Head Sprint Pro 3.0 Men's Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.1

Our playtest team thought the Head Sprint Pro 3.0s offered a comfortable and speedy ride overall. From his first wear, Mark was impressed with the comfort this shoe provided. He said, "I look for a high degree of out-of-the-box comfort from my tennis shoes, and I am happy to report the Sprint Pro 3.0s delivered exactly that. In fact, I wore these shoes off-court quite a bit, and not for the purpose of breaking them in. They were very lightweight and comfortable on my feet. After playing in them for more than 20 hours, the Sprint Pro 3.0s were even softer and more comfort-oriented than when I first tried them on at my desk."

Chris loved the comfort of these shoes, and he found that they benefited his every move. He said, "I was thoroughly impressed by the comfortable ride I found in the Sprint Pro 3.0s. I went right to the courts in a brand new pair and was able to hit in them without any break-in needed. As these shoes opened up their comfort continued to improve, and they flexed in all the right places. I liked how the uppers wrapped my feet and supported them without ever feeling too stiff. My arches felt well supported, and the ventilation was excellent. Removing the sticker to open up the venting in the shank made a noticeable difference and helped keep my feet nice and cool."

Troy liked how the Sprint Pro 3.0s felt on his feet, but he thought the Head Revolt Pros suited him better. He explained, "I found decent comfort overall. I appreciated the ventilation and the flexible feel of the uppers the most. The fit was nice and snug, almost to the point where I wanted to go up a half size, but I ended up staying in my usual size 9.5. Before long, the shoes broke in and contoured to my feet well. The increase in the mesh of the uppers, combined with the 360-degree cooling system, made for a ventilated feel. The underfoot cushioning was minimal, like with most lightweight shoes, but there was enough padding to keep my feet from feeling sore. I am a big fan of the Revolt Pro 3.0s, which are heavier duty, and I prefer the cushioning of those shoes."

Due to his wider feet, Jason struggled with the Sprint Pro 3.0's fit. He said, “The toe box was too narrow for me, even after a few hours of breaking it in. The cushioning is definitely on the more minimal side, and it has that low-to-the-ground feel. I thought the ventilation was really good once I removed the sticker from underneath the insole."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.9

The Head Sprint Pro 3.0s were very supportive and stable despite their lightweight, minimal build. Chris found a familiar ride in these shoes. He said, "The supportive ride in the Sprint Pro 3.0s reminded me of playing in a Nike Vapor. I found the shoes to be supple, while still offering a supportive fit that held my feet in place. Players seeking a stiffer, more solid feel can look to the Revolt Pro 3.0s, but if you want fast-feeling support, I think these shoes are a great option."

The Sprint Pro 3.0s outperformed Troy's expectations in this category. He said, "I was pretty surprised by how supportive these shoes felt considering how light they are. Even with a significant amount of mesh on the uppers, these shoes had a snug, secure fit, and I felt locked-in. The Delta Strap integrated into the lacing system seemed to play a big role in locking in my feet. I felt low enough to the ground, so the stability was there when I made aggressive direction changes, and I didn't feel like I would roll over. This felt very similar to the Babolat Jet Mach II AC."

Jason was thinking along the same lines as Troy. He added, "For shoes that are this light and minimal, I thought the stability was pretty good. I could feel the uppers flex when I was moving aggressively and cutting, but never to the point where it became unsafe. The support was good when I had the shoes freshly laced up, but because of the thin laces, they wouldn't stay tightly cinched for very long, so I'd retie my shoes halfway through a hitting session to keep that locked-down feel."

Mark noted how this shoe line has evolved over the years, saying, "For the most part, the Sprint Pro 3.0s were very supportive. Compared to the prior iterations of the Sprint Pro and the NZZO/Nitro Pro, which are also supportive, the latest 3.0s are substantially lighter, due in part to their more spartan upper construction. That said, I was impressed at how supportive the Sprint Pro 3.0's uppers were throughout the playtest, even though the level of support was a bit less compared with prior models."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.9

Our playtesters felt the Head Sprint Pro 3.0 held up its end of the durability bargain. Troy described, "Durability was good considering how light these shoes are. The new tread pattern and the Hybrasion+ outsole rubber held up well throughout the entire playtest. I did see some slight balding in the high-wear areas, such as under the balls of my feet and toes. I would compare these shoes to the Babolat Jet Mach II AC for being very lightweight and having decent durability. The outsoles weren't quite as beefy as the Revolt Pro 3.0s, but they were tough for their lighter weight class."

