Best Kids Tennis Shoes: Our Favorites & Junior Sizes Explained

Over the last 30 years, we’ve helped countless parents find the perfect pair for their kids. In this guide, we’ll break down the best tennis shoes for a variety of performance, budget and style preferences. We’ll also cover the importance of proper tennis footwear and explain kids' tennis shoe sizing, also known as junior sizing. Let’s jump in and explore junior tennis shoes.

Whether your junior player is just getting started or is already competing in tournaments, tennis shoes are an essential piece of equipment. There are a few reasons why tennis-specific shoes so important.

• Tennis shoes are designed for lateral movements and can help players avoid injury. There's a lot of side to side movement in the game, and tennis shoes take this into account, whereas running shoes, for example, are designed for forward movements and won't be as laterally stable.
• Tennis shoes offer more durability on courts than normal athletic shoes, especially if they're playing on hard courts, which is the most common surface type in the United States.
• Most tennis shoes have non-marking outsoles. When playing on hard courts non-marking shoes might be a requirement. Although there likely isn't anyone policing your neighborhood courts, it is considered good etiquette to wear non-marking shoes to play.

Now that we've covered a few of the main reasons why kids tennis shoes are a must, let's review the best kids' tennis shoes for a variety of player needs.

If you're new to buying junior shoes the sizing can be a bit confusing. "Little kid" sizing goes from 0 (infant sizes) up through size 13.5. Then the numbers start over again at size 1 for "big kid" sizing and go through 6.5 or 7, depending on the brand. Tennis Warehouse puts "Jr" into the sizing to differentiate from the adult sizes.

Once kids start to size out of junior sizing, they can go right into men's or women's shoes. For example, for boys the next size after Jr. 6.5 would be a men's size 7. For girls moving up to women's shoes, the sizing is a bit different. A Jr. 3.5 is a women's size 5. Most of our women's shoe selections start at size 5 so once a girl is in Jr. 3.5 size or bigger she can move into women's shoes if desired.

• Do my kids need specific shoes to play tennis? Yes. Tennis shoes are designed for lateral movements and can help players avoid injury. There's a lot of side to side movement in the game, and tennis shoes take this into account, whereas running shoes, for example, are designed for forward movements and won't be as laterally stable.
• What makes tennis shoes different than regular sneakers? Tennis shoes are designed specifically for the movements on the court. They are also more durable than regular athletic shoes on hard courts, the most common surface type in the United States. Most tennis shos are also made with non-marking rubber, often a requirement at tennis clubs.
• How does kids shoe sizing work? "Little kid" sizing goes from 0 (infant sizes) up through size 13.5. Then the numbers start over again at size 1 for "big kid" sizing and go through 6.5 or 7, depending on the brand. Tennis Warehouse puts "Jr" into the sizing to differentiate from the adult sizes.
• It's important that kids wear tennis-specific shoes to play, and it's also key to find the right size for your junior player. If you have any further questions about junior tennis shoes or any other tennis equipment, please give our product experts a call at 1-800-799-9230.