It’s hard to imagine, but the modern day signature athlete, an area dominated by men’s professional basketball stars, was once firmly cemented on a different court – the tennis court. Stars like Stan Smith and Andre Agassi were legends at their profession, but tennis came with a battle of its own – finding the perfect shoe depending on the surface one was playing on.
We’ve seen basketball silhouettes aimed at the blacktop like the infamous Air Raid, and with tennis in the past, designers would create a shoe comprising of an outsole that would react specifically to the chosen playing surface. But in today’s market, brands have a much different fate – they’re trying to create shoes that play just as well on a clay court as they would on grass or even DecoTurf in an effort to keep up with the evolution of today’s game. Finding a quality all-playing surface shoe is an easy task today thanks to a new feature from Dick’s Sporting Goods which recaps a few brand new models that carry the trend of being a formidable wear on any court. Be sure to check out the full feature here.