While I was practicing with one of my tennis friends, he showed his frustration for not being able to control his racquet – due to the humid air, his grip would easily become slippery while playing.

He asked me what should he do about it…

Not only did I share with him my personal ways to keep the racquet grip dry, but I thought it would be a good idea to ask some other tennis friends too, and find their secrets in this regard. So here are some of the practical ways to keep your hands dry while playing tennis (warning: some of these you might find disgusting or unhealthy 🙂

Before the match:
– Consume salty foods (stay away from junk foods like french fries or chips). I once saw a friend of mine eating from a bag of pretzels before a tennis match; he said it helped him to not sweat too much during the match.
I would not recommend that and never tried it. Find some other sources of foods that contain sodium like vegetables or chicken broth.
– Get a fresh new grip or overgrip.

During the match:
– Use special cream that keeps hands dry (you can find them on the internet or local tennis shop).
– Blow into the palms after every point you play (my favorite one).
– Wipe the palms against the court’s windscreen (your call (; – risk getting your hands dirty but it actually works very well in drying the palm (I tried it many times).
– Use a dry towel that you have placed somewhere close to where you are (put it on a chair next to the back fence just in case there is no other support for the towel).
– I know this next tip might be disgusting for some but I’ve seen players wiping their hands/palms on the sole of their shoes. I admit I tried that a few times too and it works very well – you’ll just have to wash your hands and grip afterward; and yes, avoid shaking your opponent’s hand at the end of the match. (;

Use your judgment when applying the aforementioned tips. Slippery tennis grips are annoying and sometimes we do whatever it takes to avoid them in order to play our best tennis.