Best Tennis Shoes for Pickleball

Our Picks for Best Tennis Shoes for Pickleball

What makes it great: The Ultrashot 3 proves to be the most stable and durable offering in the KSwiss court shoe lineup. A favorite here at Total Pickleball, the Ultrashot 3 checks all the boxes in terms of out-of-the-box comfort, excellent stability and support moving in any direction, all while maintaining a speedy feel around the court. Additionally, the Ultrashot 3’s outsole is abrasion resistant and provides predictable traction on any outdoor/hard pickleball court surface. Available in multiple colorways, the Ultrashot 3 is backed a six-month outsole warranty as well. If you are a player with medium to slightly wider feet and prefer a glove-like fit to your pickleball shoes, the KSwiss Ultrashot 3 is definitely a top-notch option.

What makes it great: The Babolat Jet Mach III AC is a high performance court shoe that leans on lightness to maximize agility, while maintaining good overall support. This beautifully executed design is due in part to Babolat’s use of aramid (kevlar) fibers and polyamide (rubbery thermo-plastic) in the Mach III’s upper construction. The result is a lighter, more breathable upper that is abrasion resistant and also delivers better than average support. Michelin rubber fortifies the Mach III AC with a durable outsole that affords a great ride along with predictable hard court traction. Combined with a thicker EVA midsole, the outsole also contributes to a level of comfort that is more common with heavier pickleball shoes. Like the world’s numero uno player, Ben Johns, if your style is to both anticipate and cover a lot of court to get the job done, the Babolat Jet Mach III AC is a shoe for you.

What makes it great: As with other proven court shoes, on this list of top tennis shoes for pickleball, the Asics Gel Resolution 9 is a favorite on both the pickleball and tennis playtester teams. The ninth offering of this shoe rewards a player with a glove-like fit for medium width feet, along with a high level of on-court performance where underfoot comfort, supportive yet breathable uppers and with overall stability and durability are concerned. In addition, its high quality outsole features top-notch traction.

What makes it great: From the ground up, the New Balance CT Rally is designed with the versatility of a rally car in mind and delivers top shelf hard-court shoe performance, comfort and durability. Beginning with cushioning, the Fresh FoamX midsole provides outstanding comfort. In addition the NDurance rubber outsole supplies predictable, long-term traction and backed by a six-month outsole warranty. In terms of support, the upper features New Balance’s FitWeave construction, and when combined with a reinforced heel cup, it keeps you feeling confident and comfortable moving at full speed, no matter the directional change. Available in multiple colors, along with both standard and wide widths, the New Balance CT Rally is one of the more capable court shoe options, whether you use lots of foot speed to get the job done or rely more on anticipation rather than speed.

What makes it great: Pushing the limits of court shoe agility and breathability without sacrificing comfort or support, the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 6 delivers supreme out-of-the-box comfort, support and ventilation via a glove-like fit. Another aspect of support is the heel cup, which comfortably secures your feet in place no matter the change of direction. Sufficient underfoot cushioning, great hard court traction and a proper flex point for the Wave Exceed Tour 6 is achieved with Mizuno’s Enerzy midsole and the strategically positioned D-Flex Groove in the DuRubber outsole compound. For players who enjoy their court time wearing a high-quality and lightweight hard court shoe that features a six-month outsole warranty, the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 6 is hard to beat.

What makes it great: The Sonicage 3 is a lightweight high performance court shoe from Yonex. Benefiting from several decades of proven experience designing and testing court shoes for tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis, Yonex makes shoes that are also ideal for hard court pickleball. Made for speed, the Sonicage 3 is unusually stable for a lightweight court shoe, which is partially due to Yonex utilizing a graphite plate and firm midfoot shank that prevents the shoe (and your feet) from torquing and twisting during play. Not only does the Sonicage 3 deliver better-than-good support, but the traction is also on par with the rest of this shoe’s premium performance. Available in multiple colors and different widths, the Yonex Sonicage 3 accommodates a wide range of players who want lightweight, breathable performance without sacrificing support.

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.

As much as we all enjoy playing with a new paddle, without a suitable court shoe, the enjoyment is curtailed. Suitable, meaning that it is an official court shoe, and not a running shoe or cross trainer. In addition, there is a fine line between shoe comfort and support, so you want get a Goldilocks fit. 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. It is easy to combine two but not all three of those traits into one shoe. For example, you can have a court that shoe that 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. Wearing a proper fitting and performing shoe while playing pickleball is critical. 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 Total Pickleball 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 for another shoe and/or size, we do not charge for any exchange shipping for shoes.