Best Tennis Shoes for Men
We Serve Up the Season's 8 Best Tennis Shoes for All Court Surfaces
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The winter is behind us and our long hibernation is over, which, for tennis lovers, means it’s finally time to re-string rackets, pull our tennis clothing out of storage, and start booking court time with our favorite hitting partners.
If you’ve noticed that your tennis shoes are in a sorry state and want to upgrade your footwear for the new season, or if you’re new to the game of tennis and overwhelmed by the massive variety of options out there and unsure which ones will be the best fit for your game, you’re not alone. Each year, as tennis continues to grow in popularity, more and more brands enter the tennis shoe market, pushing the envelope in terms of design, style and price.
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So whether you’re a court veteran or new to the sport (and good for you for not just playing pickleball!), we’ve got some of the best tennis shoes of the year, across a variety of budgets.
New Balance 696v6
Surface: All surfaces
Lightweight, stylish and extremely breathable, the 696v6 from New Balance is a great option for newer tennis players, offering fantastic performance for its price. The non-marking rubber outsole makes this shoe safe to play on all surfaces, while the multidirectional herringbone traction does a fantastic job biting into clay, concrete and composite surfaces.
Nike Vapor 12 Premium
Surface: Hard
With a design reminiscent of the sleek, low profile of Nike’s ultra-popular Kobe line of basketball shoes, the Vapor 12 offers maximum responsiveness for chasing down drop shots or blistering ground strokes. The Air Zoom cushioning does a great job mitigating impact while keeping the shoe’s weight down, while the engineered mesh upper keeps the air flowing, even on the hottest of days.
On THE ROGER Pro 2 Clay
Surface: Clay
Just as hockey has Wayne Gretzky and basketball has Michael Jordan, tennis has its own GOAT, and his name is Roger Federer. Unsurprisingly, then, when he put his weight (and input) behind a tennis shoe, it was a runaway success. On’s THE ROGER Pro 2 in its clay variant is one of the undisputed best options for competitive tennis players looking for every on-court edge they can get.
Reebok Nano Court Shoes
Surface: All surfaces
Building off of the base of their extremely popular Nano training shoes, the Nano Court offers players high-level performance, maximum lateral stability, and elite traction for a fraction of what comparable performing shoes cost. Additionally, Reebok’s proprietary Flexweave, used throughout the shoe’s upper half, adds excellent durability while still promoting air flow, so your feet never overheat in the toe box.
ASICS Gel-Resolution X
Surface: All surfaces
As far as low-profile, lightweight tennis shoes go, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable, more stable pair than the Gel-Resolution X from ASICS. They’re available in almost a dozen color options, as well as a plethora of wide-foot sizes, so if you’ve struggled to find the perfect fit before, these are worth checking out.
Babolat Propulse Fury
Surface: All surfaces
Much like their tennis rackets, Babolat’s tennis shoes are clean, sleek, understated and performance beasts. The Propulse Fury lives up to its name with a midfoot strap they call the Powerbelt, which helps cradle the foot in the shoe and offers superior dynamic response on lateral movements.
adidas Adizero Ubersonic 5
Surface: All surfaces
With a low-profile design and an even lower ride, the Adizero Ubersonic 5 offers excellent court feel and extremely responsive cushioning, helping you track down those blistering baseline bombs while still having time to recover. The mesh upper helps promote air circulation, eliminating heat buildup, while the heel lockdown and traction design offer top-notch stability across a variety of court surfaces. (Note: This shoe is also available in a clay-specific version.)
Wilson Rush Pro 4.5
Surface: Clay
With some retro design elements seamlessly blended with both modern aesthetics and modern technology, the Rush Pro 4.5 from Wilson have been heavy favorites among clay court enthusiasts, and for good reason. In addition to their timeless good looks, they also offer incredible traction, even on wet or unswept clay, while the split TPU chassis does a fantastic job softening the impact of each stride, allowing you to play for longer without soreness or foot fatigue.
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