How to Regrip a Tennis Racket: A Complete Guide to Replacement Grips and Overgrips

Your grip is the only point of contact between you and your racket. When it's worn, sweaty, slippery, or the wrong thickness, it affects everything — control, comfort, wrist health, and your confidence on the ball. The good news: regripping is one of the simplest maintenance tasks in tennis, and once you've done it a couple of times it takes under five minutes.

This guide covers both processes: replacing the full base grip (the thick layer that sits directly on the handle) and replacing or adding an overgrip (the thinner wrap that goes on top). They use similar technique but different materials and have slightly different steps. We'll cover each clearly, then explain when to do which.

FoundationReplacement Grip vs Overgrip: What's the Difference?

Before reaching for any tape, it's worth being clear on what you're dealing with — because the two layers serve different functions and require different approaches.

What You'll Need

For a replacement grip: a new replacement grip (comes with finishing tape), a pair of scissors, needle-nose pliers or a narrow flat-head screwdriver (for the staple), and optionally a staple gun to re-secure the starting end.

For an overgrip: a new overgrip (comes with finishing tape included), scissors — though some players remove the excess without scissors once they've got the feel for it.

In both cases: a clean, dry handle. Any moisture or adhesive residue left from the old grip will stop the new one sitting flat.

How to Install a Replacement Grip — Step by Step

Take your time on the first couple of wraps. The starting angle sets the trajectory for the rest of the handle — if you get it right at the bottom, the whole grip falls into place naturally.

Step 1Remove the Old Grip

Start at the top of the handle (the throat end, nearest the strings). Peel back the finishing tape — the short strip securing the end of the old grip — then begin unwrapping. Most replacement grips have adhesive on their underside, so you'll be peeling as well as unwrapping.

Work down toward the butt cap slowly. When you reach the very bottom, you'll find a small staple securing the grip to the handle. Use your needle-nose pliers or screwdriver to lift and remove this staple entirely. Don't leave the staple in — the new grip needs to sit flat over the butt, and a buried staple will create a lump.

Once the old grip is off, check the bare handle for any adhesive residue left behind. If there's a sticky film, wipe it down with a dry cloth. The handle needs to be clean before you start — debris under the grip will create uneven spots you'll feel every time you hold the racket.

Step 2Find the Tapered End and Set Your Direction

Unpackage your new grip and unroll it. One end will be tapered — cut at an angle to a thin point. This is always your starting end. The tapered angle allows the first wrap to sit flush rather than creating a raised edge you'd feel under your hand.

Hold the racket upside down with the butt cap facing up toward you. Now decide your wrap direction:

If you're right-handed: the grip should spiral to the right as it goes up the handle. When you look down the handle with the butt facing you, you'll be wrapping clockwise.

If you're left-handed: the grip spirals to the left, wrapping anti-clockwise from your viewpoint.

This matters. Wrapping the wrong direction means the natural rotation of your hand during groundstrokes works against the grip rather than tightening it.

Step 3Secure the Starting End at the Butt Cap

Peel back the first 12 inches or so of the paper backing on the adhesive side of the grip. Don't peel the whole thing at once — the grip will curl and stick to itself.

Place the tapered end of the grip flat against the butt of the handle, on one of the bevels (the flat angled sides of the octagonal handle). The pointed tip should sit right at the edge of the butt cap, angled slightly upward. You want the very end of the taper flush with the bottom of the handle — not overhanging the butt cap, and not starting too high up.

If you have a staple gun, a single staple through the tip at this point will keep it secure as you begin wrapping. If not, hold it firmly with your thumb while you make the first turn.

Step 4Wrap with Even Tension and Consistent Overlap

This is the step that takes practice. Rest the racket head against your hip or thigh so it stays stable, leaving both hands free to control the wrap. Hold the grip tape firmly in one hand and rotate the handle slowly with the other.

As you wrap, aim for a consistent overlap of roughly 1–2mm (about 1/16 of an inch) on each rotation. Any more and the grip eats up its length too fast and may not reach the top of the handle. Any less and you'll have visible gaps between the layers.

Keep the grip under firm, even tension throughout — tight enough that it lies flat against the handle with no bubbles or raised edges, but not so tight that the material stretches thin and loses its cushioning.

Peel the paper backing away gradually as you go, a few inches at a time. Letting it unspool too far ahead of the wrap causes the grip to fold back on itself and stick together.

Follow the natural spiral of the handle. Most handles have subtle diagonal ridges or etchings that indicate the correct wrap angle — use these as a guide if you're unsure. Keep the wrap smooth and straight; diagonal creases or uneven spacing will be very noticeable in your hand.

Step 5Trim the Top End

When you reach the top of the handle (where the handle meets the throat), you'll likely have excess grip material remaining. Don't just cut it off flush with the top edge — this tends to leave a ragged, uneven finish.

Instead: continue wrapping the excess up and slightly over the top edge of the handle. With a pen or pencil, draw a straight line around the grip following the exact top edge of the handle. Unwind the last portion of grip back down to expose this line. Cut cleanly along the line with scissors. You now have a perfectly shaped end that will sit flush when you wrap it back up.

