Taking a Closer Look at the ASICS Gel-Court FF Tennis Shoe
When it comes to the sport of tennis, we truly live in exciting times, and not just because of the quality of players tearing up the court. Tennis shoe manufacturers are in a frenzy to try and come out with the next latest and greatest shoe. As a result, we all benefit from unique and innovative designs that we can sift through to find a perfect fit. A great example of this is the ASICS Gel-Court FF Tennis Shoe.
How Does it Compare?
At Tennis Express, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about this shoe along the lines of:
What is it?
Why is it so expensive?
How can it improve my game?
To understand this and more, let’s first look at the Gel-Resolution 7 (left) and Gel-Solution Speed 3 (right). The Gel-Resolution 7 is ASICS’ durability shoe. It’s supportive, has a lot of cushioning, and is simply a high-performing beast. Meanwhile, the Gel-Solution Speed 3 is ASICS’ lightweight shoe. It sits much lower to the ground, has less cushioning and support, and is more responsive. Really, it just feels fast. Then there’s the Gel-Court FF…
The Gel-Court FF Tennis Shoe
This shoe falls somewhere in the middle of ASICS’ traditional offerings, but leans closer to the Gel-Solution Speed 3. The heel sits a little bit higher, and the shoe overall has better cushioning and support. This makes it slightly heavier, but definitely not at the expense of speed or quickness. This is because the Gel-Court FF pulls some tech from ASICS’ leading running shoes to help with lightweight responsiveness. I’m referring to the company’s FlyteFoam® Midsole Technology. In the Gel-Court FF, this feature provides the shock absorption and bounce-back required in performance running shoes, and adapts it to tennis. This is immediately felt when you stand on the balls of your feet. The shoes have an almost bouncy nature that helps you accelerate in any direction.
Another thing that athletes will notice right away is the Mono-Sock® Technology Fit System. In laymen’s terms, this shoe has a bootie. This inner foot-sleeve replaces a traditional tongue to provide additional cushioning and support. Truthfully, I thought this system felt uncomfortable at first. That being said, after playing in it for a little while, the sock-like fit seemed to loosen up and became more natural. Once I got to this point, I could feel the benefits.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this shoe. It offers the benefits of a traditional speed shoe, but comes with the added cushioning and support that can make a big difference in long matches and training sessions. One last thing to note is that this is a unisex shoe. It comes in traditional men’s sizes, but is meant for both men and women. Ladies, for a proper fit, you’ll need to order 1.5 sizes smaller than you normally would.
For More on Shoes
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Play Tester: Chris Worman
Height: 5′ 10″Weight: 190 lbs