Have you ever picked up a tennis racket and the grip just felt like the perfect grip size in your hand? Tennis racket grip sizes play a large role in performance and comfort, so it’s a good idea to select the right size before buying a new one or considering changing to a new one.

Even though grip size ultimately boils down to taste and feel, choosing the wrong grip size can result in painful consequences that can be easily avoided.

The purpose of this article is to provide you with a clear understanding of how to measure the size of your hand to find the correct racquet grip size, as well as why it matters to get the right grip size.

What is a tennis racket grip size?

A tennis racket grip size refers to the circumference of the handle of a tennis racket. Rackets are usually marked with this measurement on their butt caps in inches or millimeters. When choosing a tennis racket, grip size is important as it affects how you hold and control it.

A racket with a small grip may twist in your hand during play, affecting the accuracy of your shots. As a result, your hand may have to work harder to hold on to the racket. This can cause discomfort and possibly lead to injury. It is also possible to hurt your wrist and forearm if you hold the racket too tightly if it is too large, which can negatively affect your shots.

How Tennis Racket Grip Sizes Are Measured

There are four to seven tennis racket grip sizes available on tennis rackets, ranging from 4 3/4 inches to 4 3/4 inches around the handle, including the preinstalled stock grip.

A size six grip measures 4 3/4 inches across; the size double zero grip measures 3 7/8 inches across and the size double zero grip measures 3 7/8 inches across.

Chart of Tennis Racquet Grip Sizes

The size of the grip on a racket may be expressed differently depending on where you live, so check out the chart below, or convert measurements if necessary.

The tennis racket grip sizes listed above may not be available on all racquets. Tennis racquets for children and juniors typically come only in sizes zero and one, while adult racquets come in sizes one through five.

There is no such thing as a size six anymore. Children’s racquets are available in zero and double zero sizes, respectively, while lightweight adult racquets are available in double zero sizes.

Identifying a racquet’s grip size

At the very bottom of a tennis racquet’s handle, you’ll usually find the size of the grip listed on the butt cap. It has become standard practice for most brands to display grip size here.

The number corresponding to the size may be displayed on some brands, while the measurement may be displayed on others.

In addition, the grip size may be printed in a different location, such as near the shaft or throat of the racquet.

Other times, it may be printed underneath the trap door on the butt cap.

It is generally possible to determine the grip size by carefully inspecting the frame from top to bottom.

It can be difficult to determine a racquet’s size once peeled off stickers applied by manufacturers.

A flexible measuring tape can be used as a last resort for measuring your racquet’s handle circumference.

Top Brands’ Grip Sizes

There are no differences in racquet handle measurements since grip size is standardized.

Depending on the model, a brand may make different sizes available for their racquets. The following list shows you what sizes some of the most popular brands of grips offer.

Some brands may limit the sizing depending on the model, so keep that in mind. A sampling of Babolat racquets is shown below, along with their grip sizes.

Considering the typical player profile for each racquet in the scenarios above, Babolat has limited the number of grip sizes available.

Tennis Racket Grip Size: How to Determine It

Players can identify their ideal grip size using two common methods. In order to get the best fit, I recommend using both.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that this method is intended to give you a general idea of the size of your grip before getting started.

While both methods have their limitations, they should get you close to the right measurement, which can be refined by trying various tennis racket grip sizes in person.

How to Measure Your Grip Size

Grab a ruler or measuring tape first if you have one handy. Observe your dominant hand and you’ll see you have lines or creases running through it.

On your palm, you should see two horizontally running lines, one at the top and one at the bottom, running horizontally from one side to the other.

Your ruler or measuring tape should be vertically placed with your ring finger pointing upward, so its bottom line lines up with the top horizontal line in your palm. Measure to the tip of your ring finger.

In most cases, the measurement should fall between 4 inches and 4 3/4 inches. I have a grip that measures 4 3/8 inches long, or a size 3.

Bonus: If you order online and cannot try the grips in person, this method works great. When ordering online and between sizes, I recommend going with the smaller size. Increasing the size of a grip is much easier than decreasing it, so I recommend going with the smaller size.

You should keep in mind that everyone’s hands have different creases, so don’t expect them to be identical. As a result, it’s okay if the lines on your hand are different from mine. In most cases, you have at least one prominent crease running near the edge of your hand, which should be sufficient to measure.

Try Grips in Person

Trying multiple grip sizes in person and measuring the gap between your fingers and palm when holding the racquet can also help you determine the right grip size.

With your dominant hand, grab a racquet handle and note the grip size. Place your index finger into the gap between your fingers and your palm with your other hand. Ideally, the space between your index finger and the grip should be roughly equal.