Step 6Secure with Finishing Tape and Collar

Wrap the finishing tape — the short strip included in the grip packaging — around the top of the grip where you've just trimmed it. The tape should sit half on the grip and half on the handle, bridging the two. Wrap it all the way around until it overlaps itself. Press it down firmly.

Slide the rubber collar (if your grip came with one) down from the throat to sit snugly over the finishing tape at the top of the handle. This holds everything in place and gives the grip a tidy, professional finish.

Run your hand firmly along the full length of the grip to press it flat and check for any bubbles, raised edges, or gaps. If you find one, gently press it flat — most will bed in. If there's a persistent lump, you may need to partially unwind and re-wrap from that point.

How to Apply an Overgrip — Step by Step

Overgrips follow the same wrapping logic as replacement grips but are thinner, more forgiving, and faster to apply. The main differences: no staple to deal with, less aggressive adhesive, and you'll typically be wrapping over an existing replacement grip rather than bare handle.

Step 1Remove the Old Overgrip

Slide the rubber collar up toward the throat to free the top of the grip. Peel off the finishing tape at the top — you can use your thumbnail or scissors to get under the edge. Once the tape is off, the overgrip will unwind easily.

Overgrips don't usually have a staple at the bottom — there's just a small adhesive tab. Unwrap the whole thing and discard it. If there's any adhesive residue left on the replacement grip underneath, wipe it away before you start the new one.

Step 2Prepare the New Overgrip

Unpackage the new overgrip and unroll it. You'll notice:

A tapered end with a small adhesive tab — this is your starting point at the butt of the handle.

A long strip of finishing tape attached to or rolled inside the overgrip — set this aside but keep it close. You'll need it at the very end.

Before you start wrapping, peel the finishing tape off whatever it's attached to and stick it temporarily to a table or your forearm. Having it to hand rather than fumbling to separate it while you're holding a half-wrapped racket is a small but worthwhile detail.

Step 3Attach the Starting End and Begin Wrapping

Hold the racket upside down with the butt facing you. Stick the adhesive tab of the tapered end to the butt of the handle — not over the butt cap itself, but on one of the flat bevels just above it, with the tip angled slightly upward. Press it down firmly.

Use the same wrap direction as your replacement grip — right-handed players wrap clockwise (to the right as the spiral travels up), left-handed players anti-clockwise (to the left).

Make one full, slow rotation around the bottom of the handle before beginning to move upward. This first wrap sets the foundation — if it's loose or uneven here, it will compound as you go up. Keep the tension firm from the very start.

Step 4Wrap Up the Handle with Consistent Overlap

Spiral up the handle, overlapping each pass by no more than 6mm (roughly a quarter inch). Overgrips are thinner than replacement grips, so the overlap should be tighter and more consistent — any loose patches will wrinkle and create pressure points under your fingers.

Pull the overgrip taut as you go, but don't stretch it aggressively. Stretching an overgrip too tight makes it feel hard and papery rather than soft and absorbent — which defeats the purpose of using one. Aim for the kind of tension where it sits flat against the grip beneath with no slack, but hasn't lost its thickness.

Follow the natural angle of the spiral all the way to the top of the handle. Most of the handle should be covered — stop when you reach the top edge where the handle ends and the throat begins.

Step 5Trim and Finish

When you reach the top, there will be a short excess tail of overgrip material. You can either wrap this tail over the top edge of the handle (a neater look) or cut it diagonally to create a clean end that finishes exactly at the top. Most players use scissors at this point — the angle of the cut determines whether the finished edge looks clean or ragged, so cut slowly and deliberately.

Take the finishing tape you set aside earlier and wrap it all the way around the top of the overgrip. The tape should bridge the top edge of the overgrip and the handle, holding the end firmly in place. Work it around until it fully overlaps itself, then press it down.

Slide the rubber collar back down from the throat to sit over the finishing tape. Run your whole hand firmly along the grip from butt to top, pressing it flat. Done.

How OftenWhen to Change Each Layer

There's no universal rule, but there are clear signals. Playing through a worn grip costs you far more in performance and comfort than the price of a new one.

Using Grip Changes to Adjust Handle Size

Regripping isn't just maintenance — it's also a practical way to fine-tune how your handle feels in your hand. A few things worth knowing:

Each overgrip you add increases grip circumference by approximately 1mm — roughly half a grip size. If your handle feels slightly too thin, adding an overgrip over your existing setup may be enough to fix it. If you want to go down in size, remove an overgrip you've been stacking, or switch to a thinner replacement grip.

Wrapping tension also plays a role. A tighter wrap makes the overgrip feel thinner; a looser wrap adds slightly more bulk. You can use this to make small adjustments without changing materials.

If you're significantly between grip sizes or feel the handle is too big, those adjustments go beyond grip wrapping — that's a handle modification job. But for fine-tuning within half a size, the grip itself is your tool.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them