A Complete Guide to Increasing
Your Racquet’s Grip Size
A Complete Guide to Increasing Your Racquet’s Grip Size
Playing with the wrong grip size can be frustrating and, in the worst case, lead to painful injuries. If your grip is too small, it’s worth taking action to increase its size for maximum comfort and performance.
Regardless of your reason for making a change, increasing your grip’s size is a surprisingly straightforward task with a bit of guidance. However, it’s not always ideal because, although potentially beneficial, changing your grip size impacts your racquet’s specs, including weight, balance, and swingweight, which may have less-than-desirable consequences.
In this guide, I’ll walk through some of the logical reasons for increasing your grip size, discuss drawbacks, and share step-by-step instructions for three straightforward methods of modifying your grip. So, grab your racquet, and let’s get started customizing your frame.
Should You Make a Change?
The short answer is yes. If you’ve encountered any of the situations we’ll cover in this section, then it’s a good idea to change your grip size rather than continue playing with a small grip that’s not ideal for your hand size.
However, before discussing some of the sensible reasons players decide to change their racquet’s grip size, I’d be remiss not to mention that purchasing a new racquet is the ideal path to changing your grip size. In doing so, you’ll maintain the original manufacturer’s specs, eliminating the potential downsides that we’ll review in the next section.
However, since you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you’ve already considered that option and would rather move forward with keeping your existing racquet and making a change. Let’s get to it.
You’ve Outgrown Your Racquet
One of the most common scenarios where players come to me for advice on building up their grip is for young players who outgrow their racquets. Assuming they’re playing with the right size racquet, increasing grip size is an entirely legitimate way to extend the life of their racquet.
You Bought the Wrong Size
If you’re relatively new to tennis, you may have bought a racquet only to find out after playing a few times that your grip needs to be bigger. It’s a bummer, I get it, but don’t worry; it happens all the time. In fact, when selecting a grip size, if players are on the fence about whether to go larger or smaller, I always recommend going smaller because it’s way easier to build up a grip than it is to decrease its size.
General Discomfort or Slipping
Grip sizes that are too small can lead to painful blisters and hand, wrist, or arm discomfort, including tennis elbow, as you overcompensate, gripping the racquet too firmly to prevent it from twisting or slipping from your hand. If you find yourself in this situation, then it’s definitely time to make a change.
Your Size Is Unavailable
Unfortunately, not all racquets are readily available in every size grip worldwide. Moreover, available retailers might sell out of a specific grip size, leaving you with one option: buy a smaller grip and build it up. If that’s your only option, increasing your racquet’s grip size is a perfectly acceptable path to getting your desired racquet.
Potential Drawbacks
Players eager to increase their grip size often forget to consider or are unaware of the repercussions of making a change. Although many will find these tradeoffs perfectly acceptable, knowing what you’re getting into before spending your time and money never hurts.
Reducing Bevel Edges
Racquet handles have eight sides or bevels, which impart a distinct feel in the palm of your hand. However, beyond feel, they also prevent the racquet from rotating in your hand by increasing traction and are helpful guides for quickly finding or switching your grip.
When you increase your grip size, you add material to the handle, which rounds out the bevels and makes them less pronounced. As a result, you may find the racquet twists or rotates in your hand more easily when coming in contact with the ball, and it may make finding your grip more challenging, especially if you’re new to the game.
The smaller the increase in your handle size, the less rounding you’ll experience. Still, it can throw a player off initially, especially if you prefer less padding and a more direct connection with your racquet’s handle.
On the other hand, some players prefer their bevels to be a little rounder, which allows them to grip the racquet more easily on the edge of the bevel. As with most tennis gear, it’s a personal preference, but it’s worth noting before changing.
Ripple Effects on Performance
Another drawback to increasing your grip size is that when you add extra material to build it up, you add weight, subsequently impacting the racquet’s overall static weight, balance, and swingweight.
The more you build up your grip, the greater the change to your racquet’s specs, influencing its feel and overall performance. For many players, these changes will be insignificant, especially for beginners. However, as a player matures, these changes become significantly more impactful, can throw off a player’s game, and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Here’s a quick overview of how three different methods for increasing your racquet’s grip size impact your racquet’s weight and balance.
| Increasing Grip Size | Weight | Change in Balance* |
| One Overgrip | 4 – 8 grams | 1 – 2 pts |
| Two Overgrips | 8 – 16 grams | 2 – 4 pts |
| Replacement Grip | 8 – 16 grams | 2 – 4 pts |
| Half-Size Heat Shrink Sleeve | 7 – 8 grams | 2 – 3 pts |
| Full-Size Heat Shrink Sleeve | 14 – 16 grams | 3 – 4 pts |
*Estimates: change in balance depends on grip/sleeve weight, plus racquet weight and length
In the following sections, I’ll explain the different methods for changing your grip’s size and how each influences these variables in detail so you know what to expect.