I would recommend trying one size above and below after finding the grip size that roughly matches, to see what feels best. There should be a feeling of comfort and security in the handle of the racquet.

The majority of players will fall between sizes, which is not uncommon. You should choose the smaller size if that describes you since increasing your grip’s size is easier than decreasing it.

The size of your grip can be increased by 1/16 inch or a half size by adding an inexpensive overgrip. In a similar way, local racquet technicians can add a heat shrink sleeve to the grip if you wish to increase the size by 1/8 of an inch.

It is difficult and, in some cases, impossible to drop the size of a grip aside from swapping out the base grip that came with the racquet.

4 3/8 vs 4 1/2 Grip Sizes

There is a big difference between a size 3 grip (4 3/8 in) and a size 4 grip (4 1/2 in) when it comes to men choosing tennis racquets.

There’s only about an eighth of an inch difference between the two, which is 3.2 millimeters, so you may want to choose 4 3/8 because you’ll be able to build up a grip much easier than reduce it.

If you’re making a size 4 3/8 grip, you may also find that adding one overgrip gives you a half size or 1/16 inch increase.

Most Common or Average Size Grip

Usually, a size 3 or 4 3/8 grip fits both men and women, and this size is the most popular.

Women tend to play with grip sizes of 1, 2, or 3. A size 3 or 4 will usually fit men, while a size 5 will fit most women.

In spite of average or standard grip sizes being useful as a reference point, many players fall outside these ranges, so knowing your grip size is essential.

Men’s vs. Women’s Grip Sizes

There is no gender-based difference in the grip size of tennis racquets. Hand sizes or measurements are the same for men and women, despite women’s hands being smaller.

Why is the grip size important?

It is therefore crucial for players regardless of their skill level to choose the right grip size. Your performance on the court can improve by maintaining proper form and technique during play.

Grips can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so you should always try out different grip sizes and rackets to find the one that feels most comfortable and effective for you.

In addition to providing optimal comfort and feel, an appropriately sized grip will help prevent injuries.

In the event you hold your grip too tightly, you may overcompensate by holding the ball too hard, resulting in painful blisters and unnecessary strain on your arm. Tennis elbow, for example, can result from this over time.

Moreover, a small grip can be more prone to slipping, especially if you are sweating heavily.

In contrast, a grip that’s too large can make it difficult to hold and may place unnecessary strain on your hands, wrists, and arms.

As well, a large grip restricts your wrist’s movement when you hit a forehand, serve, or overhead because it makes it difficult to change grips quickly.

To ensure a comfortable grip, prevent undue strain on your body, and allow proper movement, find the grip size that feels right for you. We have provided the complete guide to the eastern forehand grip here.

Grip Size for Maximum Spin

Smaller tennis racket grip sizes offer greater control and more snappy releases, according to many players, which leads to more topspin.

Nadal reportedly uses a smaller grip size two because it feels natural to him and allows him to generate the most spin. It’s worth considering as a player that he hits at some of the highest RPMs on the ATP tour.

Ultimately, and most importantly, it emphasizes that experimenting with grip sizes will help you determine what fits best and allows you to perform at your best.

What tennis grip size do most Players use?

The grip size of some of the world’s most famous players may be helpful or interesting as a point of reference.

As you’ll see, the majority of players listed use the average grip size of 3 or 4 3/8 inches.

ATP Grip Sizes

WTA Grip Sizes

The grip size of most players remains the same throughout their careers regardless of the racquet they use.

How to Change the Size of Your Grip

Understanding how to increase or decrease your grip size is helpful regardless of whether you’re playing it safe and ordering down a grip size.

Grip size increase

Players who are in between sizes or on the fence between two sizes, for example, 4 3/8 and 4 1/2, should order down a size to make the grip larger.

An inexpensive overgrip can be added to your racquet’s existing grip to quickly and easily build up a grip. A half-size increase will result in 1/16 inch added. A full-size grip can be acquired by adding two 1/8-inch grips.

A tennis racquet handle has eight sides, so you can maintain a firm grasp, identify grips quickly, and prevent your racquet from twisting. Overgrips will reduce the prominence of the bevels as you add them.

Alternatively, you can thicken the existing grip of the racquet by replacing it with a thicker one. Swapping out a replacement grip is a bit trickier, but not too challenging.

If you want a more permanent solution, you can remove your racquet’s grip and add a plastic heat shrink sleeve to cover it. These sleeves come in half sizes, which measure 1/16 of an inch in diameter, and full sizes, which measure 1/8 of an inch in diameter.

In addition to increasing the size of your handle, heat shrink sleeves maintain a clean edge.

