- Men’s Shoes – 2.5 – 3.0lbs For A Pair
- Women’s Shoes – 2.0 – 2.50lbs For A Pair
Your Guide
Gavin Davison
As you can see above, men’s tennis shoes are slightly heavier than women’s tennis shoes.
In short, that’s because on average, male tennis players are stronger and heavier, which is why the shoes will be slightly bulkier for added support.
Of course, that’s not to say those female tennis players aren’t strong, but THE DEMANDS on the body and, subsequently, the feet are less than male players.
And while performing my research, I found that:
Male tennis shoes generally fall into the 2.5 to 3.0lb range in terms of weight, while
Female tennis shoes are generally between 2.0 and 2.5lbs.
This would make sense, but there are DIFFERENT BRANDS and TYPES of shoes that can fall outside of this range.
In my experience, it’s better to wear tennis shoes that are as lightweight and durable as possible.
The lighter the shoes, the LESS ENERGY you need to expel to lift your legs and move around the court.
As for durability, this speaks for itself. But let me get a little more specific now on how the weight of your shoes can impact your game.
The Weight of Your Shoes – It Matters!
As I’ve stated above, you should be looking to wear tennis shoes that are as lightweight as possible.
I’ve always found that Nike shoes are some of the lightest available, which is why they are so popular with both amateur and professional players.
However, let me detail some of the main reasons right now as to why lightweight shoes are MORE PREFERABLE than others:
Speed Around the Court
In short, you need to be quick around the court in tennis; it’s that simple.
Being QUICK means you will have a decent Defensive Game, you will get plenty of balls in the court, and you’ll become a bit of a nightmare for your opponents.
But to MAXIMIZE how quick you can be around the court, you should be looking to use lightweight shoes.
Heavy shoes, even if it’s just a Slight Difference, can SLOW YOU DOWN in terms of how quick you are off the mark and how RAPIDLY you get around the court, in general.
And if you think about the most successful guys on tour, Djokovic, Medvedev, and Zverev, they are all pretty speedy, and I GUARANTEE YOU that they are using lightweight shoes.
When I say speedy, I mean how quickly they can
- Get Across the Baseline
- Charge Up to Drop Shots, and
- Scramble the Ball Back When They Are Put On the Defensive
Check out this video of Djokovic’s defensive skills to see what I mean:
Less Energy Expelled
In tennis, EVERY CALORIE COUNTS, let me tell you!
When you are involved in a Grueling Match, your energy will get sapped, and you’ve got to dig deep if you are to come out on top.
But there is a way that you can do yourself a favor on this topic – get yourself some Lightweight Tennis Shoes.
The lighter the shoes, the less effort you need to put in when gliding around the court, and this will BENEFIT YOU GREATLY during those long matches.
And just to put it in perspective, thinking of calories burned, tennis can often burn upwards of 500-600 calories per hour.
That means that if you were to play a match that lasts over 3 hours, you are almost Burning Your Daily Calorie Intake in ONE SESSION.
That’s pretty considerable when you sit back and think about it, but since we’re not talking about diet here, I’ll state that the shoes you wear CAN HELP OUT massively in this area.
Light on Your Feet
Being ‘light on your feet is something that tennis coaches will often say to their students, myself included.
Of course, you can’t change your body weight on the spot and, INSTANTLY, be lighter on your feet.
This is a figurative way of letting you know that you need to be on your toes and ready for action at all times.
In a standard-ready position, you’ll be on the balls of your feet, and then you’ll perform a split-step as the opponent hits the shot.
This is your best bet for chasing after the ball AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
And since you’ll be putting a little spring in your step here, you won’t be doing yourself any favors by using shoes that fall outside of the recommended weight range.
However, with lightweight shoes, you’ll:
- Effortlessly Bounce up and Down on the Balls of Your Feet, and
- I Have a Feeling That the Coach Will Be Pleased With What They See!
Recommended Lightweight Tennis Shoes
Over the years, I’ve experimented with all kinds of tennis shoes.
I’m talking about brands, court-specific shoes, and so much more. But throughout my many years of playing, I’ve also come back to the same two brands – Nike or Adidas.
These guys are still the best in the business when it comes to performance tennis shoes. Their shoes aren’t cheap, but you get what you pay for in this world.
To this day, I still play in Nike or Adidas tennis shoes, whether practicing or competing.
Nike is arguably Slightly Lighter than Adidas, on the whole, but they aren’t as durable.
But if you’re not overly bothered about buying a new pair of shoes quite often, Nike might be the best route to go down.
Adidas is always a good call if you’re like me and want to use quality shoes while getting the most for your money.
And without bashing the brands too much, I would steer clear of brands such as Wilson, Babolat, or K-Swiss, mainly because the shoes are heavier than others.
Have anything you’d like to add? Let us know in the comments!
