How to Change Your Tennis Overgrip

Overgrip is the unsung hero of tennis. Seriously, think about it! This thin strip of fabric not only protects your tennis racket grip, but it connects your hand to your racket. Like most sports, tennis gets sweaty and the last thing you want is your racket slipping around in your sweaty palm as you’re going for that match point! A good overgrip will absorb that moisture while also offering a slightly sticky surface for you to get a better grip on your racket when it matters the most.

So, what is tennis overgrip, and how do I wrap an overgrip on the handle of my racket? Great questions and you’ve certainly come to the right place! Tennis overgrip is a long strip of material that is wrapped around and adheres to the grip or handle of your racket. Overgrip is designed to make it easier for you to maintain control and feel with the ball when things get, let’s say, a bit sweaty. Wilson overgrip is not only a staple for any tennis player, but our hugely popular Pro Overgrip is number one on tour.

 

How to Change Your Overgrip

1. If you have one, remove your old overgrip from your racket.

2. Unroll a new Wilson overgrip and remove the plastic from the back – the sticky side will face out when you wrap it on the racket handle.

3. When you unroll the overgrip you will see a long piece of grip tape rolled on the inside. Set that aside but keep in handy – you’ll need it at the end.

4. Locate the adhesive tab on the tapered end of the overgrip – this will hold the overgrip in place at the bottom of your racket as you begin to wrap it.

5. Now’s the fun part, it’s time to wrap! Stick the adhesive tab to the bottom of your racket and start wrapping from left to right.

6. Start slow… make one full wrap along the bottom, then begin to overlap as you move up the racket handle. Each overlap area should be between 1/8 and ¼ inch.

7. Pull the overgrip tightly to avoid wrinkles as you wrap it around and up the handle of your racket.

8. Wrap all the way to the top of the handle, to the top of your replacement grip.

9. You will probably have a little extra overgrip at the top. You can either continue to wrap around the top or use scissors to remove the excess.

10. Grab that grip tape you set aside in the beginning and wrap it around the top of the handle to secure the grip in place.

11. That’s it! Your racket is all ready to hit the court!

 

The more often you play, the more often you’ll want to change your overgrip. There’s no rule of thumb, players can usually tell when their overgrip needs to be changed by the look and feel of it. Still, it’s probably a good rule to change your overgrip as many times a month as you play in a week. So, if you play twice a week, you’ll want to change your overgrip at least twice a month.

Like with any new skill, gripping your racket might take some practice. But for avid players, gripping the racket becomes second nature. You could even say they can do it with their eyes closed!