When to Replace Your Tennis Shoes

The most common wear zone is the outsole, and specifically the forefoot and toe region where most players are putting pressure when they move on the court. When the outsole rubber has completely worn out, it is usually something that you can tell by looking at or inspecting; the layer underneath (midsole) appears as a foam layer. This is usually one major sign to go shopping for a new pair of shoes (at Tennis Warehouse of course) because the midsole layer is not made for gripping the court and protecting your feet from abrasion like the rubber outsole does.

Furthermore, the midsole layer is not necessarily made to be non-marking like the rubber outsole; it may cause you to start marking up the courts, and that is not a good thing. Especially if you are a member of a private club, you may be asked to leave and get some new tennis shoes. There is also a trend of players wearing holes in the upper of their tennis shoes, typically players who slide on hard courts. During the slide, the back foot will typically turn over and the medial side of the upper gets scraped on the hard court surface, burning a hole in the upper and sometimes shredding the laces. This type of wear is less common and is only experienced by certain players who can execute a hard court slide, but it is something that will cause tennis shoes to wear out quickly.

Another factor to consider is the support level, and how well the shoes secure your feet; often times we refer to it as the “lock-down.” The upper materials of your tennis shoes, usually a synthetic leather, mesh, TPU or a combination of those materials, will start to loosen up and stretch out. Over time, the upper material will stretch out to the point where it no longer holds your feet in place or provides that “lock-down” type of support. This can cause you to lose confidence in your movement, especially side to side like in a baseline rally. When the upper material stretches and starts to balloon out over the foundation of the shoe, this can be an issue in terms of the lateral support (or lack thereof); worst case scenario it could increase your chance of injury or lead to an ankle roll. Another design feature that is built into most tennis shoes is the mid-foot shank, which is meant to create stability and rigidity in the foundation of the shoes (think about it like the chassis of a car). This part of the shoe will usually hold up longer than the cushioning and the upper materials, but after a lot of use, even the shank and the foundation of the shoes will start to soften up. At this point the shoes will no longer provide the level of torsional stability that they were designed for, which can lead to having less confidence in your movement on court (specifically quick changes in direction), and this could also increase the risk of injury.