How to Replace Grommets on Your Tennis Racquet

Grommets are plastic inserts around the perimeter of the racquet's head; they protect the strings where they pass through the frame. The grommets at the top of the head typically come attached to a bumper guard, which protects the frame from contact with the court. In addition to protecting the strings and prolonging the life of the racquet, grommets are designed with different material additives and dimensions to enhance your racquet's feel and performance.

Grommets and bumper guards become worn over time, which leads to premature string breakage and increased racquet wear. The slightest damage to a grommet, including a tiny splinter within the barrel, can compromise the string and lead to premature breakage.

In this article, we'll cover:

• How to know when to replace your grommets
• Finding the right replacement grommets
• Tools you'll need
• How to remove your worn grommets
• How to install the new grommets

Signs of wear include:

• Color fading
• Cracked or worn material
• Exposed graphite
• Damaged grommet holes (worn, flared, crumpled, cracked)

The picture above shows a severely damaged bumper guard. The actual grommets are cracked and splintering on the exterior of the frame. You can see here how the plastic hangs off the frame. Although a break like this may not be damaging to the strings themselves, it still is probably best to swap them out anyhow to get the best possible performance out of your setup.

The image below shows some cracked grommets. While these may appear OK, the cracked grommet is dangerous because it can cause uneven wear and “sawing” of the strings themselves.

The racquet below looks fine at first glance, but upon closer inspection we can see where the wider tie-offs become areas where the string may rest on the frame directly due to worn grommets. This is not something you want. Strings are designed to sit in their grommet holes and not have any direct contact with the frame. While you may be able to reshape the grommets into the necessary form in order to restring them, their structural integrity may already be compromised. It is a safe bet to replace the grommets in this instance too.

More often than not, these sets are generation specific as far as which grommets correspond to which particular frame. When shopping grommets at Tennis Warehouse, we try to label grommets as specifically as possible to help ensure you get the right grommets. If you have any questions, whether your grommet is available, please call our racquet experts for guidance (1-800-799-9230).

If your frame happens to be a little more rare or slightly older, you may have to go through some extensive work to obtain the correct grommets for your racquet.

If your grommets are not available, one option is to use custom or Fittex grommets. You can insert small sections of the plastic tubing into the frame or grommets to provide a new housing for the strings. Be careful to only use as much as you need so as to not change too much about the frame’s overall geometry. Further, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t have any excess plastic that would prevent regular restringing.

A last resort option can be to use nylon tubing as a rudimentary measure for protecting your strings. The cylindrical casing works as a shield in between the grommets and the string itself to preserve functionality. This approach may be your best bet if you absolutely cannot find the correct grommets for your frame and/or need a temporary fix. There are also some cases where you can preserve existing grommets using well-placed nylon tubing such that you can still pass a string through the grommets to still get some functionality from the frame.

• Awl
• Needle nose pliers

Optional (but highly recommended)

• Tubing
• Grommet grinder (Insider Tip: A similarly sized screw will also work)
• Blow dryer or heat gun
• Fittex grommets
• Pipe cleaner
• Zip ties

The two most important tools you will need will be an awl and a pair of pliers. The awl will be useful for a variety of purposes, but mainly for aligning the grommets where they need to be inserted. It will be vital to ensure that you do not crush the tube of the grommet during the insertion process, so always take great care with your awl. The pliers will often prove necessary for pulling and the physical removal of the grommets from the frame itself.

Elsewhere, you may want a grommet grinder or some cutters to break the plastic grommets down into more manageable pieces for removal. While you want to make sure you preserve the frame’s integrity as much as possible, the old grommets can be chopped up, trashed or otherwise discarded from use.

Another useful tool depending on the difficulty of your frame can be a hairdryer or a heat gun. Heating up the grommet plastic will make the pieces more malleable, which can be quite helpful during both removal and installation. Make sure you don’t melt the plastic or get too close to the grommet if you are using any kind of heat in the process.

