Basic white grips on new racquets. Marketing?

[Pro Staff Pete]

Over the last year or two I've seen more and more new racquets that come with a basic white grip on them. Looking all flashy and clean, but obviously after a couple of weeks, turning into a dirty, brownish grip that looks anything but clean. When I suggest my customers to put a fresh white overgrip on it, they obviously state that it makes their grip thicker and most of them don't like it.

Do you think that companies such as Wilson, Head and Prince manufacture their racquets with these white grips because of the trend (e.g. Fed, Nadal using them) or because they wanna sell more basic grips? :) I know the second option is not so obvious but maybe...

[Jonas]

I have been thinking for a while now that the companies are putting the white grips on frames to sale more over-grips...
Maybe they are thinking that their grips will get dirty quickly and the consumer will be looking to cover it up with a fresh blue or white over grip??

[Zhou]

I always preserve the grip by placing an overgrip over it before I play so the original grip stays new.

[LafayetteHitter]

I noticed this trend as well. Hey anything is better than the barber shop Dunlop M-fil grips. How many of us actually play without an overgrip though. Luckily I put leather with an overgrip on everything.

[2nd_Serve]

I think it's marketing. Like when I first started tennis, and I was looking for new rackets, I always looked for the one with white grip. If it didn't have a white grip, I usually didn't want to even try it.

[geesechops]

Me too, thats so funny!! I would look for white grips on racquets because I seen them on TV before I knew what an overgrip was. This was when I was shopping at DICKS for my first racquet.