Excellent work and quick turnaround. I used different stringers before. But this is the best. read more

Grand Central Racquet Stringers - Sporting Goods Near Me - New York, New York

I've heard about this place before.. but I was never able to find it. Grand Central is huge! I popped my strings and needed my racquet asap. I called them and they helped me find the shop. I dropped my racquet off before work and picked it up on the same day after work! How convenient! Full gut for approx $75 and the guy working there is super friendly! Excellent! (Btw.. The shop is located on the 45 Street side inside Grand Central near the Dunkin Donuts. If you can't find the shop, just call them). Near track 38. read more

Grand Central Racquet Stringers - Thank you! - Sporting Goods Near Me - New York, New York

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This review is geared toward all the ignorant critics who keep posting reviews claiming "well, the internet was much cheaper than Grand Central Racquet." Of course, the internet is cheaper!!! Of course, GCR will be more expensive. Of course, GCR's prices are more expensive than Middle-of-Nowhere, USA where you used to play tennis. But you now live in Manhattan with more than 8 million people--most of which play tennis and need rackets re-strung. Apparently, those ignorant critics don't know how to run a business (with pricing, margins, and the costs of the high NYC real estate rents being super-close to Grand Central Terminal for your ease.) [No, I don't work for GCR. They are not my friends.] Yet, yes, indeed, I have always found Mark (@GCR) to be incredibly helpful and accommodating...both in-person and over-the-phone. Twice before (including two days ago), I had broken strings while playing in Central Park--and Mark has always shown the ability to restring my racket much quicker than the Central Park pro shop could--since I had scheduled to play the very next day. So, yeah, if you want to pay internet-level prices for your strings or grips, then go do that. It'll take you several days waiting around for it, but please, go ahead and do that...rather than going on Yelp to rip a hard-working, friendly small business in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. And critics, go comparison shop with the Central Park Pro Shop or Paragon Sports, and you'll see that they are typically 5-10% more expensive than GCR. read more

As a huge tennis fan, it was a godsend to discover Grand Central Racquet so close to home. I have visited over five occasions in recent weeks as I was seeking to demo racquets before settling on a new racquet purchase. While the demo selection varies on a walk-in basis, it is simple to call in and reserve a demo. The $5/day demo program is awesome, with up to $50 worth of demos going towards the purchase of a new racquet. Mark is here most weekdays, and is a well of information about racquets, strings, you name it. I would stop by the location just to chat about tennis. Though I have not been to the larger Herald Square location (NYC Racquet Sports), all the locations (including the National Tennis Center Pro Shop) are under the same management, which is especially convenient if you are demoing a racquet at the NTC. There is no better place to go for your tennis needs. read more

Mark here is the man. Please support mom and pop shops. I had one of the best conversations in NY with this man. He's super passionate about tennis and his craft and overall a wonderful conversationalist. My racquet looks renewed and beautiful now! Also, it's in grand central terminal, which is pretty cool. read more

I am really disappointed with this place. I am admittedly not the most knowledgeable person about squash racquets - which is why I came here, because I thought they would do a good job explaining the correct strings for my racquet. The guy behind the counter was a total sleaze. He pressured me into getting an expensive string ($30) - which is fine - but then he said I needed a new grip. He pulled one off the shelf and said it would be perfect for my racquet and would cost $12. That sounded a little fishy, but I know nothing about squash racquets so said o.k. When I got back to myoffice, I did a little Internet research and found that grips should go for much cheaper. I came back to pick up my racquet today. When I got there (lucky for me) the guy behind the counter's boss was there. When he saw my racquet he said to the guy who sold me the grip "why'd you put a tennis grip on his racquet?" It turned out he did so because it was more expensive than squash grips, and he wanted to make a few more bucks off me. To make matters worse, though, he claimed I had requested this grip even though it wasn't right, but it was THE ONLY GRIP HE SHOWED ME. Additionally, he told me the grip was perfect for my racquet. I am incredibly disappointed in this store, and will warn all potential customers NOT to use their services. read more