Quick & Easy Adjustments
You have a few options to slightly increase your grip size without overcomplicating things. You can install an overgrip or two, use a thicker replacement grip, or combine the two.
Adding an Overgrip (Or Two)
The easiest way to increase your grip size is to wrap an overgrip around your racquet’s handle on top of your existing grip.
Overgrips are inexpensive and easy to install. Each adds 1/16 of an inch to your grip for a half-size increase and weighs roughly 4 to 8 grams, resulting in a minor change in balance.
Adding two overgrips will increase your grip by a full size or 1/8 inch, but the combined weight will change your balance by roughly 2-4 points, depending on your racquet’s weight and length.
Here’s a table you can use to quickly understand how your grip size would change if you added one or two overgrips.
| Grip Size | Inches | Add 1 Overgrip | Add 2 Overgrips |
| 0 | 4 | 4 1/16 | 4 1/8 |
| 1 | 4 1/8 | 4 3/16 | 4 1/4 |
| 2 | 4 1/4 | 4 5/16 | 4 3/8 |
| 3 | 4 3/8 | 4 7/16 | 4 1/2 |
| 4 | 4 1/2 | 4 9/16 | 4 5/8 |
| 5 | 4 5/8 | 4 11/16 | 4 3/4 |
It’s also worth mentioning that if you wrap your overgrip tighter, you’ll experience less of an increase while wrapping it looser will result in slightly more.
Furthermore, not all overgrips are the same size; some are thinner while others are a bit thicker, with most ranging from 0.4 mm to .06 mm, so if you choose to take this path, that’s another variable to consider.
For example, if you wanted a minimal increase in grip size, you might use the Tecnifibre Pro Dry overgrip, which is 0.4 mm. Whereas using Yonex’s Dry Grap, which is 0.6 mm, will give you a slightly larger increase.
Using a Thicker Replacement Grip
You can replace the stock grip of your racquet with a thicker replacement grip as an alternative to using an overgrip.
Like overgrips, some replacement grips have more padding than others, so you can increase your grip size by swapping out your existing grip. Here are a handful of replacement grips and their thickness in mm:
- Tecnifibre X-Tra Leather: 1.50 mm
- Yonex Premium Core Type: 1.60 mm
- Head SoftTac Traction: 1.80 mm
- Babolat Syntec Pro: 1.90 mm
- Wilson Shock Shield: 2.00 mm
- Prince Resi Soft: 2.20 mm
- StringLab Ultra: 2.80 mm
As a starting point, do some quick research online to determine the thickness of your current replacement grip. Then, track down a new grip that’s thicker than your existing grip to ensure an increase in size.
Replacement grips take a bit more effort to replace, but I’ve outlined step-by-step instructions in my guide on the topic.
Using a Heat Shrink Sleeve
For a more permanent and precise change to your grip size, I recommend using a heat shrink sleeve, available in 1/16 inches for a half-size or 1/8 inches for a full-size increase. Here’s a quick overview of the weight of each shrink sleeve and the change in balance you should expect.
| Increasing Grip Size | Weight | Change in Balance* |
| Half Size Heat Shrink Sleeve | 7 – 8 grams | 2 – 3 pts |
| Full Size Heat Shrink Sleeve | 14 – 16 grams | 3 – 4 pts |
*Estimates: change in balance depends on grip/sleeve weight, plus racquet weight and length
Overall, these work exceptionally well but take the most effort to install, so we’ll walk through those steps together.
Tools you’ll need
Before getting started, let’s gather a few tools to make the job as easy as possible. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Heat Shrink Sleeve: You can order these online, but you also may find them for sale at your local tennis shop, especially if they do customization work for their clients.
- Heat Gun: You’ll use a heat gun to heat the sleeve, causing it to melt and shrink over the top of your grip to increase its size. If it gets hot enough, you can use a quality hair dryer.
- Needle Nose Pliers or Flat-Head Screwdriver: It’s common for manufacturers to staple the bottom portion of your stock grip against the butt cap to secure it in place. Needlenose pliers or a flat-head screwdriver make pulling the staple out quick and easy.
- Box Cutter Razor: Once you’ve installed the heat shrink sleeve, you must cut away the excess material with a razor.
- (Optional) Replacement Grip: If the existing stock grip that came with your racquet is in poor condition, it may fall apart or easily tear when removed during installation. If that’s the case, I’d recommend buying a new replacement grip ahead of time.
Once you have all your tools ready, clear some space on a counter or table near an outlet where you can work freely without distractions.
Step 1: Remove Your Grip
The first step in installing a heat shrink sleeve is to remove your existing stock grip. Start by peeling off the finishing tape at the top of your grip, then slowly unravel it from your handle. If you plan on reusing your grip, take caution when removing it to prevent tearing it.
