4. Grip size. The right grip size depends on the size of your hand, and what you’re comfortable holding. If a grip is too small, the handle will twist and move around in your hand, requiring more strength to keep it steady (which can lead to an inflammation of the tendons by your elbow, commonly known as tennis elbow). If the grip is too wide, you won’t be able to hold it securely enough to swing properly—this can also contribute to tennis elbow. To get your grip size, hold out your dominant hand (or the hand you use for your forehand). Using a ruler, measure from the crease of your palm to the tip of your ring finger. The measurement you get is the size of the grip you should use. However, if you are in between grip sizes, opt for the smaller size, then add an overgrip on top of it to give you the extra centimeters you need. You can always increase a grip size if it’s too small, but it is much more difficult to decrease a grip size if it’s too big. In the United States, standard racket grip sizes are expressed as four and an eighth inch (the smallest adult grip size), followed by four and a quarter inches, four and three-eighths inches, four and a half inches, and four and five-eighths inches. European measurements are the same sizes but labeled one through five. For junior tennis players, the grip size is only four inches.