The Perfect Tennis Shoes for On the Court

Playing a tennis match requires a ton of endurance and the ability to stay on your feet for a long period of time. If you’re playing a five-set match, it’s possible to run anywhere between three and five miles, depending on your style of play. 

That’s a lot of running! If you’re going to be active on your feet that often, it’s essential to have the appropriate footwear for peak performance. But what should you be considering when trying to find the perfect tennis shoes?

There may be no such thing as the “perfect tennis shoe” but the most important aspect of this process is finding the one that fits you the best. There are four different aspects of fit to consider when searching for a shoe that’ll help you play at the top of your game while on the court: size, width, toe box, and ankles. Everyone is built differently, so these aspects will mean different things for everybody.

How do you know if the size of your shoe is optimal for performance? Ideally, you should have about a half-inch between your big toe and the front of your shoe so you’re not jamming your toes or creating blisters. When thinking about width, don’t just assume that standard or regular width shoes will be fine for your feet. Try on both types or get an expert to provide their opinion on what kind of width your shoe needs to be. It’s a crucial part of the process when it comes to the health of your feet, especially since you’ll be doing a lot of quick cuts and movements during a tennis match. 

With regard to the toe box, that’ll depend on both the size and width of your shoes, so those two things go together for this part of the experience. Most shoes are a standard size, but some will have roomy or tighter shoe boxes. This is why you probably can’t buy tennis shoes online — different brands can lead to varying types of fit, so it’s important to actually try them on in real life before making a purchasing decision. Being mindful of where your ankles land with regard to the top of your shoes is important because if your ankles rub the top of the shoe, it could cause discomfort over a longer period of time, like during a tennis match. 

Despite all of the above tips and pointers to keep in mind when you go about searching for the tennis shoe that best fits your athletic needs, don’t forget about listening to yourself and your body! Nobody knows those two things better than yourself. And even if you’ve tried different tennis shoes in the past, don’t be afraid to try something new — there can always be an improvement. Lastly, don’t forget to have fun with this type of experience. Some people can easily get stressed out trying to find the “perfect shoe”, but in many cases, that may not exist. What does exist, though, is the perfect shoe for what you need, and that definition is different for everybody.