How to Grip a Tennis Racket

Co-authored by Peter Fryer

Last Updated: June 29, 2021

The way in which you grip a tennis racket determines how the ball will behave when hit. There are 6 popular tennis racket grips, all of which have their place and purpose within the game. Once you've mastered the continental (basic) grip, moving on to more sophisticated grips is simple. These simple steps will guide you in using all of them.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Finding Forehand Grips

1
Master the Continental Grip. To place your hand for the continental grip, hold your racket pointing away from you with your left hand. Orient the string area so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Put your right hand out as if to shake hands with the grip of the racket, and place the base knuckle of your index finger on the small, sloped side of the grip to the right of the flat side on top. Close your hand around the grip so that this same bevel of the grip goes diagonally across your palm to point toward the heel of your palm below your pinkie. The Continental Grip is:
- the most basic forehand grip in tennis.
- standard for serves and preferred for volleys.^{[1]
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  Research source}
- difficult to use for working with topspin or backspin.
2
Use the Eastern Forehand Grip. To place your hand for the Eastern forehand grip, start by holding your racket pointing away from you with your left hand. Orient the string area so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Put your right hand out as if to shake hands with the grip of the racket, and place the base knuckle of your index finger on the long flat side of the grip facing straight out to your right. Close your hand around the grip so that this same bevel of the grip goes diagonally across your palm to point toward the heel of your palm below your pinkie.^{[2]
X
Research source} The Eastern Forehand Grip is:
- a classic, versatile grip good for squarely-placed swings or slices.
- basic, but still used by pros.
- not optimal for topspin either coming or going.
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3
Try the Semi-Western Grip. To find the Semi-Western grip, hold your racket pointing away from you with your left hand. Orient the string area so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Put your right hand out as if to shake hands with the grip of the racket, and place the base knuckle of your index finger on the small, slanted plane of the grip facing downward and to your right. Close your hand around the grip so that this same bevel of the grip goes diagonally across your palm to point toward the heel of your palm below your pinkie. The Semi-Western Grip is:
- a grip that tilts your racket downward, forcing an upward swing and promoting topspin.
- the game-changing grip preferred by many pros.
- not a good grip for slicing or hitting low balls.
4
Find the Western Grip. Start by holding your racket pointing away from you with your left hand. Orient the string area so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Put your right hand out as if to shake hands with the grip of the racket, and place the base knuckle of your index finger on the flat plane of the grip located on the very underside of the grip. Close your hand around the grip so that this same bevel of the grip goes diagonally across your palm to point toward the heel of your palm below your pinkie. The Western Grip is:
- an extreme topspin creator.
- very bad for low balls, slicing, or square hits.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Grasping Backhand Grips

1
Use the Eastern Backhand Grip. To achieve the Eastern Backhand Grip, use your left hand to hold your racket in front of you. Point the grip to the right and orient the string area perpendicular to the ground, facing you. Hold your right hand straight out directly above the grip. Bring it directly down so your base index knuckle rests completely on the top facet of the grip, and close your hand around it squarely. The Eastern Backhand Grip is:
- the most common backhand grip.
- a versatile, stable grip that can generate a little topspin or hit more directly.
- good for hitting low balls, not good for controlling high ones.
2
Try the Extreme Eastern or Semi-Western Backhand Grip. To position your hand for the extreme eastern or semi-western grip, hold your racket pointing away from you with your left hand. Orient the string area so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Put your right hand out as if to shake hands with the grip of the racket, and place the base knuckle of your index finger on the small, slanted facet of the grip just to the left of the flat top. Close your hand around the grip so that this same bevel of the grip goes diagonally across your palm to point toward the heel of your palm below your pinkie. This grip is:
- only used by stronger, more advanced players.
- good for controlling high balls and generating topspin.
- difficult for transitioning closer to the net and bad for hitting low balls.
3
Master the Two-Handed Backhand Grip. The most common way to perform a two-handed backhand is by placing your dominant hand in the Continental Grip (base index knuckle on the top right slanted facet), and then placing your other hand just above it in the Semi-Western Forehand Grip (base index knuckle on the bottom left slanted facet). This grip:
- is much more powerful than a one-handed backhand.
- makes it difficult to slice, volley, and reach out for wider shots.
EXPERT TIP

Peter Fryer
Tennis Instructor
Peter Fryer is a tennis writer and coach based in Derry Northern Ireland. He completed his professional teaching tennis qualification shortly after finishing university and has been teaching tennis for over 13 years. Peter began Love Tennis Blog in 2010 and contributes to the BBC and national media outlets.

Peter Fryer
Tennis Instructor

How often should you change your tennis grip? Peter Fryer, a tennis pro, tells us: “Your grip should change automatically without looking. For example, you might begin a game with a serve using a continental grip and then hit a forehand with a semi-western grip followed by a double-handed backhand. You’ll learn to feel and know the different grips so that you don’t have to keep checking to see if you’re in the correct position.”

Expert Q&A

Question

What is the best grip for tennis?

Peter Fryer
Tennis Instructor
Peter Fryer is a tennis writer and coach based in Derry Northern Ireland. He completed his professional teaching tennis qualification shortly after finishing university and has been teaching tennis for over 13 years. Peter began Love Tennis Blog in 2010 and contributes to the BBC and national media outlets.

Peter Fryer

Tennis Instructor

Expert Answer

There are 4 different grips you can try. Continental Grip: The Continental is probably the most versatile grip in tennis. It's principally used for the serve as it enables players to hit 3 different types of serves without changing grip. It's also used for the volley, slice, drop shot, overhead smash, and defensive lob. Eastern Grip: This isn't as popular as the other grips, but it's comfortable, and many teaching pros recommend this grip to players who are just learning tennis for the first time. It's quite similar to the Continental grip, so it's easy to transition from one to the other. Semi-Western Grip: The Semi-Western grip is a common choice for players who want to balance both spin and power. Western Grip: This is what Rafael Nadal uses to master his forehand. It gives a lot of topspin, but it makes it difficult to hit lower balls, so most teaching pros don't recommend it for learning players.
Question

What is the best grip for tennis serve?

Peter Fryer
Tennis Instructor
Peter Fryer is a tennis writer and coach based in Derry Northern Ireland. He completed his professional teaching tennis qualification shortly after finishing university and has been teaching tennis for over 13 years. Peter began Love Tennis Blog in 2010 and contributes to the BBC and national media outlets.

Peter Fryer

Tennis Instructor

Expert Answer

A player begins a game with a serve using a continental grip. I'm a right handed player, so I use the continental grip in my right hand, and my left hand justs rests on top of that.
Question

I'm a beginner tennis player. How I can win a game?

Community Answer

Read lots of articles on playing tennis. Start here: how to start playing tennis. Then practice playing with people familiar with the game.

Warnings

Do not grip the racket too tightly or loosely. Gripping too tightly will limit your stroke and gripping too loosely might cause you to drop your racket.

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