Reducing the handle size of a tennis racket

It is more complicated to reduce than to increase the handle size of a tennis racket. However, there are several ways to reduce its size.

REPLACE THE GRIP WITH AN OVERGRIP

The operation consists of removing the original grip and replacing it with an overgrip. It’s easy to do and anyone can do it. You gain half a size.

Beware, however, that we have raised two drawbacks:

• You will feel the edges of the handle more and this can be painful (higher risk of getting blisters)
• Vibrations will be less absorbed with a single overgrip on the handle (the thickness of the original grip + overgrip creates a layer that absorbs vibrations)

PLANING THE HANDLE

This operation is extremely long and delicate. It requires a lot of skill and patience. You will have to remove the original grip and sand all sides of the tennis racket handle evenly with a wood planer. Please note that the handles are hollow. Do this step by step and do not sand too thickly, otherwise you will have a hole in the handle. This is not necessary for Head competition rackets which have interchangeable handles.

REDUCE THE HANDLE SIZE OF A HEAD RACKET

There is a special feature that allows you to reduce the size of the handle of your tennis racket. Head’s competition rackets have an interchangeable shell that allows the handle to be reduced. The operation is less delicate than planing the handle, but requires dexterity and patience.

The operation requires removing the original grip and then the staples on the buttcap (wear protective glasses when removing the staples) using a flat screwdriver and a pair of pliers. Then use the screwdriver to remove the shells. This can be a tedious process, and we have already encountered difficulties in removing the hulls (sometimes the hulls are removed bit by bit).

When the shells are removed, place the Head TK, TKS or TKR shells + the buttcap and staple each side of the buttcap with a pneumatic stapler. Then put the grip back on and that’s it.

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