Grip size decrease

It is possible to reduce the size of your grip on a racquet you already own if you accidentally bought one with an overly large grip size.

You should begin by replacing the original grip with a thinner one on your racquet. In order to provide more comfort, most tennis racquets are equipped with thicker replacement grips. The grip size can be slightly reduced, however, by using thinner grips.

Some players enjoy a grip with a lower profile for a more tactile experience, while others enjoy a grip with a thicker profile for a more comfortable grip. A thinner grip has the main disadvantage of causing more vibration and shock, i.e., less comfort. Don’t forget to give it a try and let me know how you feel.

It may be possible to sand down your grip depending on the material of your grip if replacing the grip isn’t practical due to a need to reduce the grip size further.

Customizing your tennis racquet can also be expensive. The cost of customizing your racquet is usually more expensive than buying a new one.

Grip Sizes Demonstration for the Right Grip.

We’ve covered a lot of methods for choosing grip size in this article, but nothing can replace experiencing different grip sizes first hand.

Hence, before buying a tennis racquet, players should try a few different ones with varying grip sizes.

There are a number of racquet demo programs available if you’d like to test out different grip sizes. To track down demo racquets, you have a few options:

• Tennis shop in the area
• The pro shop at the racquet club
• Retailers online

It’s ideal to demo a tennis racquet with different tennis racket grip sizes once you’ve settled on a particular model. It’s difficult to gauge how the feel changes from one racquet size to another when switching between racquets with varying grip sizes.

Regardless of whether you can find multiple grip sizes for the same racquet, testing several models with varying grip sizes is better than not testing them at all.

Online retailers offer more grip sizes than local tennis and pro shops, according to my experience.

Alternatively, if you’re unsure about your grip size, order one size down using these methods. The perfect grip can be achieved relatively easily from there.

Tennis Racquet Grip Sizes for Kids

The grip size options for junior tennis racquets are typically fewer than those for adults. In most cases, they will fall between 4 inches and 6 inches, depending on the manufacturer.

The length of the racquet will generally correspond to your child’s height rather than the grip size. These sizes are outlined in the following chart.

Inches

Centimeters

You should be able to figure out your child’s grip size if you get the right length tennis racquet for them.

Although the grip might be a bit large, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. First and foremost, children’s hands will grow into that grip size quickly, and second, most kids won’t play aggressively or long enough with that grip size to injure themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know my tennis racket grip size?

A ruler’s edge should be aligned with the bottom horizontal crease of your palm when measuring grip size with the ruler test. You can determine your grip size by measuring to the tip of your ring finger.

What grip size does Federer use?

There is a 4 3/8-inch grip size used by Roger Federer. You may think this is a small thing. In spite of this, Federer’s small grip allows him to deliver his serve with more wrist snap. The grip is also a popular choice for other top players, including Nadal, who makes use of a 4 14% grip.

How do I determine the right grip size for me?

You should measure the distance between the tip of your ring finger and the second crease on your palm to determine your grip size. Your hand should be flat and your fingers held together when taking this measurement. After measuring your grip size, you can use a sizing chart or consult a tennis professional to determine your grip size.

What are the different grip sizes available?

Grip sizes typically range from 4 inches to 4 5/8 inches in increments of 1/8 inch. Some manufacturers also offer grip sizes in millimeters.

Can I change the grip size of my tennis racket?

Yes, you can change the grip size of your tennis racket by adding or removing grip tape. Changes in grip size can, however, effect the weight and balance of the racket as well.

What grip size should beginners use?

The grip size recommended for beginners should be slightly smaller than their hand size. With this grip, they are able to develop their skills in a more comfortable and natural way.

What grip size do professional tennis players use?

The grip size used by professional tennis players varies, but most use grips between 4 1/4 and 4 3/8 inches.

Are there any other factors to consider when choosing a tennis racket grip size?

Yes, other factors to consider include the player’s hand strength and playing style. If you hit with a lot of topspin, you may want a larger grip size to generate more power, while if you have weak hands, you may want a smaller grip size.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the correct tennis racket grip size is essential for players of all skill levels. I played with a grip that was far too big for me and I really noticed that I struggled to not only grip the racket, but my shots were affected as well.  I now play with a single grip (I don’t have large hands) and I can generate much more topspin.

Before making a final choice, you should measure the size of the palm of your hand and try out different tennis racket grip sizes and racquet handles. It is possible to achieve better control, power, and comfort on the tennis court by choosing the right tennis racket grip size. You can benefit from finding the perfect fit for your racket grip size, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player.

Whether you are one of the more experienced players out there or a junior player just starting you know how to pick the right grip size. Feel free to get in contact with the team with any questions.

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