Fluid, powerful, and accurate strokes are the combination of many factors. But it all starts with how you hold the racquet.

No matter how much time you spend finding the perfect frame to beef up your game, the most important part of your racquet just might be your grip—not what the handle is made of, but how you hold it. Although they’re largely overlooked, grips are the foundation of all the strokes in tennis. Where you position your hand on the eight-sided handle has a huge impact on each ball you hit. Your grip affects the angle of the racquet face, where you make contact, and ultimately the pace, spin, and placement of your shot. The difficulty with grips is choosing the right one for a particular stroke. The fact is, there is no perfect grip; each has its advantages and limitations. But some are clearly better-suited for certain strokes and styles of play than others. This guide will help you to (1) learn to grasp the racquet for each grip correctly, and (2) determine the best uses of each of the common grips.

FINDING THE GRIPS

There are various ways to explain how to find a certain grip, but the simplest and most reliable is to use the base knuckle of your index finger as the main reference point. The diagrams for each grip show the bottom view of a racquet handle (where the butt cap is attached), which has four main sides and four narrower bevels between the sides.

CONTINENTAL GRIP

The Continental is the one grip that you can use for every shot, but that hasn’t been standard practice since the days of long pants and skirts. The Continental is used primarily for serves, volleys, overheads, slices, and defensive shots. Find the Continental by putting the base knuckle of your index finger on bevel No. 1, which puts the V created by your thumb and forefinger on top of the handle. Lefties put the knuckle on bevel No. 4.

PLUS:
Hitting with the Continental grip on the serve and overhead is standard, as it allows your forearm and wrist to naturally pronate through contact. This results in a more explosive and versatile shot with the least amount of stress on the arm. It’s also the preferred grip on volleys since it provides a slightly open racquet face for underspin and control. Since you need quick hands at net, having the same grip for forehand and backhand volleys is also crucial. As mentioned, your grip affects the angle of the racquet face. The more closed the face, the higher and farther in front of your body your strike zone should be for proper contact. Since the racquet face is relatively square on a Continental grip, for ground strokes the strike zone is low and to the side of the body. That’s why it’s helpful for defensive shots, low balls, and wide balls that you’re late on.

MINUS:
You can hit flat or with slice using the Continental, but it’s tough to put topspin on the ball. That means hitting with power and keeping the ball in play requires you to aim the shot just above net level, leaving you little margin for error. And without that safety spin, returning a ball out of your strike zone can be difficult. So lack of consistency is often a problem.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Virtually all of them, on serves and volleys.

EASTERN FOREHAND GRIP

Place your hand flat against the strings and slide it down to the grip; put the racquet flat on a table, close your eyes, and pick it up; or shake hands with the racquet. These are just a few of the tricks you can use to find an Eastern forehand grip. The more technical way is to hold the racquet in a Continental grip and then turn your hand clockwise (counterclockwise for lefties), so that the base knuckle of your index finger slides over one bevel.

PLUS:
This is generally considered the easiest grip for learning the forehand. It’s versatile, allowing the player to brush up the back of the ball for topspin or flatten out the shot for more power and penetration. It’s easy to switch quickly to other grips from the Eastern, making it a wise choice for players who like to come to net.

MINUS:
The strike zone is higher and farther out in front than with the Continental grip, but it’s still not a great option for returning high shots. An Eastern forehand can be very powerful and penetrating, but because it tends to be a flatter stroke it can also be inconsistent, making it difficult to sustain in long rallies. It’s not the best choice for players looking to put a lot of topspin on their shots and outlast their opponents.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Tim Henman, Lindsay Davenport 

SEMI-WESTERN FOREHAND GRIP

Moving your knuckle one more bevel clockwise (counterclockwise for lefties) from the Eastern forehand grip puts you in a semi-Western grip. This has become a prevalent grip for power baseliners on the pro tours, and many teaching pros encourage their students to use it.

