Local Stringer Works Grand Slams

Joe Heydt has been stringing racquets for close to 30 years.

He owns the Racquet Corner in Omaha, where he strings racquets for players in Omaha and beyond. His racquet-stringing skills have opened doors to world-level tennis events where he’s the head trainer for the Wilson stringing team.

“In 2007 I was in the right place at the right time,” he recalled. “I was trying out without knowing I was trying out. Our team currently strings the US Open and the French Open, and we finished a seven-year contract in 2016 with the Australian Open. I’ve strung the NCAA championships, Miami Open, Laver Cup, US Open, Australian Open and French Open.”

This year, Heydt worked at the 2020 US Open and the French Open. Normally he’s able to sightsee during his trips, but due to COVID-19 precautions, he’s mainly at the stadium and the hotel. It’s okay with him, though, because he enjoys the time he spends with his team members.

“We have about 25 members of our team from all corners of the globe, and seeing them every event is the most fun for me,” he said. “Stringing a tournament feels like you’ve finished an Ironman race. It’s grueling and painful, but if you are invited to do it again, the answer is always yes.”

The number of racquets needing to be strung varies from day to day. He said on the busiest days it can be anywhere from 400-500 racquets, which equates to about 35-40 frames per stringer. Players have various requests with how they want their racquets strung. His hands take a toll from all this work, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

This year he was able to invite his friend and fellow Nebraska resident Bruce Van Maanen to help out at the Western & Southern Open and the US Open, which were both at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.