The tennis grip is how you hold the tennis racquet in your hand, and it affects how you hit every shot in tennis. It’s important to know about the different grips and what they’re good and not-so-good for, so you can pick the one that works best for your game. Some people don’t pay much attention to their grip, but that’s a mistake.
The grip you choose can change how the racquet moves when you hit the ball, how the racquet face is angled, and where you should aim to hit the ball. Some grips make it easier to hit the ball harder and flatter, while others help you hit the ball with more spin. It’s important to think about these things when you pick your grip, based on how you like to play.
Your grip can make a big difference in how well you play, so it’s good to think about how you want to play tennis. Do you want to be aggressive and attack like Roger Federer? He uses a grip that’s between Eastern and semi-Western, which helps him be aggressive and control the game. Or maybe you play more like Rafael Nadal, who likes to wear down his opponents. He uses a grip close to Western, which lets him hit the ball with a lot of spin and be consistent. If you’re not sure how you want to play yet, that’s okay too. Thinking about these questions can help you pick the right grip.
Remember, there’s no perfect tennis grip, and there’s some flexibility in choosing one. Each grip has things it’s good at and things it’s not so good at. But some grips work better for certain styles of play. The important thing is to pick the grip that works best for how you like to play. If you’re interested in checking out tennis odds, you can visit 1xbet to check odds tennis to see what they offer.
Continental
The fundamental, standard grip, also called the continental grip, involves positioning your hand on the racket so that the V shape formed by your thumb and forefinger points towards around 11 o’clock (or one o’clock for left-handed players). This grip is ideal for serving, volleying, or smashing. It also enables you to execute a soft dropshot from the back of the court by allowing you to strike down on the ball, creating backspin.
Eastern
Rotate your hand in a clockwise direction along the racket handle until the V-shaped space formed by your thumb and finger is positioned between 12 and one o’clock. This represents an eastern grip, resembling the grip you would use when shaking hands with someone in a very casual manner. With this grip, you can achieve a slight acceleration of the racket upwards when striking the ball, resulting in a bit of spin while keeping the ball relatively level.
Semi-western
As you continue to rotate your hand further around the racket handle, your wrist becomes more involved, positioning the racket deeper. This enables you to strike the ball more forcefully from underneath, resulting in increased spin. When the V-shaped space is positioned between two and three o’clock, you’re using a semi-western forehand grip. This grip is often considered ideal for the modern game, as it allows players to generate both spin and power when hitting through the ball.
Full western
If the V-shaped space on your grip falls beyond three o’clock, you’re adopting a full western forehand grip, commonly favored by many clay-court Spanish players. With this grip, players often twist their hand so much that they end up hitting the ball with the opposite side of the racket. This technique allows them to generate significant racket speed and positions the strings to spin the ball sharply in a steep, low-to-high motion.
Backhand
To switch from a forehand grip to a one-handed backhand grip, follow the same clock principle but this time move your hand anti-clockwise from the continental grip. The amount you move depends on how much spin you want to put on the ball. In general, most one-handed players prefer to use a grip that falls somewhere around the eastern backhand position.
Two-handed backhand
Employing a two-handed backhand is akin to executing a forehand stroke with your non-dominant hand. For right-handed players, the left hand takes on the primary role, while the right hand provides support. Although there are several grip options available, a typical two-handed backhand involves positioning the right hand in a neutral continental grip, while the left hand adopts an eastern forehand grip higher up the racket handle.
