17 Best Tennis Shoes (Review) In 2020

How We Chose Our Selection Of Tennis Shoes

Reviews - As usual, we had to check out the reviews of the products before making our selection. Given that there is no way we would actually try out all of the tennis sneakers, we had to check what current customers were saying about them.

Given the number of products we were targeting, as well as the fact that there are a lot of tennis shoes for men and women to make our selection from, it was essential for us to check out various e-commerce and retail platforms to get what people thought about each shoe. We looked at the features, what made them stand out and their cons, and we tried to aggregate the shoes based on these metrics. That way, we were able to determine what separated the best tennis shoes from the rest.

Brand - Making the distinction between brand names is one thing that we have always been conscious of. We understand that there are certain brands that are more popular than others, and as such, these were the brands that we first looked to for product picks. From there, we sought the lesser-known brands to see what they were offering. By checking out their products were able to compare them with the products being provided by the "heavyweights."

However, as always, we made sure to keep an unbiased view. We had a list of factors that we were looking out for in the tennis shoes, so it was easy for us to make selections, regardless of brand names. Still, we did our best to strike a balance between the most popular brands of tennis shoe manufacturers and the up and coming names as well.

Price - Price was an important factor to put into consideration because the question of price also comes with the issue of worth. Are these shoes worth their price or are they over-bloated on things like brand names and visual appeal? So, we made sure to carefully examine the products' prices in such a way that the price tag being placed on one product was, in more ways than one, corresponding to the features that it had. This way, we were able to arrange the products based on their price- as well as their relative worth.

Court Surface Types - This is one factor that tends to distinguish between shoes for playing tennis and various types of shoes out there. What type of court are you looking to play on? Grass, clay, or hard? We have come to realize that certain shoes tend to do better on certain types of surfaces than others. However as you can already imagine, the best tennis shoes are the versatile one; those options that can hold their own, regardless of the surface that they are used on.

These versatile tennis shoes provide much more value for money, as they see to it that you won't have to spend money on another pair of shoes whenever you are forced to play on a surface that they can't handle. Obviously, these shoes were given a bigger advantage in our ranking. However, this is just one of the many factors that we considered.

Features To Look For In Tennis Shoes

Playing style - The playing style is an important feature because it goes a long way to affect just how effective you are going to be as a player in them. A pair of tennis shoes that don't suit your playing style will keep you uncomfortable, and make it difficult to enjoy your experience on the court.

Comfort - Comfort is another factor that you need to give a great deal of consideration. Much like other sports, tennis requires you to move around quickly and within a confined space. To wit, you need to ensure that the shoes themselves don't impede your ability to run effectively. Comfortable shoes will keep or feet light and free enough to move as you like, and this will also reflect a great deal in how you play.

Size - It's a no-brainer, really. As it is with every other type of footwear, you won't be able to enjoy your user experience if you get a pair of shoes that don't size your feet. Tennis shoes that are bigger than your feet will drag you behind, and you'll end up feeling like you're carrying weights on your feet. On the flip side, if the shoes are smaller than your feet, then you'll get that tight feeling that aches your toes and hindfoot. None of these cases is ideal in any way whatsoever. So, make sure that the tennis shoes that you get are comfortable tennis shoes.

Insole - The insoles of your tennis shoes will help you see to it that they fit you properly. In addition to that, they help improve comfort and can keep your feet fresh as well. The support that your feet feel will help you play much better tennis, so make sure that you consider the material of the insoles before you select a pair of shoes.

Durability - Again, adhere to the nature of tennis as a sport. You have to make quick runs, and more often than not, you have to make abrupt stops as well. To handle all of this pressure, your ideal tennis shoes will undoubtedly have to be durable and robust. The durability requirement of tennis shoes applies across the board. The laces need to be strong to keep your feet locked in. The soles need to be strong and not just chip away after a few games, and even the insoles need to be strong. Otherwise, you don't end up with enough comfort.

Soles - Strong soles will keep the shoes durable and long-lasting. This is especially true if you're playing on hard or clay surfaces. These surfaces are known to chip at the material of the sole as you run, and this is who you have to ensure that your soles are durable and voluminous enough to handle intense use. However, with the soles, you also need to consider the weight as well. A lot of soles have been able to combine being light and strong, and there is no reason for you to settle for less. So, when it comes to laces, the gold standard will be lightweight tennis shoes with durable soles.

Lace system - The lacing system of your tennis shoes needs to be effective. Otherwise, you'll end up with sub-standard laces that don't work and which will end up not keeping your feet as secure in the shoes as possible. This raises the risk of injuries, and it can also affect your ability to play at optimal levels.

