Mizuno Neo Ace Review

The Mizuno Neo Aces are some of the most comfortable court shoes we carry, feeling plush both atop and beneath our team's feet. Moreover, their comfort didn't take away from any of their performance characteristics. Jason was downright enamored with the fit and comfort underfoot, finding it be more or less exactly what he was looking for. He said, "I was extremely impressed with the fit and feel of the Neo Aces. The step-in comfort was excellent thanks to the supple upper and plush underfoot cushioning, and the width fit was fine for me even with my E width feet."

Mark found an overall comfortable nature from the Neo Aces, and he appreciated their better-than-average arch support. He noted, "Right out of the box and long after the conclusion of the playtest, Mizuno's new Neo Aces offered excellent comfort underfoot. Additionally, the listed size 11 length and medium width were spot on for my feet. Ventilation-wise, the upper and tongue kept enough air flow on my feet to beat the on-court summer heat. Although my high instep is not bothered by the typical low arch height of most tennis shoes, my feet were happy to feel a more pronounced medium height to the stock arch support insert."

Oak loved the inherent comfort he found in the Neo Aces, and he found the comfort to be practical, which isn't always the case with comfier shoes. He explained, "Like most people will tell you, the Mizuno Neo Aces are comfy. Right out of the box, they were probably the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve tried since my beloved KSwiss K-Frame Speeds. Ventilation is decent, although nothing exceptional. Arch support was good, and so was the fit of these shoes. I found the comfort to simply be practical, letting me push into and out of the plush material with ease, which isn't always the case for me with more flexible foam. While some comfort-focused shoes can lack responsiveness, I'm thrilled that the Neo Aces maintain high levels of functionality without compromising on their comfort."

Troy also appreciated the comfort he found in the Neo Aces. He said, "The comfort and fit of these Mizuno Neo Ace shoes are top tier. I have found the comfort to be good with both the Mizuno Exceed Tours and Enforce Tours over the years, so I was glad these shoes follow suit. The cushioning underneath my feet felt plush; it felt a bit more padded and cushioned than I found with the Wave Exceed Tour 7s but a little bouncier and more responsive compared to the Wave Enforce Tour 2s. I found the breathability of these shoes to be pretty good and a bit better than the average. The tongue was breathable, and the little cut-outs of the TPU also helped. The arch support was surprisingly good; most of the court shoes that I test nowadays lack arch support. Overall, they fit pretty well for me; toward the end of the test the toe box sort of opened up slightly, but I would say for the most part these shoes kept me feeling secure on the court."

Oftentimes the real test of shoes' viability is their ability to facilitate movement, and the Mizuno Neo Aces were more than up to the challenge. Troy found the Neo Aces to have an ideal blend of underfoot support and lateral functionality around the court. He explained, "I feel like there was just the right amount of support and stability. The Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 7s started to feel too flexible after a couple of weeks, and they didn’t quite have the level of support I needed. The Neo Aces have just enough added material and support features to keep me feeling secure inside them without feeling clunky or bulky. They offered a nice balance of support and stability, while also maintaining a speedy, flexible feel. Another thing that stood out to me was the addition of the Agility Frame, which seemed to do a great job of adding some rigidity to the foundation of these shoes."

Oak was seriously impressed with the Neo Aces when it came to moving around the court. He explained, "While the comfort of shoes is always a welcome bonus, the area I'm typically most concerned about is the lateral functionality and overall stability. The Mizuno Neo Aces have support and stability in spades, letting me move as aggressively as I want. I was amazed how fast these shoes were, without compromising on their stability in the slightest. Several times I found myself hitting top speeds with ease and getting to a shot that I thought I otherwise wouldn't, even by my standards. I was also amazed at how well I could recover from a long run/slide, letting the shoes absorb the impact or movement and then pushing off with determination and confidence for the next ball. These shoes have managed to raise the bar when it comes to comfortable stability. No complaints, only praises from me in this area."

Mark felt secure from heel to toe in the Neo Aces. He said, "Overall, I felt safe and confident playing both singles and doubles in the Neo Aces. Between the supportive upper, including the heel cup and the somewhat low-to-the-ground stance, my feet were comfortably held in place no matter the direction change."

Jason found the Neo Aces to have a level of support and stability that started to push them into a class of their own. He said, “Support and stability are where the Neo Aces separate themselves from the pack. I was pleasantly surprised by how stable the shoes felt. I felt really confident moving aggressively from side to side and planting and pushing off. I thought locking in my feet was easy, and once I had the shoes laced up, the support was all there."

In addition to being backed by a six-month outsole guarantee, the Mizuno Neo Aces are an impressively built shoe with loads of inherent rigidity and a lifespan that exceeds other comparably priced performance shoes. Jason wore his pair extensively, and he reported good durability with no signs of premature wear. He said, "I put a lot of hours on these Neo Aces because I liked them so much, and they held up extremely well. I think I put in about 20-22 hours, and I see tons of tread left. The wear pattern across the outsole is fairly even, with no premature balding or high wear hot spots."

Mark found the Neo Aces to be more than durable, even well after the 40-hour mark for his pair. He explained, "For my degree of on-court gas and brake, the Mizuno Neo Aces were plenty durable, even without factoring in the outsole warranty. My shoes still have some outsole left after more than 40 hours of play, and I can accurately report the uppers have also maintained their shape and support."

