Shoe Reviews

The Wilson Kaos Mirage is a fast, light, and comfortable shoe that looks sleek and fresh. Here is my Wilson Kaos Mirage Review.

The Wilson Kaos Mirage doesn’t look like any other tennis shoe. It’s really low to the ground and almost resembles a football shoe in its profile. The fit is glove-like and snug and built to work with the natural movement of your feet. Although I enjoyed doing this Wilson Kaos Mirage review, I tend to prefer a more dampened and sturdy shoe due to my knee issues. But if you’re in the market for a shoe that is light and fast, the Kaos Mirage should be on your list.

Construction

These are key parts of the Wilson Kaos Mirage as quoted by Tennis Warehouse.

• Upper: Lightweight materials offer step-in comfort and snug support. Flexible and breathable.
• Midsole: Truemotion Chassis provides flexible arch support and lateral stability.
• Outsole: Duralast rubber outsole in a tread pattern offering traction on any surface.
• Colour: White / Yellow

I would say this shoe has a pretty narrow fit, so if you have wide feet, there are other shoes that will suit you better.

The traction with the Duralast rubber outsole is very good and I never felt like I would slip or didn’t have grip with these shoes. The comfort was high when it comes to the fit of the shoe, but it felt a little too light for my need. The lighter the shoe, the less dampening it will likely have, so you can expect a shoe like this to offer good cushioning. Since I play mostly on hard courts and I have aging and aching knees, the shoe is not made for me. But fit and healthy players that want to feel fast on the short should give the Wilson Kaos Mirage a try.

I haven’t used it enough to sense any durability issues, but I will update this shoe review if I notice that the lifespan of the shoe is long or short. I generally break shoes in 5-6 months since the hard courts in Malta have a cement-like surface that is gritty like sandpaper. You get a decent grip, but your shoes tend to break quickly.

Pros and Cons

There are some obvious pros and cons with this shoe.

+ Light and fast
+ Snug fit
+ Excellent traction

– Lack cushioning
– Narrow fit

The looks are subjective but I think they have a fresh and summery look that I personally enjoy. Based on the response on my Instagram, it’s a bit of hate/love with these shoes.

If you want to purchase the Kaos Mirage Shoes, check them out on Tennis Warehouse, Tennis Warehouse Europe, Tennis Only and Wilson.com. Any purchase through these links will send a small commission to Tennisnerd, for which I’m eternally grateful.

What tennis shoes do you use? I made a vlog about some of my favorite shoes and some pros and cons with them.

I am not an expert shoe reviewer, but I have tried a bunch of tennis shoes over the years. Lately, I have been testing some new HEAD shoes like the HEAD Revolt Pro 3.0, the HEAD Sprint 3.0 and the HEAD Sprint SF. Before I got into HEAD shoes, I used a few different ones such as Wilson Rush Pro 3.0, Nike Vapor Tour 9.5 and Asics Gel Resolution 6 and 7. All good shoes, but my current favorite is the HEAD Revolt Pro. The dampening and comfort is important for my knees as I mostly play on hard court and tend to play 4-5 times a week at least.

But a tennis shoe is obviously a personal choice and depends on what courts you play on, the movement pattern, the shape of your feet, and what you like in a shoe. Regarding the surface, the main difference is that clay court shoes come with a full herringbone pattern for great grip (with the ability to slide), while hard court shoes are more durable as they wear out faster.

What tennis shoes do you use? Comment below!

If you want to hear about my shoe preferences, watch the video about or on YouTube. Are the other aspects of tennis gear you want me to cover? Grips? Dampeners? Or other topics completely? Let me know in the comments below.

More pro player videos and racquet videos to come soon, so don’t worry if that’s your thing 🙂

There is one shoe I have used my entire “career” as my go-to model and that is the Asics Gel Resolution. So here is my Asics Gel Resolution 8 Shoe Review.

The fit of this shoe has always appealed to me and my foot and almost all models have been really good. The only issue I have had was with the 4 or 5 versions where the somewhat low heel-cap made me feel insecure and afraid of stepping out of the shoe.

The Gel Resolution 7 had no such issues and it is the best tennis shoe I have ever used. Good support, cushioning both in the heel and forefoot, good durability and a perfect fit even if I use double socks and Aircast A60 ankle support. When I heard about the launch of the Gel Resolution 8 I was super excited to get the chance to try them out in advance, thanks to Asics Sweden.

Design

The box arrived to the postal-office and I was like a child at Christmas. Could not wait to open the box and already in my car I held the shoes in my hand. The test-shoe has a cool navy color with large red parts and the Asics logo in white. The first thing you notice is a new form of lacing system with a combination of traditional holes and laces connected to the shoe with textile-straps to make a snugger fit. It works really well, and the foot feels secure.

