Steve Smith and Dave Anderson dedicate the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to one of the most fundamental and overlooked topics in tennis teaching: grips. Responding to listener requests to go back to basics, Steve works through his notes on the subject while he and Dave dig into why so many players, even experienced ones, are holding the racket incorrectly and why so few coaches are doing enough about it.

The conversation covers everything from the math behind bevel changes and racket face angles, to the grip habits of all-time greats like Borg, Connors, McEnroe, and Graf. Steve and Dave make the case that getting grips right from the beginning is not just a technical detail but the foundation everything else is built on, and that slowing down to get it right early is one of the most important things a coach or parent can do for a young player.