My favourite sport has always been tennis. While major influence has come from talent and passion that has been passed down my family for a couple of generations, I thoroughly enjoy the sport. As an area of expertise and also a hobby, there is so much I have learned about the sport for the 20 years I have been playing.
If you play tennis like me, you know that it is so much more than hitting the ball. Tennis is all about footwork; it is also a fast game that demands a lot on your feet. That being said, you cannot afford to walk into court without the best tennis shoe. This means having a shoe that offers you protection, support and comfort to your toes, midsoles and heels.
When it comes to these types of sneakers, women and men have totally different types of needs. Generally, women needs shows that allow them to move around the court fast because they tend to have long rallies while men need shoes that can absorb hard servicing impact.
Choosing the right tennis shoes
Tennis is all about agility, speed and endurance y the players plus all their equipment, you can have a great backhand and excellent serve but without good/proper footwear, nothing good will come of it. a good tennis shoe should be able to handle constant movement, side to side court coverage, jumping, running, back and forth to the net, lunging and all the fast pivots that come in a tennis match. Tennis shoes are creates with extra lateral support to ensure rigors in the game and frequent quick starts lateral movements and stops.
Tennis shoes vs other athletic shoes
Finding the right tennis shoe can be difficult given the wide variety of selections present. There are multiple things to consider before you make a final selection and purchase. While most people feel like regular running shoes are just as comfortable on the tennis court, it is advisable to wear the tennis shoes. Running shoes are designed for a forward motion that comes with walking and running for fitness. Typically, they have thick soft heels which increase the cushioning and lessen the impact on the sole while you are running. While running, people do not do quick turns and rapid lateral movements which means they are not build to support tennis players.
Court surfaces and how they determine your choices
When choosing the right tennis shoe, you have to put the local tennis court into consideration. Shoes are specifically designed for different court surfaces just like the tennis ball. This means you can get the best shoe for clay, grass and other surfaces.
For hard courts – this type of surface can be very punishing to your tennis shoe. Tennis shoes made for hard surfaces are basically non marking to prevent scuffing n the surface. it is constructed with priority to cushioning and shock absorption an this
Grass courts – they are typically designed to prevent any damage to the court and have a nub patterned sole to give the player an improved traction in grass that is potentially slippery. They are normally made of mesh and synthetic combinations.
Clay courts – they are obviously much softer than all other types of courts depending on the weather. Tennis shoes made for clay courts are composed of a herringbone tread pattern and synthetic uppers, this is so they will not clog with clay and offer you grip that also allows for sliding. They are also light weight to allow for improved manoeuvrability and speed.
All types of courts – most brands today are designed to handle almost all types of courts. If you do not play in a specific type of court, then this is the most convenient brand to get.
The playing style
There are two main types of players, those who prefer an old school serve and volley and those who stick to the baseline.
The style you play is an important factor in determining what types of tennis shoes are best for you. For baseline players, shoes with superior cushioning, a durable sole and strong lateral supports that offer continuous side movements will do.
If you are one to charge the net after a serve, you will want to go for a durable toecap for improved flexibility while you are on your feet.
Foot type and how it determines the type of tennis shoe that fits
People have different foot structures, which is obviously why we all need different shoes to feel comfortable. Learning about your foot type can come in handy and make you better prepared to find tennis shoes with features that will help you avoid injury in the court and perform at your level best.
The supinated foot
Take a look at some of your used shoes. If they are worn down on the outside of the forefoot and heel you have supinated feet.
If you take a wet foot test, it would show large empty space at the central part where the arch area of the foot mark is located. Players that have this kind of feet would want to invest in shoes that give you shock absorption, flexibility, weight distribution and added space for the heel.
This foot type is the most commonly associated with injury on the ground. Your shoes will tend to wear out more than other players. You should always be extra careful when picking out a shoe. Go for lots of support and cushioning and extra durable sole.
Pronated feet
If you have these kinds of feet, you should notice that your shoes have excessive wear and tear on the inner area near the feet balls.
The wet foot test – if you step in water and use that foot to leave a mark on dry ground the impression of your foot will appear with minimal visible space even at the central part.
The best tennis shoes for this kind of feet are ones created to offer you superior lateral support that prevents injury to your ankles and knees.
The average foot
These are people with even feet, neither supinated foot nor Pronated feet. Players with this kind of feet can get tennis shoe wear easily. Basically, you have a neutral or balanced foot print when they do the water test. You in luck, you can wear any type of tennis shoe as long as it leave you comfortable when you are in the court.
The shoe brand
As if figuring what type of shoe you want to purchase is not hard enough, you will be faced with the challenge of looking for the best tennis shoe brand. The good news is, there are multiple great brands to chose from, the most common ones being Asics, Diadora, Nike, Head and Adidas. They offer multiple varieties and style of advanced tennis shoes that come with cutting edge tech engineered from some of the latest research in athletics.