Reliable place to get your racket strung. Even if you have a match later in the day, you can be sure they'll get your racket done if you drop it off in the morning. Jahdiel and Mark are very helpful, nice and friendly. In terms of prices, I think that it's relatively more expensive here probably to cover their costs to run their expensive midtown location. But the place is really small. Tip: Ask for a discount if you're a member of the USTA. read more

Love these guys . They customized my first racquet as I got stronger and the racquets was proving too light as my practices got better. They found the softest but most durable synthetic gut for my sometimes wincey 64 year old wrist. They are great consultants as I now move into hybrid strings and a much better racquet. No need to go anywhere else. read more

I've had my rackets strung at many different places and can honestly say that this is the best racket stringing operation I've ever visited. What makes this place so great? Prices: as low as you will find anywhere (I comparison shopped their string prices with internet as well and they were in line w/lowest prices) Speed: Doesn't get better w/next day service. If you're ever in a bind on short notice these guys are your go to. MARK: Most important, however, is the service and knowledge provided by a gentleman by the name of Mark that you should ask for. Mark is truly the most knowledgeable stringer out there. He has a passion for the game that comes out whenever you ask him questions and I routinely find myself in the shop talking tennis equipment and strategy with him for 30+ minutes and he's more than happy to indulge me. Mark has tried every string, in every configuration, and every tension and has amazingly detailed notes to share on any questions you may have. He's much more helpful than any of the online reviews. If you are a tennis geek, you will love picking his brain. read more

These guys are great. I spent a solid 30 minutes in the 44th st storefront (between Madison and Vanderbilt) with a legend named Mark. He was helpful, friendly, professional and just an all round great guy. Can highly recommend this if for nothing else than to come chat to and learn from Mark about anything tennis or squash! read more

This is my go to stringer in the city. Always done on time and done well. Been playing tennis all my life and they are one of the best. They even helped me out when I came to pick up my racket and it wasn't ready. I really needed it so they ending up swinging it by my office. Wouldn't ever ask for that but incredible customer service! read more

Got my racket string here, got it back the same day for no extra cost! Also, great service, would recommend this place!

Hands down the only place I would trust in Manhattan to get our racquets strung/restrung. They are really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable (and fast!). I recently purchased a new racquet and got it strung at the tennis-store (also in Manhattan) and literally wondered why my game was so bad-- took it to these guys-- and after a restringing my tennis partners were saying my game improved noticeably in one week! I told them all to get their strings redone here! =) read more

I moved to Brooklyn 8 years ago but I still get my racquets restrung here. They are really consistent and do an amazing job.

These are my go to Stringer's and service is great. They do same day and sometimes string jobs in less than 2 hours (at no extra charge). On weekends I go to their other location at 35th street, with the same level service. read more

My Mom had her racquet and my kids racket restrung here and raves about them. They are conveniently located near Grand Central Station.

Grand Central was recommended to me for stringing after my disastrous Paragon stringing experience. They are true specialists at what they do. The manager, Woody, is friendly and very helpful. He basically started the stringing business in NYC and has been doing it for 30 years. He approaches stringing scientifically and with a definite personal touch. After 2 months, I am very happy with my first stringing there and won't go anywhere else from now on. read more

Highly recommended but a bit hard to find now. Very friendly service and they do know most there is to know about tennis or squash in NYC.

Amazing customer service. I stop by every 2 weeks for Mark to string my son's Babolat racquets who actively plays in junior tournaments. You always know you'll be treated with the outmost respect and learn something new. Mark has been stringing racquets for 20 years, and has been an official US Open stringer and worked with other Tennis Pros as well. The store is conveniently located one block from Grand Central so it's so easy for commuters. I've also tried other stringers in CT but hands down Mark and his NY team do a fabulous job. I highly recommend them! read more

One of my Tennis partners recommended this place and once I realized they were 4 blocks from my office, decided to re-string both my Babolats (they were in desperate need of it). Of course this place is impossible to find without calling them but Woody was very pleasant when I asked and also wound up stringing both of them the day I called. He did it in 2 hours. Very pleased so far with the quality of the stringing as I've played a few times since then, with no issues. Can't speak to the value of the price ($40 each) since that is about what I've paid other places as well, read more