Some other miscellaneous tools and helpful items are things like pipe cleaners and zip ties. Pipe cleaners are great for removing debris or whatever may be blocking the grommet tube from functioning properly. Zip ties can be used for anchoring pieces if you need to work with the grommet elsewhere on the racquet.

There are a couple of preparatory steps you’ll want to take in order to make this process go as smoothly as possible.

• First, you’ll want to wipe down your frame to clear any excess debris or dirt.
• In order to remove the side pieces, you’ll want to start with the flared grommets because they will typically be harder to remove than the rest of the pieces. As you do this, be extremely careful to not let any material or debris fall inside the frame somehow. As shown below, you can use cutters or a grommet grinder to remove the flared grommets along the side walls of the frame.

• Once there is nothing preventing the grommets from moving freely away from the frame, start slowly pushing the grommet out. You can use the butt end of the awl to nudge the grommet out of the frame, and once you have enough of the grommet removed, you can use pliers to pull the rest of the piece out.
• From there, you can usually remove the throat piece fairly easily. Once again, as shown below, you can use the awl if necessary to give yourself an easier time with the removal if there’s a lot of friction. The top bumper piece will usually come off with the side pieces as you remove them.

• After the grommets are all removed, take the time to inspect your frame for anything else that could be problematic for your hitting experiences or grommet insertion. If you have any racquet customizations installed make sure you don't have any loose pieces. If there is any stray graphite, you may be in danger of damaging the grommets upon installation. Once the frame is clear, go ahead and wipe it down again to make the installation easier.

As we go through the installation process, remember that patience with grommets is key. The frame will perform best when cared for with precise attention and a willingness to problem solve as you go.

Insider Tip: One thing you can do to help with the installation is to use some chapstick on areas that are prone to friction, allowing for a smoother path for the plastic to move along.

Pictured below we show the new grommet strips laid out where they will be installed in the racquet.

• You’ll want to start with inserting the throat piece, the easiest part of the installation process. Align the tubes and slide the piece into place. You should feel little to no resistance for this part.
• Next up are the side pieces, and you’ll want to start with the longer barrels near the throat. Take extreme care not to warp or bend these upon entry. Oftentimes it can be quite useful to give yourself a map of where the grommets will go, and you can achieve this by partially aligning the next grommet in line. Once your grommet tubes are aligned, use your awl to then align the tubes through the frame. Go up the side of the racquet one by one until you reach the top bumper positions.

• As you install the bumper, start by aligning the top piece with the corresponding holes at the top corners of the frame. This is where having a heat gun or a hairdryer greatly helps because these pieces can be quite difficult to position correctly due to the precise nature of the geometry. Try to start one side and then work over to the other for completion. If this method proves unsuccessful, then you can alternatively start in the center, maybe use some zip ties for anchoring, and work out to the sides.

Once you’ve got your top bumper reinstalled, your frame should be good to go for restringing!

Replacing your tennis racquet's grommets on a regular basis is an important part of racquet maintenance. Keeping them in good working order will help prolong not only the life of your racquet, but also your strings. To review, here is a quick reference guide on grommet removal and installation:

Removal Tips

• Remove flared grommets (clippers and/or grommet grinder).
• Be careful not to let any material break off into the frame.
• Loosen strip by pushing from the inside with butt-end of awl. Use needle nose pliers to fully remove grommets.

Installation Tips

• Before starting, wipe down frame and check for loose material in the frame.
• Install throat piece first.
• Install side grommets, starting at throat (the long barrels). Install a couple at a time, partially seating if necessary. Use awl from inside to guide. When using awl from outside be VERY careful not to crush barrel. Repeat on other side.
• Install bumper. Install from one side to the other. If this doesn't work, start from center and work out, alternating two on a side. If grommet will not stay seated on one side, use zip ties or finishing tape to secure.
• Grommets will sometimes require a heat gun or blow dryer.
• If only a few grommets are damaged, you can replace them individually with tubing or Fittex grommets.

We hope you find this racquet maintenance article helpful. If you have any questions, you can give our tennis equipment experts a call at 1-800-799-9230.

How to Customize Your Tennis Racquet
How to String Your Tennis Racquet