Though they haven't yet won a major cash prize, NYU-Poly students are currently participating in "bug bounty" programs for companies like eBay, PayPal, Google Chrome and Samsung.

WSJ: NYC students, hackers train for cybersecurity jobs

Jean-Christophe Verbourg, international tour director at Babolat, isn't so sure that poly strings need lower tensions.

WSJ: Roger Federer: With Tennis Rackets, He Strings Them Loose