Having the right tennis racquet grip size will help immensely with how you play on the court. The tennis grip size is basically the measurement of the perimeter of the handle’s octagonal cross-section. In other words, the outline or thickness of the handle constitutes the tennis grip size. Typical grip sizes range from 4″ / 101.6 mm (for juniors) to 4 3/4″ / 123 mm (for adults) in the US. In Europe, grip size is rated a number from 0 to 5. Although it might not seem like much of a difference at first, using the wrong tennis grip size can actually affect your entire game, often with adverse consequences. Using the wrong size can lead to poor performance, irritation, and even injuries to the hand, wrist, or elbow. That’s why we’ll show you how to find your tennis racquet grip size today.

How to Find Your Tennis Racquet Grip Size

Before you choose a tennis grip size, you should take into consideration some factors such as handle shape, type of grip, and whether or not you will be using an overgrip. Typically, an overgrip will add either half or one whole size (1/16 to 1/8 inch) to the racquet. That’s obviously something you’ll want to keep in mind when looking for a racquet, and if you do choose to use an overgrip, you’ll want to find a racquet that is half to one size lower depending on what kind of overgrip you’ll be using.

Tips When Selecting Tennis Racquet Grip Size

• If you are stuck between two sizes, choose the smaller one as you can use overgrips to increase the size, whereas you can’t with the bigger one
  
• Don’t use a racquet with a significantly smaller grip as it causes you to use more force to squeeze the handle. This can affect your hand, forearm, and elbow, leading to fatigue and eventually tendonitis
• Don’t use a racquet with a significantly larger grip as it restricts your wrist’s motions, makes changing grips harder, and requires more strength to use
• The best grip size is one that is just large enough to play comfortably with and allows for a full range of motion
• Often, the buttcap of the racquet will list the tennis racquet grip size, but if not, check around the racquet frame’s throat

There are basically two ways to measure your tennis racquet grip size: either through the index finger test or the ruler test, although you will need to have a tennis racquet on hand for the index finger test.

Index Finger Test

With a tennis racquet, hold it with your dominant hand using an Eastern grip. If you don’t know what an Eastern grip is, it’s where the index knuckle and heel pad rests on the 3rd bevel. So your palm will be placed on the same bevel as the string face. If you’d like to learn all the tennis grips used in the sport, visit this page.

Once the Eastern grip has been achieved, use the index finger of your other hand to slide it in-between your ring finger and palm. The best tennis racquet grip size for you will be the one where your index finger fits snugly within this gap. Not enough room or too much room means you have a grip that is either too small or too large.

Once you’ve found a snug fit, try the finger test a couple more times just to make sure. This is known as the scientific approach, which requires more than one test to confirm accurate results. Once you’ve found a racquet with a good fit, take a moment to take a deep breath. Smell that? That’s the smell of victory.

Ruler Test

The second way of measuring tennis racquet grip size is with the ruler test. All you’ll need to accomplish this is a ruler and your dominant playing hand. First off, open your hand while having your fingers fully extended and close together. Take your ruler and align it until it’s parallel with your third finger (ring finger) with one end of the ruler in line with the bottom of the palm’s second (or middle) crease.

Your tennis racquet grip size is then determined by the length between the tip of your ring finger and the bottom lateral palm crease. The length should fall somewhere between 4 inches and 4-5/8 inches, and you can use this to find tennis racquets with the same exact measurement. While looking at tennis racquets, don’t forget to use the index finger test just to make sure!

Here you can find a chart with the common tennis grip sizes and how they translate between US and EU standards:

US Sizes	European Sizes	Sizes in Millimeters
4 inches	0	100-103 mm
4-1/8 inches	1	103-106 mm
4-1/4 inches	2	106-110 mm
4-3/8 inches	3	110-113 mm
4-1/2 inches	4	113-118 mm
4-5/8 inches	5	118-120 mm
4-3/4 inches	6	120-123 mm