Grip (tennis)

Grip, along with overgrip, may also refer to the soft material covering the hard core of the racket handle.

For left-handed players the bevel numbering is obtained in the same manner, but by rotating the racquet clockwise.

The Continental grip is well-suited to slice shots, because it lends itself to positioning the racket face slightly upward.

In order to execute a proper Eastern forehand grip, players need both index knuckle and heel pad to rest on bevel #3.

An easy way to implement this is to place the palm flat against the strings and slide down to the handle and grab, in order to achieve an Eastern forehand.

Advantages are this is one of the easiest grips for learning the forehand, easier (faster) to change to a Continental to do some volleying, or slice.

Notable players with this grip include Juan Martin Del Potro, Roger Federer and Steffi Graf.

The Semi-Western grip is an "advanced" form that most players either change to on purpose or naturally find through practice.

This grip closes the racket face more upon contact, allowing for more topspin but is still able to generate pace.

This grip closes the racket face more than semi-western and was originally used by Rafael Nadal growing up.

For this grip, the knuckle is slightly on the Semi-Western bevel (4) and the heel pad more on the Western side.

Holding the racquet using two hands for the forehand is highly unusual, but some well-known top WTA players (e.g. Monica Seles, Hsieh Su-wei) have used it successfully.

While it shortens the forehand reach and reduces maximum power, it offers unrivalled accuracy, which may more than compensate the former drawbacks.

The Semi-Western backhand grip is achieved by placing the hand such that the base knuckle of the index finger is right on bevel #8.

For a number of years during the first two decades of the 20th century the small, frail player Bill Johnston was considered by many [weasel words] to have had the best forehand of all time, a stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a Western grip.

First, the Continental grip is used primarily to serve and to volley, not to hit forehand shots, or a backhand slice.

It gives a nice mix of spin and pace on the forehand, and offers ease to transition to the backhand grip.

The player long considered to have had the best backhand of all time, Don Budge, had a very powerful one-handed stroke in the 1930s and 1940s that imparted topspin onto the ball.

This pulls players out wide or jams them into their body to set up a high, put away ball.