How to Apply a New Grip for a Tennis Racket

Applying a new grip (or regripping) is an important aspect of your tennis racket's maintenance. Using a few basic, household tools and a fresh grip, you can transform the performance of your racket, making it much more secure in your hand. Your new grip could be the difference between victory and defeat when it comes to playing a competitive match.

Things You'll Need

  • Scissors
  • Rubber collar (optional)
  • New grip
  • Stapler
  • Pen
  • Finishing tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the old tape from the handle of your tennis racket. Peel away the grip and discard, using scissors to make cuts where necessary. Don't worry about removing all of the dried up glue you will find beneath your old grip; as long as it doesn't disrupt your new grip then there isn't a problem.

    • 2

      Slide the rubber collar onto the racket if your grip includes a collar. Push it along the length of the handle until it is not on the handle at all, but rather on the start of the frame --- you will later pull the collar back down onto the handle, which is much easier to achieve after the grip has been applied.

    • 3

      Peel 12 inches from the covering of the underside of the grip. This will reveal the grip's adhesive area --- you will use this adhesive to stick the grip to the racket handle. Wrap the butt of the racket first and punch a staple to secure the end of the tape to the butt. Slowly apply the grip so that each layer overlaps approximately 1/16 of the previous layer of tape. Stand the racket upside down and, if you're right handed, apply the grip by wrapping from left to right. Wrap the grip from right to left if you are a left handed player. Hold the racket head firmly against the top of your thigh when wrapping the grip to ensure a stable and even coverage of the handle.

    • 4

      Draw a line using the pen once you have applied grip all the way up to the top of the handle, where the metal frame begins. Score along your pen-drawn line using the scissors before cutting away any excess tape that has stuck to the racket's frame. Apply a thin layer of finishing tape to hold the top end of your grip in place, as you cannot use a staple in this part of the racket.

    • 5

      Slide down the rubber collar so it sits above the finishing tape that you recently applied.