The grip mistake costing you 2x power
Model and influencer Presley Mattea came to the Mouratoglou Academy on the French Riviera, and it turns out she can seriously play tennis. In this full coaching session, I fix the one thing that was costing her power on every single shot: her grip pressure.
If you’ve ever been told to “hit harder” and it didn’t work, this lesson is for you. The truth is counterintuitive – the tighter you squeeze the grip, the more you lock your wrist, and the more power you lose. Presley was gripping at a 9 out of 10. Within ten minutes of loosening up, Patrick told her she’d just hit the best backhand of her life. Then they rebuilt her serve from scratch and gave her a real slice second serve.
Full session: backhand power, forehand racket-head orientation, and the slice serve that turns a weak second serve into a weapon.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Today’s episode
0:32 Presley arrives at the Mouratoglou Academy
0:45 Her tennis level: competing, and why her UTR dropped
0:56 “How do you create pace?”: the instinct that kills power
1:33 The counterintuitive truth: tight grip = locked wrist
1:51 How the pros do it: free wrist, racket head snapping back
2:09 Drill 1: let it go and don’t judge the result
2:37 “Do you realize the power you have?”
2:53 Adding topspin: from back-to-front to down-to-up
3:12 Let the racket drop below the ball
4:19 Drill 2: brushing the ball with the wrist only
5:13 The 1-to-10 grip pressure test (she’s a 9, aim for 2)
6:06 “Imagine you throw your racket”
6:27 “It’s the best backhand you’ve ever hit”
7:11 Same principle applied to the forehand
7:37 Racket face orientation: why the ball flies long
8:14 Why 90% of players grip the racket too tight
9:10 Throwing a ball: because serving IS throwing
9:53 “I feel like I have no power on my serve”
10:04 Serve assessment, first serves
12:02 The second serve problem: hitting soft out of fear
12:23 Applying the loose wrist to the serve
12:47 Why spin is what makes a second serve real
13:16 Flat vs slice vs kick: where you hit the ball
13:45 A good second serve never decelerates
14:13 Building the slice serve
15:01 The frame drill: hitting with the edge of the racket
15:28 Her first real slice serve
16:13 Dialing the racket face back to the middle
17:02 Closing the hand and pushing the arm toward the T
17:40 “The ball really turns” — a true second serve
18:25 Congratulations
🎾 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
– Why holding the grip tight destroys your power (and what to do instead)
– The grip pressure scale, where you should actually be from 1 to 10
– How to let the racket head drop to generate topspin on the backhand
– The “throw your racket” image that instantly unlocks racket head speed
– How racket face orientation controls depth on the forehand
– Flat, slice and kick serve explained simply — the contact point is everything
– How to build a slice second serve that’s consistent AND fast
– Why your second serve should never be a slow, safe push
The Mouratoglou Academy French Riviera welcomes players of every level, from complete beginners to top 10 ATP and WTA professionals. Presley Mattea trained here as part of her stay, and this session shows exactly how a small technical change can transform your game in under 20 minutes.
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THE COACH
Patrick
