{
  "id": 3158530,
  "title": "Meet man who strung racquets for Lin, Lakshya & 3 decades of badminton’s best",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/meet-man-who-strung-racquets-for-lin-lakshya-3-decades-of-badmintons",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T01:30:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/badminton/mark-lawrence-man-strung-racquets-lakshya-sen-lin-dan-badminton-10847885/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Yonex's head of stringing, Mark Lawrence, has been stringing racquets for top badminton players for over three decades. His career began in 1994 when Yonex enlisted him to string racquets for world No. 1 Morten Frost at the All England. Currently, dedicated stringing stations exist at major badminton events, including the World Championships, Thomas and Uber Cup, Sudirman Cup, Junior Worlds, and the Asian Badminton Championships. These stations are usually operated by brands like Yonex, Victor, or Li-Ning. Mark recalls that stringing at events was not a common practice until the All England moved from Wembley to Birmingham. In recent years, string tensions in racquets have increased, with the average tension for a racquet now exceeding 30 lbs. Lower tension strings provide more power and a larger sweet spot, while higher tension strings offer more control. Players from developing countries often take advantage of free stringing and high-quality strings at these dedicated stations during major tournaments.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Mark Lawrence strings racquets for top badminton players for over 30 years",
    "Dedicated stringing stations at major badminton events since All England move",
    "Increased string tensions, average exceeding 30 lbs, for better control"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The proliferation of dedicated stringing stations at major badminton events has changed the game for players, especially those from developing countries, who can now access high-quality strings and expert service.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}