HeadThe oval end of the racket that hits the ball. It is the frame and the strings inside it. A bigger head gives a bigger sweet spot.
ThroatThe part joining the head to the handle. On most modern rackets it is open, two arms with a gap between. Also called the heart.
HandleThe long part you hold. It runs from the throat down to the butt at the end.
GripThe covering wrapped round the handle. It is leather or a soft synthetic, and comes in different sizes to fit the hand.
FrameThe rim round the head that holds the strings tight. Most are made of graphite (carbon fiber); old ones were wood.
Other 5
String bedThe whole woven surface of strings inside the frame. It strikes the ball. Also called the face or strung surface.
Main stringsRun the length of the racket, from the throat to the tip. Also called the mains.
Cross stringsRun across the head, woven over and under the main strings. Also called the crosses.
Sweet spotThe area of the strings that gives the most power. The hand gets the least jar when this area hits the ball.
Grommet stripA plastic strip round the frame with small tubes, the grommets. The strings pass through them. The strip cushions the strings from the frame.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-28. (1) Wikipedia, Racket (sports equipment), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racket_(sports_equipment) : a racket has a head, a handle known as the grip, and a throat or heart joining them; the head forms the face; frames of graphite composite (earlier laminated wood); string bed and string pattern (mains and crosses); main strings; grommet strip; a larger head gives a larger sweet spot in the string bed. (2) U.S. Patent 3,999,756, Head, Tennis racket (1976), https://patents.google.com/patent/US3999756A/en : a frame forming the head, secured to the handle grip; the grip covered in leather or similar and made in sizes; the throat; the handle shaft and its butt end; the strung surface; longitudinal (main) and transverse or cross strings; a grommet strip with grommets through the frame that cushion the strings; the center of percussion, or sweet spot. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-28. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a tennis racket on a modern open-throat racket, drawn face on. Start with the 5 main parts, then the strings and the sweet spot.
Read the full guide
Head to handle
The head is the oval end, a frame holding the strings. The throat joins it to the handle, usually as two arms with a gap between. The handle is wrapped in a grip, sized to the hand.
The strings
The main strings run up and down, from the throat to the tip, and the cross strings weave across them. Together they make the string bed. The strings pass through grommets in the frame, which cushion them.
Hitting the ball in the sweet spot sends it fastest and jars the hand least.
Questions and answers
What is the part between the head and handle of a tennis racket?
The throat, also called the heart. On most modern rackets it is open: two arms that spread from the handle to the bottom of the head, with a gap between them.
What are the main strings and cross strings?
The main strings, or mains, run the length of the racket, from the throat to the tip. The cross strings, or crosses, run side to side, woven over and under the mains.
Where is the sweet spot on a tennis racket?
In the middle of the string bed. It is where a hit gives the most power and the least jar to the hand. Rackets with bigger heads have bigger sweet spots.