PLUS:
The semi-Western allows a player to apply more topspin to the ball than the Eastern forehand grip, giving the shot greater safety and control, especially on lobs and short angles. Still, you can drive through the ball with this grip to hit a flat drive for a winner or passing shot. It also affords a player the option of taking a bigger swing at the ball since the topspin will help keep it in the court. With a strike zone higher and farther out in front of the body than the Eastern forehand, it’s good for controlling and being aggressive with high shots.

MINUS:
You can run into trouble returning low balls. Since the grip naturally closes the racquet face, forcing you to swing up from underneath the ball, it can be difficult to return lower shots. This, along with having to make a significant grip change to get to the Continental for a volley, is why so many power baseliners are uncomfortable coming to net.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Marat Safin, Svetlana Kuznetsova

WESTERN FOREHAND GRIP

From a semi-Western grip, shift your knuckle one more bevel clockwise (counterclockwise for lefties), and you’ve got a full Western grip. Looking down at the racquet, your knuckle should be on the very bottom of the grip. This puts your palm almost completely under the racquet. Clay-court specialists and players who hit with heavy topspin favor this grip.

PLUS:
This is an extreme grip that puts a lot of action on the ball. The positioning of the wrist forces the racquet to whip up the back of the ball severely, generating tremendous topspin. You can hit the ball well above net level and it will still drop into the court. The resulting shot will usually have a high and explosive bounce, pushing your opponent behind the baseline. The strike zone is higher and farther out in front than all other forehand grips. The ability to handle high balls is what makes this grip so popular with clay-courters and juniors.

MINUS:
Low balls can be murder. That’s why professionals with this grip generally don’t do well on faster surfaces, where the ball stays low after the bounce. Also, you need tremendous racquet-head speed and wrist strength to generate adequate pace and spin. Otherwise, your shots will land short and your opponents can attack them. For some, it’s also difficult to flatten shots out, so putting balls away becomes a problem. And just as with the semi- Western, transitioning to net and hitting an effective first volley is a major challenge.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Rafael Nadal, Amelie Mauresmo

EASTERN BACKHAND GRIP

From a Continental grip, shift your knuckle one bevel counterclockwise (clockwise for lefties) so that it’s on the very top of the grip. If you drilled a nail through that knuckle, it would go right through the center of the grip (just don’t try that at home).

PLUS:
As with the Eastern forehand, this is a versatile grip that provides good stability for the wrist. You can roll the ball for some spin or hit through it for a more penetrating drive. Some players can slice with an Eastern grip, but if not, a subtle grip change over to the Continental is easy enough to do. This grip also can be used for a kick serve, and it makes the transition to net for volleys a relatively smooth one.

MINUS:
While solid for handling low balls, an Eastern backhand grip is not ideal for hitting topspin shots from around the shoulders. It can be difficult to control these balls, and many times a player is forced to slice them back defensively. You see this most often when players return kick serves that jump up high in the strike zone.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Roger Federer, Lisa Raymond

EXTREME EASTERN OR SEMI-WESTERN BACKHAND GRIP

The backhand’s answer to the Western forehand (a reason some refer to this as a semi-Western backhand), the base knuckle of your index finger moves one bevel counterclockwise from the Eastern backhand (clockwise for lefties). It’s an advanced grip that only stronger and more accomplished players tend to use.

PLUS:
Just as with the Western forehand grips, this is a very popular choice with clay-court players. It naturally closes the racquet face more than a regular Eastern backhand and moves the strike zone higher and farther out in front of you, making it more conducive to handling high balls and returning them with topspin. Some of the most powerful backhands in tennis are held with this grip.

MINUS:
Its limitations are similar to those of the Western forehand. It’s not well-suited for low balls, and because it’s a rather extreme grip it’s difficult to make quick changes for a transition to net. Players with this grip usually have long, elaborate swings and prefer the baseline.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Gustavo Kuerten, Justine Henin- Hardenne

TWO-HANDED BACKHAND GRIP

There’s no doubting the popularity of this grip, but there is some debate about the ideal way to position both hands. One of the most accepted ways is to hold the racquet in your dominant hand with a Continental grip. Then take your nondominant hand and put it above your playing hand in a semi-Western forehand grip.