When you get to the bottom of your grip, if there’s a staple, remove it with your pliers or flat-head screwdriver. Once removed, you may find some plastic, tape, or other debris on the handle. Remove these and clean the handle’s surface before moving to the next step.
Step 2: Position the Heat Shrink Sleeve
Now that your grip is ready, slide the heat shrink sleeve over your racquet’s butt cap and onto the handle until the top of the sleeve aligns with your racquet’s paint. There will be some extra heat shrink sleeve at the bottom past the butt cap, which we’ll trim off later for a clean look.
Alternatively, you can cut a half inch off the heat shrink sleeve before sliding it onto your racquet’s handle. Doing so will leave a visible ring around the edges of your butt cap. I don’t love this approach because it’s not clean-looking, but it makes it easy to identify built-up racquets.
Step 3: Begin Heating the Sleeve
Turn on your heat gun. Then, holding it three to six inches from the handle, begin to heat the sleeve until it starts to melt. Rotating the racquet and slowly moving the heat gun up and down the handle is crucial to prevent melting through the sleeve or damaging your handle.
As the sleeve shrinks, you may need to stop to adjust it up or down so it aligns with the top of your handle. Once realigned, continue heating it from top to bottom until it’s tightly formed against the handle.
Allow the heat shrink sleeve to cool before moving to the next step.
Step 4: Trim Excess from the Sleeve
Now that the sleeve has shrunk to the size of your handle, you can trim the excess from below your racquet’s butt cap. Holding the racquet on top of a table or counter, use your box cutter or razor to trace the outside of your butt cap one bevel at a time, rotating slowly until you make it all the way around.
Aim to cut no further than 1/8 of an inch up the butt cap to maintain the increased grip size through the end of the handle. For best results, take care not to allow the razor to come in contact with the face of the butt cap to avoid scratching it.
Step 5: Smooth Out Any Bubbles
Now that your heat shrink sleeve is fully installed and cut to size, go over it one last time with your heat gut to smooth out any bubbles.
Step 6: Regrip your racquet
Finally, you can regrip your racquet with your old grip or install your new replacement grip over the handle.
Consider Professional Services
Most players won’t have any issues installing a heat shrink sleeve. However, if you don’t have the right tools or are uncomfortable installing one, your local tennis shop or favorite online retailer can likely help.
Simple Hack to Prevent Slipping
If your racquet is slipping from your hand, you may be tempted to increase your grip’s size. However, one reason slippage occurs is because the butt cap lacks enough width to maintain a secure grip.
To fix the issue, you can remove your stock grip and wrap some one to two-inch athletic tape around the butt cap to increase its size. Once it feels good, you can reinstall your grip, and the larger butt cap should help to prevent your racquet from slipping out of your hand.
Butt caps intentionally flare out to provide extra traction and prevent slipping. However, some are more prominent than others, which could be the cause of your slipping, and it’s an easy experiment to try and see if it improves your ability to maintain a solid grip.
Heat Shrink Sleeve Alternatives
In many ways, heat shrink sleeves are the gold standard for permanently increasing your grip size. However, over the years, a few alternatives have surfaced that you may have stumbled across.
DIY – Lightweight Balsa Wood
A few handy individuals have posted online showcasing how they’ve cut lightweight pieces of balsa wood to the width of each bevel, glued them to the handle, trimmed them, and varnished them before reapplying their grip to increase its size while adding minimal weight.
If you’re up for the task, it’s a viable option, and you could likely use several other materials to get the job done. However, this is the most labor-intensive, requiring plenty of patience, trial, and error.
Grip Pallets
Most tennis racquets feature molded handles.
However, there was a time when a few brands, notably Head, Tecnifibre, Volkl, and ProKennx, fitted some of their racquets with grip pallets.
These plastic molds are wrapped around the handle’s hairpin (the innermost tube of the handle) to change its size. Players and racquet technicians could remove these and install new ones to increase the size of a handle reliably. However, they have fallen out of popularity and are rarely found in racquets anymore.
Lowrow Siz-Up
Years ago, Lorow created the SiZ-Up, which allowed you to snap two pieces of plastic around your handle to increase it by one, two, three, or four sizes. These functioned just like grip pallets but were designed to be universal for use on any tennis racquet’s handle.
Unfortunately, these are no longer in production, so while a few sites have limited stock, it’s no longer an option for most players.
Wrapping Up
Unfortunately, even with our best intentions, we sometimes end up with the wrong size grip for our racquet. Thankfully, if it’s too small, there are some practical ways we can build it up to increase its size, ensuring maximum comfort and performance from your racquet.
Have you tried altering your racquet’s grip size? What methods have you used, and how have they worked for you? Are there other tips or tricks you’ve found helpful in finding the perfect grip size? Support the community and share your experiences in the comments below.
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Nicely done, recap on how to accomplish, great!