Grapplesnake Paradox Pro: The Next Generation of Control

When it comes to a string’s chemistry, few brands are more forward thinking than Grapplesnake. Their latest release, Paradox Pro is designed specifically to accel where traditional poly’s have fallen short.

Tension maintenance.

Playability duration.

Launchiness.

Hence, the name, Paradox Pro. So we need to get to the bottom of one question, has Paradox Pro conquered the ailments of other polyesters, or is it just another case of marketing hype?

What exactly makes Paradox Pro different?

Unfortunately, I can’t get too specific, as Grapplesnake needs to maintain the competitive advantage they’ve earned through hours of lab work, but I can say a few things. First, we are dealing with a new metal additive. Additives are like signatures for polyesters. They are the secret behind what makes one string play differently from another. Aluminum is the key to the unique feel of ALU Power. It's what adds that crisp ball pocketing sensation that ALU Power is famous for. So when you come across other silver coloured, crispy strings, designed to exude the feel of ALU Power, like Tourna Silver 7 Tour or Grapplesnake’s own, Tour Sniper, you can bet that aluminum was included in the composition.

So the addition of a new metal, in higher quantities than most strings, suggests that we should be dealing with a pretty unique feeling string. On first hit, there is a certain clarity to the hitting feel. It sounds extremely direct, almost mechanical. When you hit the ball cleanly, you get this very pure, very crisp and very rewarding sensation. This stands in direct contrast to most of the other tennis strings on the market.

The Competition

Offerings like Hyper-G, RPM Blast and Polytour Pro all have a much more muddied, plasticky feel, which makes sense when you remember that they are literally made from plastic. However, there is one string on the market that does feel very very similar to Paradox Pro.

It's the string that helped Dominic Thiem win the US Open and it's one of the worst marketed strings of all time. Babolat RPM Power. RPM Power is another string that just doesn’t play like anything else. It’s got an extremely crisp, clear hitting feel, similar to Paradox Pro and the launch angle is as low as any polyester I’ve ever tried. Close up, it kind of sounds like you are hitting the ball with dried pasta, but from the other side of the court, there’s an imposing, muted thud that is one of the deepest sounding ball strikes I’ve heard.

The downsides? RPM Power is viciously punishing at low swing speeds and it can feel dead and unforgiving to those without the ability to generate regular snapback, but what exactly makes RPM Power so unforgiving?

The snapback frankly sucks. It’s got a ton of friction, caused in part by the gritty, sandpapery texture that also gives the string a slight metallic sparkle. It’s got to be the worst to string, weaving the crosses is quite difficult due to the friction and the string squeaks like a banshee whenever you pull tension. Thankfully, even though Paradox Pro shares a similar texture, its strings just like any other poly.

The Benefits of a Low Snapback Setup

So if RPM Power is so unpleasant to both string and play with, why on earth does Thiem use it? While I haven’t actually asked him about it, I think it's a control thing. Thiem puts so much into every shot he hits, generating huge spin and power from the ground. The problem is, that huge power and spin was not always under control. Thiem had a tendency to lose to players he shouldn’t, a habit he still has, though in his prime it was mostly due to overhitting, missing balls long and wide.

I think that lower launch angle and strong directional control of RPM Power helped keep his ball down and in the court, helping him earn that maiden US Open title. While RPM Power is called “Power,” it's a pure control string, and it works best when tasked to tame the huge swings, helping big hitters keep the ball in when a traditional polyester’s snapback might have launched the ball out.

Paradox Pro

Paradox Pro delivers on these very similar promises as RPM Power. The launch angle is definitely lower than your typical polyester string. That sandpapery texture also helps grab the ball so you get better ball bite than you might expect from a traditional round poly. It’s definitely not as grippy as something with a sharp edge, like Silver 7 Tour, or a rough string like Tour Bite Diamond Rough, but the benefit is you get a much more predictable launch.

The directional control with Paradox Pro is also absolutely supreme. In fact, I think that the directional control with Paradox Pro exceeds that of RPM Power. Unlike RPM Power, Paradox Pro responds exceptionally well to flat shots. I think it works better on flat shots and it remains quite predictable at a variety of swing speeds. The response you get off the stringbed is so pure and clean feeling that you know exactly what’s going on with your contact point.

The amount of confidence this string instills in the user when operating for maximum aggression and swingspeeds might be unmatched in the string market today. The depth control is superb and I didn’t experience a single inconsistent launch. Not to mention one other area where Paradox Pro absolutely destroys RPM Power.

Just like RPM Blast, RPM Power is coated. Once that coating rubs off, which it does faster than you would hope, the playability transforms into a steaming pile of rotting garbage. Paradox Pro’s playability remains very strong, playing wonderfully for well past the 6 hour mark. I’d even go so far as to say that I preferred the playability towards the 3rd hour of play and onwards, but there’s something to be said for me “getting used” to Paradox Pro as a string.

Does Paradox Pro deliver on its goals?

I would say yes, however, it does make some sacrifices. The lack of snapback means spin is average at best. I personally found that the rougher texture of the string did not offer enough extra ball bite to make up for the reduction in snapback from an RPM’s perspective. My ball just wasn’t dipping with spin and it seemed like a less heavy ball than what I can produce with “normal” strings, like Tour M8, Tour Sniper, Toroline Wasabi or Solinco Confidential.

At this point, it’s really hard to tell if the increased depth control I can get from Paradox Pro is going to win me more points compared to the extra spin and power I’d get from something more normal. My identity as a tennis player has always been based around spin. I personally find it super satisfying to see that ball take a nosedive after clearing the net with huge margin, landing safely inside the baseline.

And that’s not even the worst part.

Comfort?

I’m very sad to report that Paradox Pro was likely a contributing factor in the tragic incident that occurred on September, 11th, 2023, when I got tennis elbow for the first time. Oddly, it’s likely not for the reason you might think.

Typically, we assume extremely stiff strings or racquets contribute to tennis elbow, but Paradox Pro is supposedly quite soft. It feels soft in the hands and it pockets the ball quite well. Two factors we often associate with a “soft poly.” So why the discomfort?

I think it comes down to two things. First, the feel is so pure and so connected that the string transmits quite a bit of vibration despite being on that feels softer. This, combined with my Whiteout, which is also quite stiff and raw, is a high vibration setup.

However, I think what hit me even harder was the lack of snapback. It’s not that spin is poor, full stop. It's that you really need to take a huge rip at the ball to generate the snapback and find the spin. This led me to over-torquing my racquet lag and windshield wiper motion, straining my elbow in both the tennis elbow location and the golfer’s elbow location.

So I hope this was something that could be fixed by going to a softer frame. Something with a more muted feel and more open string pattern to facilitate the snapback, which is why I’m hitting the VCORE 98 again. Sadly, I think my elbow is triggered by the feel of the string and it only takes a few minutes for my forearm to tighten up. It’s like my elbow has PTSD or something.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Still, the benefits of playability duration and directional control with Paradox Pro feel unignorable, so should you give them a try?

I think the appeal of Paradox Pro is much more narrow than the more widely accessible ReString Zero or Grapplesnake Tour M8. You definitely want to be like a hard hitting 4.5 player to see any benefits from this string. If you are a big flat hitter around 5.0 or higher, who uses a heavier racquet, I’d highly recommend trying this out.

If you’d like to try a set, I’ve got a link below. Purchases made through that link will directly support the creation of future tennis content.