The best stringing job I've ever had. My daughter plays high school tennis with a diagonally strung racquet. After trying numerous stringers around the country over the last 4 years and not liking the feel, I found Woody. He told me of his expertise on this type racquet and I gave him a shot. I let him decide the type string and tension. I shipped it and got it back 3 days later. My daughter hit with it and after 10 minutes she asked, "Is this string job legal?" LOL. There's a saying, it's not the rifle it's the marksman. However, if the scope isn't calibrated correctly...? You're the man Woody. read more

I"ve been stringing w/Woody & Mark Teague for over 25 years. The prices are competitive, and Mark gives some expert advice about strings & tensions. The service is excellent: When I worked in Manhattan, drop-off racquets in the morning and pick-up in the afternoon. Now that I am no longer operating out of Manhattan, Mark has been very accommodating to my train schedule (in/out in approx 30 mins this morning). Went to their outlier store at the USTA, felt the difference in stringing right away. Went back to Mark 2 weeks later to have the racquet re-strung, and playe w/greater confidence.. I play w/2 racquets at different tensions, and have them strung every 8 or 9 months. So you can't say I'm not there infrequently. Cannot praise their service and work enough. Knowing that they are there to back me up. read more

Great service, Mark was very knowledgeable and helpful! I would definitely go back there. read more

Tiny hole in the wall, but great service and nice people. Quick turnaround and pricing seemed reasonable. Not an expert, but feel like they did a good job. read more

These guys are insanely expensive. Karakal super pu grip is $10, 3x what it costs online or 2x what you will pay in other stores or your pro shop. read more

When I used to commute from Mamaroneck, NY to Grand Central Station I used to drop my racquet off to these nice folks on a Tuesday and get it strung by Friday when I had a game on Saturday. I'm really happy they're still in business, a great outfit and they do great business...in a wonderful location. read more

I needed a racquet restrung. My brother highly recommended this shop. I told him I was happy with where I have been servicing my racquets, the NTC in Flushing and their sister store on 35th Street in Manhattan. He convinced me to give them a try. To my surprise, this store is also a sister store. They have the same people doing the same quality work. We had a conversation on what I was looking for from the racquet, and options available. The racquet was restrung and available sooner than promised. I also placed an order for new racquet. Woody has been contacting me to update the status of the order. I couldn't be happier with the service they provide. read more

I would never trust this place to string a racquet again. I use babolat touch gut strings. They made me wait 24 hours because they had to 'order' the strings. They charged me a significant amount of money for gut strings. What I got back was definitely not my babolat strings. I know this because every other time I have had my strings replaced with babolat gut, the strings have the name of the string imprinted on them. The strings I got back from grand central had zero markings and did not play anything like gut. In addition, they added these weird little plastic tubes all over the racquet, which prevented me from reinstalling my worm vibration dampener. It looked like they had used scraps for stringing because there were many knots in various places on the racquet. Two weeks later I took the racquet to have it restrung with babolat touch strings at Paragon. The job was perfect. It was a very expensive lesson learned. read more

Apart from being super nice, these guys are the best stringers around. And they know their stuff!

I was recommended by a friend to try this place out for racket stringing. I break strings prob every 2.5 hours of playing so need a good, quick, cheap place to get my rackets done. These guys are best in the business!!! They are very knowledgable w respect to strings, tension and what sort of game that you play. They also turn my rackets around same day ALWAYS. The location is very central as well. I also got a squash racket strung and was going to use some old tennis strings to do, but they said i would be much better off w their squash strings and they let me trade some syn gut for a good squash string. Ask for Woody, he will take care of you. read more

I have been getting my racquets strung at Grand Central Racquet for at least the last five years, and have absolutely no complaints. They do a professional job, do their best to honor requests for expedited stringing, and offer their services at a very reasonable rate (hard to beat price-wise). I generally chat with Mark when getting my racquets strung - he's a nice guy, and more important (or as important), very knowledgeable when it comes to racquets, strings, technique, etc. I enjoy the time I spend in their shop and see no reason to go anywhere else. Highly recommended! read more

Really disappointing experience. The racquet was not finished when promised and then lasted 3 weeks before I had to had redone at a different place. Staff is not very helpful either. read more