The upper part of the shoe is in a molded plastic/rubbery material that at first might feel a little bit stiff, but it starts to move and feel comfortable already after half an hour of play. Apart from this, the Gel Resolution 8 requires no break-in whatsoever. It is ready to go out of the box.

Perfect on Hardcourt

The outsole is a new pattern that feels perfect on hardcourt. This all-court pattern will not work well on clay as it has pretty large sections that will not grip the clay enough (but the clay-court version will, of course, do that..) The new pattern feels secure enough but it also has some minor give so you can slide a bit in the corners when you stop after an aggressive sprint. I am absolutely not a hardcourt slider, but I presume those of you who master this technique will absolutely love this shoe (Think Monfils “Sliderman” style) The cushioning works well! It feels much softer than Resolution 7 from what I remember when the 7 was new.

I have just three practice-sessions with this shoe so far and these are just the very first impressions. I have no durability-inputs at all after this short period. No sign of wear. The overall build quality of the shoe is the benchmark and the design is cool. This will again be a best-seller shoe from Asics if the durability is as expected, and with the 6-month outsole warranty, there is no reason to doubt it will perform in this category as well. I don’t have anything I personally would change on this shoe. Well done Asics!

This post is written by Tennisnerd and Swedish Tennis Magazine writer, Henrik Wallensten. Follow his musings on Instagram @henrik.wallensten 

Looking for a new shoe? Henric Wallensten test a lot of tennis shoes every year. This is his Asics Court FF 2 Tennis Shoe Review.

At 196 cm and 100 kilos, I’m a big guy! The size 46.5 shoes I wear have to take a real beating on the court when I try to reach for my opponent’s shots. Each year I get the chance to try 15-20 different shoes from most brands thanks to my role as a freelance equipment reporter for the Swedish Tennis Magazine. This year was no exception, but at the time for the test, the new Asics Court FF 2 had not yet been released. Now I have got it though and here is my Asics Court FF 2 tennis shoe review.

Last year I tried the first edition of the Court FF. A very sleek shoe with a tight fit. Too tight for me it turned out. It´s worth pointing out though that I have a little bit higher arc then average and a high upper part of my foot. I also have a wider than average width and I use the Magnificent Aircast A60 ankle braces on both feet. This creates a pretty unique demand on the shoes I use and a tighter fitting shoe like the previous Court FF is simply too tight for me.

Asics Court FF 2 Tennis Shoe Review – An update

The new Court FF 2 still has the same sock type opening of the shoe. For my feet, it’s a tough time to get my feet into the shoes so I now have a shoehorn in my tennis bag and that makes it so much easier. When the Asics Court FF2 is on my feet, I straight away feel that this version has more room and is not as low as the Court FF. The back of the heel is a bit higher and hugs the foot better.

Out on court, the shoes were ready to go straight away. No need to break them in. I know some other testers suggest they need some break-in, but I guess it has to do with the weight of the player. I took them straight out of the box and used them on a practice on hardcourt. No problems whatsoever.

Design and wear

The outsole of the shoes has a new pattern that looks like waves. I have not seen this type of pattern in the past. According to Asics, this new pattern has been designed to help players like Novak, that moves like from another planet, to get a better grip on the court but also some give when sliding for that extra reach. Sliding on hardcourt…if I would try that I would end up in the hospital with double fractures.

I have now used this shoe about ten practice sessions and there are no visible signs of wear so far. I never wear out the shoes on the upper part of the shoes, but I know some other players here in Sweden that had some issues with cracks in the material, but they got a new pair straight away without any problems from Asics. Good service! Wear of the shoes is so extremely individual. Us tennis players have some strange habits and wear can occur in the strangest places on the shoes.

If you are into sock-type shoes…

For me, the Gel Resolution 7 is still the absolute best shoe on the market. For my body and foot, the combination of fit, support and cushioning are unbeatable. I prefer the traditional type of shoe with a normal tongue. The sock-type shoes tend to be too tight for me and I feel trapped and get to much pressure on the upper part. The Court FF 2 is borderline for me though. If I was to use a sock-type shoe, the Court FF 2 would be the one. The combination of cushioning and support in a pretty light package is spot on. It is almost comparable with Gel Res 7 in each and every category and it would have been very interesting to try the Court FF 2 with a normal tongue.

For now, the Gel Resolution 7 is still the champion for me, but for most other players with more normal feet and demands I presume 9 out of 10 would choose the Court FF 2. I mean, just look at the design of this shoe. Have you ever seen anything better looking? As André (or actually Canon told him to) once said: Image is everything…

What do you think of the Asics Court FF 2 tennis shoes?