How to clean and maintain tennis shoes
There are a ton of ways and tools to help you clean your tennis shoes but the methods you use depend on the design, color and material of the shoe.
Some shoes need a shoe cleaner depending on the materials used to make I. most tens shoes are made of synthetic materials that do not need a shoe cleaner to clean. Once in a while, use a rag and required cleaner to take stains off your tennis shoes.
Use a soft brush when brushing away the dust from your tennis shoe, hard bristles will ruin the integrity of the material and age the shoe faster than it should naturally.
Changing up the laces and cleaning them is one way to keep your tennis shoes looking clean and new.
Fight the funk with the recommended technology by the manufacturer. Ensure you always have on cotton socks to absorb any sweat inside the shoe and prevent it from absorbing into the shoe. Treat the insoles with deodorizer and make sure they are complexly dry before shoving them back into the shoe.
Breaking it down
For white mesh shoes
Mesh is delicate; avoid bleaching and any strong cleaners that could ruin the fabric. Use a mild soap with warm water to clean mesh tennis shoes. Rinse with cold water and dry
For all white tennis shoes
Use a soft brush to get rid of gunk, mud and nay diet. Use a cloth or sponge and cleaner to remove the stains; repeat until they are all gone.
White soles
Wipe the soles with a rag and warm soapy water; this will help take out all the dirt and stains fast. Ensure you take out the insoles and wash them regularly to keep the inside of the shoe clean and fresh.
Best way to lace your tennis shoes
Lacing your shoes seems basic, but it is not as simple as it may seem at first.
The methods you use to lace your shoes have different impact on your feet. The manner in which you lace the tennis shoes can help with specific foot issues or can alleviate leg pain while you play. There are a few rules to follow when it comes to that. Always make sure you lace all shoes from the eyelets that are closets to your toe then you can work your way up to the tongue. One of the most common and greatest ways of lacing up your shoes is the crisscross
Here are methods to help you with specific needs depending on how your feet are set up
Narrow feet – pull the laces to the side of your sneakers. Do this by using the eyelets furthest from the tongue of the shoe. Lace them up tightly and ensure they remain that way.
Wide feet – wide feet need more room to stay comfortable. You will tie the tennis shoe using the eyelets that are nearest to the tongue. This gives you a little more room to move around.
People with heel issues- people who suffer from heel problems would be best of using all the eyelets in the sneaker to ties the laces and give your heel a little more support.
Stretching the tennis shoe
Stretching most kinds of shoes is not difficult. You have the option of taking them to a professional but that could cost you more than you were planning to use on the shoes. An easier and way cheaper method is the freezing method.
All you do is take a freezer pack and fill it with water. Ensure you rake out all the air from the airbag and seal it properly. Place it in your shoe and then place it on the freezer and let that freeze. It will take up to half a day – more or less depending on the temperature rate. Once the water is frozen, remove the sneakers and they will have stretched out. if it is not enough, you can repeat the process until you reach a desirable point.
How should your tennis shoe fit?
Tennis shoes should give you complete comfort and support when you are playing a match. You should have at least an inch or 3/8 of an inch of space between the big toe and the end of the sneaker for a proper sizing. The heel should be right and the shoe should not slip up from the inside while you are walking.
How to stop your tennis shoe from squeaking
There are plenty of tennis shoes and even other sport sneakers that have the issue of squeaking. There are probably a couple of different solutions that could help you solve this issue. One of the simplest and most common fixes is using baby powder under the insole of the shoe; do not forget to wear socks as well. Fix the lose heel or dole on your shoe to sop the squeaking and make sure you clean and dry them after use. Tennis shoes with any leather on them should be oiled regularly to prevent or stop any squeaking
How long do the tennis shoes last?
An athletic tennis show should last you for more than half a year or for about 600 miles. Realistically, it all depends on several factors including the cushioning of the sneaker, the wear and tear rate of the shoe, how aggressive you are when playing and how often you use the shoe.
Are tennis shoes non- slip?
Most tennis shoes are designed to have the non slop feature. But this does not mean that they will not slip when you are walking on wet grass or oily surfaces. Most athletic shoes, tennis sneakers included are designed to be non slip on the surfaces they are used on; in this case clay and grass courts.
