At the turn of the 20th century through the 1970s, the Continental grip was the preferred grip.  This produce a low, flat forehand shot and works best for slice shots. Great players with notable touch use the Continental grip including John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras. At that time it was most common for players to use a 4-1/2" or 4-5/8" grip size.

 

As the game further evolved, and in the latter part of the 20th century up through current times, the desire for speed and spin grew.  Players began to use the Semi-Western or even the more extreme Western grip.  To get that speed, there needs to be more freedom in the wrist to allow the player to "whip" the racquet, generating faster head speed and more spin.  While this may be possible with a larger grip size, the smaller grip size makes this even easier.

 

 

There are 2 basic techniques for measuring your grip size.  Which one to use is completely a personal choice.  If you are in-person shopping you may have a host of grip sizes to test out.  However if you are online shopping you may not have different racquets to sample.  So pick the method that works for your situation.  Both are accurate.

 

The first technique works well for online shopping where you may not have the luxury of grip selections at your fingertips.  It's quite easy.  All you need is a ruler or tape measure.

 

Hold your hitting hand out, fingers straight and together, palm up.  Slightly fold your hand so that the crease of the palm forms.  Place the end of the measure at the crease and measure to the tip of the middle finger.  If you are between the 1/8" marks, best to go to the smaller mark.  Smaller grips can be built up, but in most cases, larger grips can not be taken down in size.

 

 

The second technique works well for in-person shoppers.  We use this technique with our retail shoppers.  Grab the racquet handle loosely using a Continental grip - first finger knuckle on bevel #2. Place the thumb straight up the grip handle. There should be a gap between four fingers and the meat of the palm just below the thumb knuckle.  With your non-hitting hand form a fist.  Now point your index finger on that hand straight out.  Place that finger in the gap from the hitting hand.  The proper grip size should have the 4 fingers and palm of the hitting hand just slightly touching the non-hitting hand pointer index finger.  Try different sized grips to achieve the closest fit.

 

 

 

Great question.  The industry has a numbering system. 0-5.  Sometime brands may use G0-G5, and some brands may use L0-L5.  In some cases the number is is etched into the butt-cap of the handle.  Whichever is used, they all mean the same thing.  These numbers refer to the circumference of the tennis grip.  Each number represents 1/8" starting at 4".  So a G0 and L0 grip size are 4", while a G5 and L5 grip size are 4-5/8".  So if you like a cushier, thicker grip like the Velociti Replacement Grip, you may choose a smaller grip size.  If you prefer a thin grip like the Wilson Feather Thin Grip, maybe go with a slightly bigger grip size.  Perhaps you prefer to take a page from Rafa Nadal's book and use a 4-1/4" grip with no base grip and 2 over grips.  

 

Whatever your preference, you can shop for your next racquet with confidence. 

 

And now you know.