Comments: These shoes fit great and are extremely comfortable. They didn't last more than a month before there were totally worn out. Tennis Warehouse was great and replaced them under the performance warranty - unfortunately less than a month later they wore through again. Not for anyone that plays more than a couple times a week.
From: Austin, 5/12

Comments: I progressed through the New Balance 544, and 1002 Tennis shoes. I am a 220 pound 5' 10" tennis player with a fullback/linebacker body type. Been playing very competitive singles and doubles tennis for 10+ years. Usually play 2 to 3 hours at a session on Saturday and Sunday and weather permitting 2 days during the week. Purchased 2 pairs of NB 851 Black/Yellow from TennisWarehouse. Have worn the shoes numerous times for 2 to 3 hour stretches and they are comfortable, lightweight and durable. They have improved my footspeed and consequently endurance on the hard court. I am extremely hard on shoes, and completely ground down the soles on the NB 544 and 1002 (2 pairs). The NB 851 although lightweight shows very little wear and its construction with the rounded soles prevents one from tripping and grinding down the sides of the soles. I've ordered 2 more pairs and give my highest recommendation to the New Balance 851 for comfort, durability, breathability and styling.
From: Pete, 3/12

Comments: Great light-weight comfortable and responsive tennis shoes! One of my favorites ever. I play 2 - 3 times per week and most shoes wear thru in a few months. It looks like these will be about the same...2 months of play and may make it to 3 so a new pair will soon be on the way!
From: Steve, 2/12

Comments: I bought these shoes because how light they were advertised to be. They were indeed very light and comfortable. The first pair I got had some issues with one shoe being shallower than the other. Tennis Warehouse exchanged them for me (Thank you Tennis Warehouse). I wore them to play the first time today. I did feel that they were very light on my feet. However, these shoes have way too much traction on the outsole and I often felt my feet were stuck on the court. I was having trouble doing small step adjustment because how sticky those shoes were. Also when I pivot, I could not easily rotate my body because I was having trouble changing my toes from pointing sideways to pointing ahead while finishing up my strokes (again because of the excessive traction). Those shoes are great when you don't have to change directions when running, but I had a hard time changing directions. When I got home, I compared them with a pair of Nike and Adidas I had. These New Balance shoes definitely had a lot more traction than the Nike and Adidas. Additionally, when you put the shoes on, if you are not careful, the part behind your ankle gets squished quite easily. I think these are very comfortable shoes to wear and look great for casual/running shoes. They do have good cushioning and feel very light on your feet, but I don't think they are designed for serious tennis players. I will unlikely wear them to play tennis again because I think I have injured my hip/lower back during pivoting today (my feet got stuck pointed sideways instead of becoming pointed ahead after I finish my swing, so my hip and feet probably got twisted a bit).
From: Rick, 2/12

Comments: I'm liking these as match shoes: they are really lightweight and I feel very quick on my feet. They also feel like they have good cushioning, but it must not be up to par with the Wilson's I used previously, because my legs feel a little sore after practicing. For matches though I prefer these. I had bad problems with my previous Wilson shoes jamming my toes into the toe box, but no problems with these New Balance at all. Good fit for my narrow feet. Sole durability is probably average, so need to take advantage of the Tennis Warehouse warranty. Highly recommend.
From: Stephen, 11/11

Comments: Great shoes! Real out of the box comfort. No real break-in period. Just walked them around for a day or 2 just to get the feel. First tried them out on a hard court surface. Nice, light and stable. People thought they were running shoes.
From: Arge, 11/11

Comments:I found these shoes to run a half size smaller than normal, including other New Balance shoes.
From: Richard, 10/11

Comments: I have now played one singles match and one doubles match in these shoes and I really like them. They are very light, but reasonably stable. They felt good right out of the box, even playing singles. For doubles, I really felt light on my feet. Durability may be an issue. However, with a 12 month warranty and a reasonable price point, I think they will be okay for me. Aesthetically, they are nice too. I had several teammates take notice of them the first time out.
From: Mike, 10/11

Comments: This is a very light,speedy and comfortable shoes. The cushioning is marginal. Heavyset players should use quality orthotics to prevent ankle injuries. I love these shoes.
From: Bakthan, 9/11

Comments: I play tennis for my high school and am going to play Division III tennis and will start in doubles. These shoes are wonderful and have great support with the nice lightweight feel. Obviously they are made for people with strong ankles. For anyone who wants a light weight pair of shoes and doesn't wear them out to quick, then these are perfect. I just play too much and wore these out in less than 2 weeks cause I play for about 4-5 hours every day.
From: Ryan, 8/11

Comments: They are very light, and very lightly constructed. New Balance advertises them as a cushion shoe, and they do have good cushioning. However, I can't believe that anyone could play tennis in these, they are street shoes at best. They most resemble the Nike Free type of shoe, very lightweight and low to the ground. The cushioning is too soft though, and this may depend on how much a person weighs, but for me, every time I tried to pivot or move laterally, I had to be very careful because the soft cushioning and the lack of any support from the uppers made for a very unstable feel. Even with the low-to-the- ground ride, it was way too easy to come over the top of these. The foot bed is virtually flat with no arch support whatsoever. These are bedroom slippers with sticky soles - to say they are a successor to the Adidas Feather II is ludicrous. I like lightweight shoes, and feel that most proline shoes are overbuilt and too heavy for club players. I wear the Asics Challengers and have several pairs of Adidas Tirands (which are great, lightweight shoes). I would find it hard to believe that anyone who actually plays tennis had anything to do with the design of the New Balance 851.
From: Barry. 08/11

Comments: I previously posted on the 2E shoe but decided to get the D when I purchased. This is by far the most comfortable tennis shoe I have ever worn. They feel like bedroom slippers. The cushioning is incredible for a shoe this light. I played a mixed doubles match last night and felt like I had to double pull my foot up on my first step to the ball to make sure my foot was moving. I wear adidas when I get an occasional run of plantar fasciitis (heel spur) in my right foot. I felt nothing after playing in these. Unsure if this is a new midsole composite for New Balance but whatever it is combined with this last it works. The sole is grippy as well and the upper is supportive. I have a few pairs of the adidas Feather II that I still play in. The current Feather's have added weight and don't perform as well as the II's did. The 851 feels like a natural successor to the adidas Feather II.
From: J, 8/11

Comments: These are great shoes, they feel very light and very comfortable. It took me one match to break them in and now they are my favorite shoes to play with. I do a lot of running on the court, speed is one of my strengths and these shoes help a lot. Thanks New Balance.
From: Dave 8/11

Comments: I've only had a chance to wear these to the gym to break in doing some cross-training, but from my initial impression I'm loving them already. They felt stiff for about 10 minutes, then broke in very nicely. Very light and low profile but surprisingly sturdy feel for such a light shoe. My previous shoe was Court Ballistic 2.3. These are so much less clunky the the Court Ballistic 2.3's. I won't be able to get them on the court for another couple days, can't wait. And the price is great considering the quality and outsole warranty!
From: Dave, 8/11

Comments: So far so good! I have a wide forefoot, so no Nike or adidas for me. Plus I like that these shows are extremely light and comfortable. Other manufacturers have tried, but usually aren't successful. Only thing I need to worry about is how the out sole durability holds up.
From: Hank, 8/11