Tennis shoe sizing charts
Feet are three dimensional but most people use two dimensional measuring tools to approximate the shoe size. Keep in mind that manufactures use different lasts during shoe construction which means sizing may vary. Ensure you are standing and wearing socks when measuring and wearing the shoe to ensure it fits right.
| Men’s Size Conversions | ||||
| UK Sizes | Euro Sizes | US Sizes | CM | Inches |
| 5.5 | 39 | 6 | 23.5 | 9.25″ |
| 6 | 39 | 6.5 | 24.1 | 9.5″ |
| 6.5 | 40 | 7 | 24.4 | 9.625″ |
| 7 | 40-41 | 7.5 | 24.8 | 9.75″ |
| 7.5 | 41 | 8 | 25.4 | 9.9375″ |
| 8 | 41-42 | 8.5 | 25.7 | 10.125″ |
| 8.5 | 42 | 9 | 26 | 10.25″ |
| 9 | 42-43 | 9.5 | 26.7 | 10.4375″ |
| 9.5 | 43 | 10 | 27 | 10.5625″ |
| 10 | 43-44 | 10.5 | 27.3 | 10.75″ |
| 10.5 | 44 | 11 | 27.9 | 10.9375″ |
| 11 | 44-45 | 11.5 | 28.3 | 11.125″ |
| 11.5 | 45 | 12 | 28.6 | 11.25″ |
| 12.5 | 46 | 13 | 29.4 | 11.5625″ |
| 13.5 | 47 | 14 | 30.2 | 11.875″ |
| 14.5 | 48 | 15 | 31 | 12.1875″ |
| 15.5 | 49 | 16 | 31.8 | 12.5″ |
| Women’s Size Conversions | ||||
| UK Sizes | US Sizes | Euro Sizes | CM | Inches |
| 2 | 4 | 35 | 20.8 | 8.1875″ |
| 2.5 | 4.5 | 35 | 21.3 | 8.375″ |
| 3 | 5 | 35-36 | 21.6 | 8.5″ |
| 3.5 | 5.5 | 36 | 22.2 | 8.75″ |
| 4 | 6 | 36-37 | 22.5 | 8.875″ |
| 4.5 | 6.5 | 37 | 23 | 9.0625″ |
| 5 | 7 | 37-38 | 23.5 | 9.25″ |
| 5.5 | 7.5 | 38 | 23.8 | 9.375″ |
| 6 | 8 | 38-39 | 24.1 | 9.5″ |
| 6.5 | 8.5 | 39 | 24.6 | 9.6875″ |
| 7 | 9 | 39-40 | 25.1 | 9.875″ |
| 7.5 | 9.5 | 40 | 25.4 | 10″ |
| 8 | 10 | 40-41 | 25.9 | 10.1875″ |
| 8.5 | 10.5 | 41 | 26.2 | 10.3125″ |
| 9 | 11 | 41-42 | 26.7 | 10.5″ |
| 9.5 | 11.5 | 42 | 27.1 | 10.6875″ |
| 10 | 12 | 42-43 | 27.6 | 10.875″ |
| Kid Size Conversions | ||||
| UK Sizes | Euro Sizes | US Sizes | CM | Inches |
| 2.5 | 35 | 3.5 | 21.9 | 8.625″ |
| 3 | 36 | 4 | 22.2 | 8.75″ |
| 3.5 | 36 | 4.5 | 22.9 | 9″ |
| 4 | 37 | 5 | 23.2 | 9.125″ |
| 4.5 | 37 | 5.5 | 23.5 | 9.25″ |
| 5 | 38 | 6 | 24.1 | 9.5″ |
| 5.5 | 38 | 6.5 | 24.4 | 9.625″ |
| 6 | 39 | 7 | 24.8 | 9.75″ |
| UK Sizes | Euro Sizes | US Sizes | CM | Inches |
| 9.5 | 27 | 10.5 | 16.8 | 6.625″ |
| 10 | 28 | 11 | 17.1 | 6.75″ |
| 10.5 | 29 | 11.5 | 17.8 | 7″ |
| 11 | 30 | 12 | 18.1 | 7.125″ |
| 11.5 | 30 | 12.5 | 18.4 | 7.25″ |
| 12 | 31 | 13 | 19.1 | 7.5″ |
| 12.5 | 31 | 13.5 | 19.4 | 7.625″ |
| 13 | 32 | 1 | 19.7 | 7.75″ |
| 14 | 33 | 1.5 | 20.3 | 8″ |
| 1 | 33 | 2 | 20.6 | 8.125″ |
| 1.5 | 34 | 2.5 | 21 | 8.25″ |
| 2 | 34 | 3 | 21.6 | 8.5″ |
Final word
This should help you figure out what kind of feet you have and what kind of support you need with the tennis shoes. That and the court surface are two of the most important factors to consider when you are looking for tennis shoes. The final thing you need to do t achieve the best fit on your tennis shoe is get a cushioning sock and lace it up properly.
As someone who has been playing tennis for more than 10 years, I would say that the shoe you have on will determine how well you play the game. Comfortable feet allow you to perform at your level best and reduce any chances of injury you might have while on the court.