Jason added, "I put about 10 hours on these shoes and saw some tread wear at the toe areas. I'd say the durability is right on par for lightweight, minimal shoes."

Chris noticed minor wear by the end of the playtest, but the Sprint Pro 3.0s met his expectations overall. He said, "While built more for speed than surviving the grind of long training sessions, my pair of Sprint Pro 3.0s held up well. I was impressed by the durability of the uppers around the toes. The outsoles showed some wear during my testing, and the durability I got out of these is similar to what I find in the Asics Solution Speed FFs."

Mark agreed with the rest of the team, saying, "Durability for the Sprint Pro 3.0s is not going to be the main storyline, but for lightweight shoes, I have to admit that I was surprised at how long the outsoles and toe caps lasted. For those players with the ability to slide to the point of tipping the shoe on its medial side, Head uses a good bit of TPU near the joint of the big toe for extra abrasion protection."

Traction - Score: 4.4

The updated tread pattern of the Head Sprint Pro 3.0 drew praise from our playtesters across the board. Mark said, "I feel the new Head Sprint 3.0 is not an update but is entirely different from previous models, including the outsole material and tread pattern. The older versions featured a modified herringbone outsole, but the 3.0 uses a different rubber compound, along with a unique and very functional tread design. I spent time on several different local hard courts, each with a slightly different level of grit, and I was able to get a proper degree of grip versus slip on every one of them with these shoes."

Troy liked the updated tread pattern. He said, "The new tread pattern of these shoes provided what I would call a semi-slick feel on the hard courts. I liked how there was a decent amount of give when I slammed on the brakes. There was enough traction to give me the grip to sprint after the ball, but the overall feel of these shoes wasn't overly sticky. I think these would be a good choice for those hard court sliders who like to be low to the ground."

Jason worked sliding into his game with the Sprint Pro 3.0s. He described, "I thought the Sprint Pro 3.0 offered really good traction because the outsole wasn't too sticky and had some give to it. Being able to slide a bit helped relieve some of that lateral pressure on the uppers."

"I thought the traction was perfect in the Sprint Pro 3.0s," Chris added. "I had ample grip to sprint around the court. When coming to a quick stop, there was enough give to take some strain off my knees and ankles. I played on indoor and outdoor hard courts as well as some red clay, and I never had any traction issues."

Weight - Score: 4.7

With the Head Sprint Pro 3.0 weighing in at 12.5 ounces (size 10.5), our playtesters loved how fast they could move on court. For Chris, this section of the playtest tied the benefits of these shoes together. He explained, "The Sprint Pro 3.0s felt very light and fast on court. I think the light feel was further enhanced by the flexible ride. All of this combined to make the shoes feel like they were moving with me, flexing where needed and supporting where necessary. I was able to play worry-free in them and just focus on my tennis, and that's always a good sign my shoes are doing their job."

Jason was also pleased with how speedy and responsive the Sprint Pro 3.0s felt on court. He said, "This is the standout feature of these shoes. If you value lightweight shoes with a low-to-the-ground feel, these Sprint Pro 3.0s check those boxes."

Troy found these Sprint Pro 3.0s to be light and quick but also very supportive. He said, "They were ultra-light and fast. Not quite as light as the Babolat Jet Mach IIs, but they were very close. There was a bit of rigidity to these shoes in the beginning, which I think was important in maintaining lateral support and stability. They felt even faster after I wore them a few times, and they started to flex with my strides naturally."

According to Mark, the Sprint Pro 3.0's on-court feel matched its impressive weight on the scale. He said, "I did not have the official weight for a U.S. men's size 10.5, but I wear an 11.5, and it weighed around 12.85 ounces, which is lighter than the current Sprint Pro 2.5's 13.2-ounce weight at a smaller size. On paper, the Sprint Pro 3.0s are light, and more importantly, they feel the same on court."

Overall - Score: 4.0