Best Tennis Shoes for Pickleball

What makes it great: While the design of the Mizuno Wave Enforce Tour focuses more on stability and comfort, "supreme" is how our playtesters describe the Enforce Tour’s level of midsole comfort and energy return. The Wave Enforce Tour uses the DuRubber outsole, which allows players to confidently dive into and safely accelerate out of their shots. The support theme continues with the Wave Enforce Tour’s lightweight 3-D Solid upper construction, which delivers a comfortable fit along with good durability, and breathability. Pickleball players who seek a court shoe that combines great comfort, stability, plus a six-month outsole warranty will want to give the Mizuno Wave Enforce Tour a try.

Nike's Vapor Pro 3 provides players with a medium width foot type great out-of-the-box comfort, a lightweight feel along with stellar breathability. In addition this lightweight, speedy pickleball shoe option features a high degree of support as well. And although the Vapor Pro 3 does not include an outsole warranty the abrasion resistant rubber compound and tread pattern delivers better than average durability plus excellent traction on any hard court surface.

The New Balance CT Rally is a 360 degree comfort, support and durability themed court shoe. And although such a high degree of support requires more material the CT Rally maintains a speedy feel on the pickleball court. This great court shoe is available in multiple colorways and like most New Balance shoes the CT Rally also features more than one width option as well. As mentioned the New Balance CT Rally is a durable shoe choice, and it is also backed by a 6-month outsole warranty.

The latest evolution of the Nike Vapor 12 personifies lightweight court shoe performance in terms of speed, breathability, support, great traction and stability. A 22mm - 10mm heel to toe drop ensures an ultra-high degree of maneuverability and connected feel to the court. And considering its lightweight design the Vapor 12 is also surprisingly durable.

The adidas Cybersonic 2 has quickly become a house favorite among our Playtesters who play pickleball and/or tennis. This premium hard court shoe breathes, bends and supports your movement just right for players who exhibit a narrow-to-medium width foot type. Despite being a lightweight and speed oriented shoe, which does not have an outsole warranty, the Cybersonic 2's outsole delivers top notch traction on a hard court surface along with good durability as well.

K Swiss' Ultrashot 4, in our estimation, is an all-court masterpiece of a hard court shoe. Relative to the more generous medium width of the prior Ultrashot 3, the 4th iteration is still a medium width, but a slightly narrower. The Ultrashot 4 checks all the performance boxes for top tier support, stability and traction plus a 6-month outsole warranty. Length is true and as mentioned the width is a snug medium for the K Swiss Ultrashot 4.

Players looking for a pickleball shoe that feels plush from the first entry and provides extra width, excellent ventilation along with predictable traction will want to give the Babolat SFX 4 a try! Underfoot cushioning is nearly as-good-as-it-gets and for a lightweight shoe offering the SFX 4 also affords a decent level of overall durability.

As much as we all enjoy playing with a trusty paddle, wearing a proper fitting and performing shoe while playing pickleball is critical.

Proper, meaning that it is an official court shoe, and not a running or cross training shoe. And when it comes to getting fitted for a court shoe there is a fine line between foot support and restriction. If the shoe is too snug or loose, that can increase the risk of discomfort and/or injury.

Aside from length and width options, there are three primary traits to consider: support, comfort and lightweight. Combining two, but rolling all three of those traits into one shoe is not possible. For example, you can have a court shoe which features support and comfort, but to a degree it will not be extremely light. You can then opt for a shoe that is comfortable and lightweight, but that will be at the slight expense of support. As a result, this is reflected in the description category of our are favorite shoe picks. Learn more in our how to choose a pickleball shoe article.

Assessing what kind of a player you are is important and will help you choose the proper shoe as well. And because everyone's feet are unique and the shoe menu is so expansive, it can be a chore to locate the shoe that best serves your needs.

And because everyone's feet are unique and the shoe menu is so expansive, it can be a chore to locate the shoe that best serves your needs.

To help resolve that Pickleball Warehouse includes a pre-paid return shipping label (within the 48 states), which pays for the transit of the shoes back to us. So long as the shoes are returned in new condition, they qualify for a full refund, exchange or a store credit. In terms of an exchange, there is no charge for that transit either.