PLUS:
This is an excellent choice for players who aren’t strong enough to hit a one-handed backhand. A more compact stroke than the one-hander, the two-hander relies on shoulder rotation and an efficient swing to provide power. That’s why it’s particularly effective on the return of serve. It’s also good on low shots, and the extra arm lets you power through on balls that are at shoulder level.

MINUS:
Because both hands are on the racquet, the two-hander limits a player’s reach. So doing anything with wide shots can be tough, especially since it’s difficult to rotate your upper body when stretched. Also, two-handers can become dependent on topspin. Hitting an effective slice calls for extending through the shot with a steady front shoulder. This is unnatural for two-handers, who are taught to open their hips and rotate their shoulders. Taking the nondominant hand off the racquet to hit the slice or volley is also troubling for many twohanders; it’s the reason why they’re generally not comfortable at the net.

PROS WHO USE IT:
Andre Agassi, Maria Sharapova

By D-Wil of AolSports fans – Professional tennis players need to go back to wood.

After watching Maria Sharapova hit one of her patented squash-like wristed stretch forehands and watching Rafael Nadal (both Maria and Raffa bludgeoned their opponents today at the French Open) do the same, and many other not-so well known players hit similar shots, I got disgusted. I’m joining John McEnroe’s oft-spoken suggestion to both the men’s’ – ATP – and women’s – WTA – tours, bring back the wood!

I have grown tired of watching pros hit "equipment shots," the kind of shots that were impossible before the advent of composite tennis rackets. I’m tired of players with marginal games, but with one weapon only advance far in tournaments because they can now use their on stroke, swing as hard as they can and hit winners from anywhere in the court.

Today power is more important than strategy and speed is more important than court position. The ability to generate tons of power only through racket speed means players are no longer forced to think their way through a point. Why do that, when you can slug your way out of trouble, a la Fernando Gonzalez? Sure, Gonzo has hired Larry Stefanki, to help him think more on the court, but he still largely stomps his way through matches like the proverbial bull in a china shop.

Wood rackets are much heavier than their composite cousins, and do not require as much racket speed to generate power. However, with their smaller racket heads, the "sweet spot" – that perfect striking area on the racket face – on a wood racket is actually smaller than a tennis ball. The sweet spot on composite rackets is more often than not, oval and the size of two tennis balls in width and two and-a-half balls in length.

These rackets were originally derived with the everyday player in mind; to make it easier for that player to share in the experience of playing tennis. What composites did, though, is make these rackets so costly that playing tennis is not a viable exercise activity for many people; $200 dollars for a good racket compared with about $50 for a wooden racket, $70 strung – is a pretty penny for an instrument that you them must take lessons – more money – learn to use. So, rather than make the game more accessible to the average person, with new material technologies applied to tennis rackets, tennis priced itself into a near, elite-only, status.

But back to the game itself. If top players and satellite players were forced to use wooden rackets, we would find that many players we think are good now are not quite what they appear to be. The game would be slower, forcing the players to think their way through nearly every point; think about the consequences of every shot. On quicker surfaces, especially grass, serve-and-volleyers would regain their inherent, fast surface advantage. However, this advantage would not be at the expense of the game itself.

Back in the day of Bjorn Borg and early McEnroe, a casual observer could see how good a players’ hands were. We’re not talking pure hand-eye coordination, but feel for the ball on the racket. That art is nearly lost today. No longer can a player like Johnny Mac or Borg slice-and-dice a player to death; a wide shot here, a deep shot there, a slice her, a topspin shot there and before you know it, you’ve lost 10 points in a row – and you didn’t feel a thing. Today, it’s a 130 mile per hour serve (Venus Williams hit a 129-mph serve at the French Open this past week), 80-95 mph forehands, backhands whacked as hard as possible, swinging instead of punched volleys – power, power, power. And whoever can corral their power best wins.

Ack! I want to see thought and guile. I want the blend of speed, grace, good hands, and deft shot-making. I want wood.

How about you?

You are in love with the game of tennis and can not get enough of it. Starting off in school learning to play on basic gym equipment was the beginning-then in college you made sure that you took tennis as your required physical education classes.