For Troy, the combination of a durability guarantee and the shoes' inherent longevity make them a good choice for the more serious tournament players who are burning through outsoles more quickly. He noted, "The outsole rubber held up well throughout the playtest. In the regions where I tend to cause the most damage, under the balls of my feet and the toe region, I noticed a bit of scuffing or wear on the tread. However, for the most part the outsole held up well over a month or so of testing (roughly about 20 hours of on court), and there was still a good amount of rubber to keep playing on. I would say there's a pretty similar wear level to one of my favorite shoes, the New Balance CT Rally 2s, and both shoes come with a six-month outsole durability guarantee. That's always a plus for players who put in a lot of court time, like those who play tournaments or in leagues.”

Oak found a better-than-expected degree of durability from the Neo Aces, which let him turn and burn without worrying about wearing through the shoes too soon. He said, "Durability-wise, the Neo Aces have really surprised me. I've been putting these shoes through their paces, and they've managed to seriously impress with their rigidity and rugged nature. Given the amount of sliding/sprinting I've done in them, I'm amazed at how well the outsoles are holding up. The uppers look brand new. At the 25-hour mark, even my highest wear areas have super minimal balding, so I feel confident that these would hold up quite well over time. (And a durability guarantee to boot?)"

As far as outsole traction was concerned and overall connection to the court, The Mizuno Neo Aces once again dazzled our team with their outsole traction and overall connection to the court. Although Oak was a little apprehensive going into this test, he had no traction issues when sprinting or stopping at full speed in the Neo Aces. He said, "I was a bit nervous when I saw the midfoot shank on the Mizuno Neo Aces because it reminded me of the design on the Wave Exceed Tour 7s, and those shoes were problematic for me in terms of how they moved on court. The plastic on the Exceed Tour 7s could come into contact with the ground sometimes due to how I move, and then they could slip out from underneath me, ultimately leaving me feeling unsafe in those shoes. I'm happy to report that this is not the case with the Neo Aces, and I felt wholly comfortable going for aggressive slides and pivots. There is enough offset between the plastic shank and the forefoot/heel to keep the plastic from hitting the court."

Troy found a near-perfect blend of grip and give from the outsoles, which let him move around the court with a high level of efficiency. He said, "I really enjoyed the way the outsoles on these Mizuno Neo Ace shoes gripped the court. If I had to be really nitpicky, I would say these shoes were a little squeaky at times, but that wasn't really an issue in terms of performance. If anything, it sort of made me feel like I was moving my feet extra quickly, haha. I found plenty of grip when playing on various hard courts. When I went to change directions, these shoes gripped the court and made it easy to push off toward the next shot. However, even with a strong grip from the outsole, I didn't find them to be overwhelmingly sticky. With some slight wear and break-in, the outsoles were sort of right in the sweetspot of the grip-to-give ratio. Overall, I felt pretty efficient when moving side to side at the baseline and transitioning to net, which is usually a good sign."

Jason found a superb level of traction that let him slide into and out of shots with ease. He noted, "The traction is top-notch! I like outsoles that let me plant and slide out of a shot, and these Neo Aces allow me to do so with ease. They offer just the right amount of give on hard courts without ever feeling slick or causing me to slip when pushing off."

Mark also found reliable amounts of traction in every hard-court environment he tested these shoes in. He said, "As with the Neo Aces out-of-the-box comfort and support, traction was also great on the four different hard courts I tested them on. Compared to some other court shoes I have recently worn and tested, the outsoles were pretty quiet around the court, which I liked."

On the scale the Mizuno Neo Aces are in the mid-weight range, but our team felt like the weight went to good use and was well distributed. Mark didn't think about the weight all that much. He said, "I knew the average weight for the Mizuno Neo Ace was around 14.3 ounces for a men's size 10.5, but my concern is that a court shoe provides a speedy feel while maintaining support and stability, and that is precisely how I would describe the feel and performance of the Neo Aces."

Jason found the shoes to be right in the middle of the weight spectrum. He clarified, "I would not consider these to be lightweight shoes, but I also wouldn’t put these in the heavyweight class either. There's enough mass in the shank and the uppers to give the Neo Aces excellent stability, but I still felt fast when moving in them."

Oak found the weight to be more or less perfectly distributed, and he was able to reach top speeds around the court. He said, "At 14.3 ounces in a size 10.5, these shoes were neither too heavy nor too light. It feels like the weight has gone to good use, given the shoes' comfort and stability. The Neo Aces were light enough to keep me moving freely but also substantial enough to pivot, plant and move with confidence. Once again, no complaints from me."

Troy also found the weight of the Neo Aces to be right in his sweetspot. He said, “The Neo Aces required very little break-in, if any, and they felt rather light and flexible. In terms of overall weight, the Neo Aces are a bit more built up than the Wave Exceed Tour 7s, but I felt like they were sort of in that perfect weight range. Not too heavy or built up, and not so lightweight and flexible that the shoes were lacking support or stability. I think Mizuno really hit the balance right on the nose -- speed, support and weight are right in that sweetspot for my liking."