the Same Way
The adoption was not uniform, and the most instructive holdout was Roger Federer. Rather than stringing his racket entirely with polyester, Federer settled on a reverse hybrid setup he has used since 2002: natural gut in the main strings for feel and power, paired with Luxilon ALU Power Rough in the crosses for the added bite and control polyester provides. His mains are strung noticeably tighter than his crosses, a small tension gap he has maintained for most of his career. The setup captures why the polyester era did not simply replace older materials outright, it gave players a new variable to mix and match, full polyester for maximum spin and durability, hybrid setups for players who wanted some of that benefit without giving up the feel of natural gut entirely.