The time has now come for you to get your own personal equipment and you want to get a tennis racket of your very own. To make a personal statement to everyone that you have come of age, are serious about this sport, and want to compete with your friends evenings and weekends.

What type of tennis racket are you going to purchase? They vary in length, weight, and head size, and you will need to figure out which one is the best for you. Think back to your beginnings playing this sport-what did you like or dislike about the different tennis rackets you used. This can be a starting point to begin narrowing down your choices.

A very important component for the tennis racket is the head size as the power behind your swings is directly affected. A larger head will give you with more power than a small head and also provides you with a larger hitting area making it a little easier to hit the ball. Generally speaking, a smaller racket head appeals to more accomplished players seeking more control, while larger rackets appeal to beginning and intermediate players seeking more power and a larger head.

They range in length from 27-29 inches with most people selecting the 27 inch ones. However, a longer handle provides more reach on ground strokes, adds leverage on serves, and slightly more power, than one with a standard length.

The weight has also been reduced making them lighter and easier to hold.
If you have friends or co-workers that also play, ask them about the type they use and why. They will enjoy talking to you about the sport and in providing you with information and advise. And, there is nothing more flattering than to ask someone for their opinion on a topic that they really enjoy and believe that they are an expert in.

Some of these people might even loan you some of their equipment so that you can try it out and find out whether or not you like it. No matter what your preference for a tennis racket is, you have to find the best one that meets your needs. This may even mean renting them and testing them out for a few games. This is probably the best way to have an opportunity to use many different types, styles, models and different manufacturers without spending a lot of money on ones that will just end up collecting dust in the closet.

Get out and play every weekend. The exercise is good, you will meet new people, and be out in the fresh air. This is much better than spending your weekend sitting in front of the television or going to the office to catch up on work.

Enjoy yourself, life is too short.

BERLIN: Former world number one Ivan Lendl revealed on Wednesday he does not have a single racket left from his playing career.   

The American of Czech origin told German magazine Stern that he has given away all of the rackets from a glittering career which saw him win 21 million dollars and 94 ATP tour titles.   

"I do not have any tennis racket left," said the 47-year-old, who retired in 1994.   

"I gave them all away. When I want to play, I have to borrow one."   

Last week Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch interviewed Pete Sampras for the magazine’s Q&A. The 35-year-old Hall of Fame tennis player will compete in the Outback Champions Series, an over-30 tour, in Boston from May 2-6. In July he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Here are additional excerpts from their conversation.

SI: What has retirement been like for you?

Sampras: Retirement is a work in progress. It’s not like you can read a book and figure it out. But I realized in 2005 that I needed to start doing something. I wasn’t structured at all. I was kind of waking up, playing golf, not really doing much. When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for me. It got me in shape. It got me out of the house. It got me doing something I love to do.

SI: You’ve committed to playing two events on this tour. Why return to competitive tennis?

Sampras: I talked to Jim Courier a lot over the past year. He was picking my brain on where I was mentally and whether I wanted to play. I just wanted to give it a shot. There’s something about playing an event. It was a process getting to a point where I could commit to it and be excited about it. I’m playing Jim and John McEnroe and guys I played during my years. I’m looking forward to it but I had to get to a pretty good place to commit to it and see how it feels. John and Jim said it was a fun week, a competitive week, but’s it not the competition I’m looking for. It’s having something to prepare for. I have something to look forward to. I can hit a little more. I can get in a little better shape. It’s a combination of all those things that give you a little focus. I’s not anything like it used to be but something like it used to be.

SI: What happens if you play at higher level in Boston than you expect? Would you be tempted to keep playing?

Sampras: That’s a good question. I’m curious myself as to what it will feel like. I will tell you that in the last months I have been hitting the ball better today then I did when I was playing. A lot of it has to do with technology. I’m using a bigger racket. Technology is taking the game to a new level and the last year or so I have taken advantage of that. I am serving just as hard. I’m hitting the ball with more control. I think my racket head has a lot to do with that.