Tennis Shoe FAQ

Q: Do I need tennis shoes to play tennis?

A: There are two types of tennis players. Those who occasionally hit the courts and just whack the ball around with a friend, and those who play frequently and with purpose. If you’re in the first category, you may be able to get away with wearing any old sports shoes. But if you play competitively and in any type of competition, you really need proper tennis shoes to play tennis.

Running shoes and tennis shoes are very different in their design. Running shoes are made for feet constantly going in that forward motion that is typical with running. The feet of the tennis player moves in a considerably different manner. They can jolt forward, backward and side to side. This means that tennis shoes need to offer lots of support for the tricky lateral movements so common in a challenging game of tennis. These movements are often very fast, with players needing to switch sides and positions in an instant so tennis shoes also need to be lightweight but still offer plenty of comfort and support, without hindering movement.

Q: How long do tennis shoes last?

A: How long a pair of tennis shoes last will generally depend on how often you wear them playing tennis. If you play tennis for an hour or two once a week then you may be able to get a year’s worth of wear out of them. However, if you train for a few hours each week and then play a couple of matches as well, you’ll need to replace them more often.

Tennis shoes are much like any other pair of shoes. The more you wear them, the more wear and tear they will see. You will also need to consider how rigorous a player you are. An active tennis player is going to go through more tennis shoes than a relatively tame on. As a general rule of thumb, if a tennis match leaves you overly fatigued with pain in your ankles and knees, it may be time to replace them. You’ll usually see a need to do this after 45 to 60 hours. This is just a ballpark guesstimate and will depend on your playing style, court surface and the quality of your tennis shoes.

Q: Do tennis players wear new shoes every match?

A: A tennis player in amateur competitions is not going to wear new shoes for every match and even in the ranks of professionals, not all players wear new shoes every match. However, some professionals with very generous sporting goods sponsors do wear a new pair of tennis shoes for every match.

On average, tennis players in the really big leagues will wear the same tennis shoes for a couple of games. Others, who feel brand new shoes can be uncomfortable, may wear new tennis shoes to a few training sessions before wearing them to a match. Professionals will certainly wear out their tennis shoes a lot faster than other players so it stands to reason they will need to replace them quite often and as the big name pros literally have tennis shoes thrown at them by their sponsors, they can certainly afford to wear a new pair every couple of matches or even for every new match. Something amateurs can only dream of doing.

Q: Do I need a different pair of tennis shoes for different court surfaces?

A: If you follow professional tennis in any way, shape or form, you’ve seen the different types of courts that this game is played on. In short, there are 3 main types of tennis courts: hard courts, clay courts, and grass courts. Hardcourts are usually asphalt with several layers of coating, while clay and grass courts are just that … clay and grass courts. All three court types are quite different and, as such, you should have tennis shoes for each type of surface as they will have different characteristics.

• Grass Courts - One thing you’ll notice when you turn grass court tennis shoes over is that the soles are quite bumpy. These rubber cleat like bumps have been designed to give the player better traction and stability when playing on the soft surface that is grass.
• Clay Courts - When you want to play tennis on clay, the soles of your tennis shoes will feature patterns and grooves. These patterns and grooves give the player the grip they need when sliding over the clay, without the crevices in the soles ending up with excess clay stuck in them.
• Hard Courts - Flip over your hard-court specific tennis shoes and you’ll notice lots of different patterns etched into the soles. The texture of these textured patterns is to give the player lots of traction as they move sporadically over the court surface. Hard court tennis shoes are made with more cushioning in the midsole to prevent the player’s feet constantly pounding into the hard surface. They are also the tennis shoes that will wear out with the most frequency as the hard surface is punishing on the shoes.

Q: Are tennis shoes worth it?

A: If you play tennis with any degree of regularity than tennis shoes are absolutely worth it. Most types of sports shoes or sneakers are going to be comfortable, but it pays to look at sports shoes that are specific for their particular game. Tennis shoes, for example, have been specially designed to make them more comfortable, safe and help enhance the players' performance. Keep in mind though, that there are generic shoes that go by the name ‘tennis shoes’, but they are really just everyday sneakers and definitely not appropriate for wearing during a tennis match.

Good quality tennis shoes are super comfortable on the court, the tread has been specifically created for better traction during play and tennis shoes offer lots of support. All of these are features that you want in tennis shoes. You may want to wear them off the court as well. After all, most of them look great and just as good as other sports shoes, but you’ll wear them out faster if you do this.