SI: Say you were offered a wild card at an ATP tournament in the next 18 months, would you consider it?

Sampras: The offer is not the problem. It’s the desire for me to do it and the grind of it all. People have mentioned to me: You should come back. There’s not many great players today and it would be exciting, and give the sport a real shot in the arm. But they haven’t walked a mile in my shoes. Realistically, I only play one way. That’s to win. I won’t jeopardize that feeling to come back just to come back. It has to be for a reason. My competitive side and curious side, I have thought about it. Realistically, it’s not going to happen.

SI: You played against Roger Federer once at Wimbledon 2001.

Sampras: And lost 7-5 in the fifth.

SI: Federer will top out at how many majors?

Sampras: I see him getting to 17, 18 or 19 majors. I really do. Who knows how far he can go? He’s winning these majors with pretty much ease. He’s not challenged much. He’s obviously playing great. If there were three or four guys who were pushing him to five sets or beating him a few times over the past year, then anything could happen on the day. But I just find him with that extra gear that no one can hang with him for a long period of time. He can win 17, 18 or 19 majors. He’s in the middle of his career and I don’t see him slowing down or anyone slowing him down.

SI: What would be your game plan to beat him?

Sampras: I would try to take his timing away and come in and use my serve and aggressive style. He does great things when guys stay back and he can kind of dictate from the back court. I would not want to get into many exchanges like that. I’d try to come in, attack his second serve, really just try to take his rhythm away. That’s what I tried to do against all the great baseliners like Courier and Andre Agassi. I would try to overwhelm them with my power and shot-making ability. So I would serve and volley on both serves. I would attack his backhand, which is his weaker side, and go from there. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone who can do that today so he can out-athletic these guys from the back court because of what he can do on the run. Nobody is looking to come in and I think that’s the way to beat him.

SI: Would you be okay with Federer passing your Grand Slam majors record?

Sampras: Sure, you would love to have that record but it’s true: Records are made to be broken. Players are better today and I believe Roger is going to break my record, Tiger Woods is going top break Jack Nicklaus’ record and Barry Bonds is going to break Hank Aaron’s record. Unfortunately for me, Roger would only have given me the record for about eight years. But I don’t believe in not rooting for him. I’ve never believed in that. I believe the record will be broken and the person who will break it is a phenomenal player. He is someone who I would want to see do it because I think he is a credit to the game. I think he’s a nice guy. He handles himself well on and off the court. He has good temperament there. Those are the things I like in an athlete. He doesn’t transcend the sport because of where we are today and all the controversy people want.

SI: When is the last time you spoke with Federer?

Sampras: I talked to him a few days after the Open. I sent him a text to congratulate him. Then we spoke a little bit after that. We had some people who were curious about putting together an exhibition. It ended up not working out but we talked a little about the exhibition and in general. I told him, "Look, I don’t know you well but want to tell you I respect your game, the way you handle yourself and that you are credit to the game." I think he gets respect from the media and the fans and I wanted him to know that I was a part of that.

SI: Who do you think is the more dominant athlete: Tiger Woods or Federer?

Sampras: Good question. As far as pure domination, it’s hard to say because I find golf harder to dominate than tennis. For Tiger to do what he has done, he has to worry about a field of players but he’s not as much in control of how it goes compared to Roger. For Roger, it’s just one on one. He has to worry about seven guys and seven guys only. Tiger has to worry about some floater guy shooting 62. Tiger is not as much in control so it tells you what Tiger has done might be more impressive. But at the same time Roger has lost like five matches in the last 18 months. Something ridiculous like that. It’s hard to say whether tennis is harder to dominate than golf. I think a lot more crazier things can happen in golf than tennis so I’d lean a little toward Tiger but at the same time Roger has won more than Tiger.

SI: How often do you talk to Andre Agassi?

Sampras: I talked to him a little after the U.S. Open. He invited my wife and me to his foundation dinner so we went and talked and hung out. We promised each other we would stay in touch. I think we have been through too much together and do get along quite well. We both have a wife and two kids. We have a lot in common at this stage in our lives.

SI: Would you describe you and Agassi as friends today?

Sampras: I would. Not anything where we stay in touch week to week, but if he were ever in L.A. or I were in Las Vegas, I think we would reach out to one another just to get together or have our kids play. The great thing that happened with us is that everything we went through, completing for major titles, I think we came out better friends than when we went into it. It’s a credit to who we are and what we represent.

SI: How much tennis memorabilia do you own?

Sampras: I have some trophies and eight of my old St. Vincent Wilson racquets. That’s about it. I have the net at Wimbledon when I broke the record. But it’s in storage [laughs].

SI: Have you ever looked up your wife’s (actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) page on the IMDb Web site?

Sampras: Absolutely. And I’ve Googled her.

SI: Before or after you were married?

Sampras: After [laughs].

SI: The one stroke from any player in history you would like to borrow for one match?

Sampras: How about Goran Ivanisevic’s serve? On grass. That was pretty rough.

SI: You can be one other athlete for one day, whom do you choose and why?

Sampras: If I could pick anyone I would say Michael Jordan, hitting his last-second shot against Utah in Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals. That was a great moment and he did in Utah, which was even sweeter.

SI: What’s a typical day like for you these days?

Sampras: I’ll get up either 7 or 8 and spend some time with my kids before they go to pre-school. Then at 10 to 11 I’ll go to the gym and lift some weights or do a run. I might play golf from noon to 4 or 5. Then I’ll get back and spend a few hours with my kids before they go to bed. That’s kind of a typical day. But I do hit the tennis ball three days a week, maybe from 1:30 to 3. Twice a week I play basketball. I have a little hoop at my house so I’ll bring eight guys over to play a little four-on-four. That’s a great workout. And I play poker in a home game once a week. I spend a lot of time with my kids. I like taking my older son out to lunch. We go to Beverly Hills to have lunch and we have that time together.

SI: You’ll be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in July. Have you started on your speech?

Sampras: I have not started on the speech, but I am thinking about ideas and things I want to say. For me, it’s kind of thanking everyone that got me to this point. I’ll talk about how I looked at my tennis, different coaches, my family and wife. I have not officially put something down on paper but I want to talk about what the sport meant to me and how I looked at the sport.

SI: Can you go as long as you want?

Sampras: You can as long as you want. I see something like five to 10 minutes.

SI: That seems short.

Sampras: They told me Jimmy Connors did something for 5 to 10 minutes and McEnroe did 40, which is a little long. I want something short and sweet so I can nail some important points.

SI: Would you and your wife ever consider posing for the SI Swimsuit Issue?

Sampras: I don’t know. Maybe it’s not for us [laughs].

SI: I know you believe Roger will win the French Open. What would that win mean for his career?

Sampras: It would complete it, and not that it’s not already complete today. But he was born and raised on clay. The closest I came to clay as a kid was Play-Doh. It was foreign to me. I think his game suits clay pretty well. So I think it is just a matter of time. It’s tough because there are really a lot more good clay-court players today then there were 10 years ago. It will be as challenging as it was for me but I think he’s more comfortable on clay because he grew up on it.

SI: If we were to ask your friends to describe you in a sentence, what would they say?

Sampras: Kind of a dry sense of humor, sarcastic, a little guarded at first, but once you break that barrier, he’s friendly.

SI: Justin Gimelstob wrote a column for SI.com saying he thought you were playing today at a level as high as anyone except Federer.

Sampras: We were talking about the game and the sport. James Blake is No. 6 in the world and I wonder what it would be like to play him at this stage of my life if he gave me a few months to prepare. The serve is something that I still possess and I felt pretty hard to break.

SI: You are 35 — not that old.

Sampras: It is true. Look at what guys are playing with today. It is crazy the amount of power a guy like Fernando Gonzalez can get from that racket. It has made mediocre players better and it has made the great players that much better. It’s something I’ll always think about.

SI: Have you ever played golf with Tiger?

Sampras: No, just a few hands of black jack. We were in Las Vegas doing an interview for ESPN and we played black jack and had dinner together