Breakdown

Comfort: 8.4

Our playtesters have become quite familiar with Mizuno tennis shoes, and several of them gave top scores for comfort to the Wave Enforce Tours. Knowing the Wave Enforce Courts were built with similar DNA to those shoes, our group of four highly anticipated this playtest. Tiffani was looking forward to another comfortable option from Mizuno. She began, "When I put the Wave Enforce Courts on I noticed they ran a bit short, but it was not enough for me to want to change sizes. I also thought the cushioning felt soft underfoot, and that was matched by equally soft uppers. There was no need to break these shoes in, and I headed right to the court to play some tennis. Comfort remained outstanding for me throughout my weeks of wearing the Wave Enforce Courts, and my only minor complaint is that these shoes do run on the warm side because of the plushness."

"After the popularity of the Mizuno Wave Enforce Tours, I was looking forward to testing the Wave Enforce Courts to see how they measure up," echoed Zsofi. "When I first put them on, I could feel the comfort right away. For the first 30 minutes or so, I felt like the arch support was a bit too intense for my feet, but this issue went away pretty quickly. The Wave Enforce Courts provided great cushioning underfoot, and they felt super lightweight and fast on the court. The outsole was not too thick or heavy, and I always felt connected to the court. Overall, the comfort levels were top notch!"

One of the first things Michelle noticed when she put on the Wave Enforce Courts was the comfort and padding around her feet. She said, "The heel collar and tongue were plush, while the fit was just right for my medium-width feet. I also noticed a fairly pronounced arch that hit a bit farther back on my foot. As the playtester with the highest arch, it was nice to have that added support, but I imagine players with flatter feet would find it slightly uncomfortable. The uppers were breathable and lightweight but lacked a bit of support, and I wouldn't have minded if they were a bit more snug. I tested these shoes as I was super deep into coaching my high school team, which meant a lot of hours on the court but not a lot of hours of intense tennis. With that being said, the Wave Enforce Courts were easy to wear on those long days when I was spending six hours at a time on the court.”

As a big fan of Mizuno shoes, Brittany was excited to take the new Wave Enforce Courts out for a spin. She described, "The initial fit test went great. I stayed in my true size, and I thought the length and width were perfect. Even though I have narrow feet, the uppers hugged them nicely, and I didn't feel like I had any extra space anywhere within the shoes. I typically don't need much arch support, but I felt the Enforce Courts' arch support was hitting me in the wrong spot. While it was noticeable on the walk to the courts, I didn’t have any discomfort once I started playing. In fact, I didn’t need any break-in with the Wave Enforce Courts at all. There is plush cushioning underfoot as well as around the ankle collar and the tongue. The uppers are soft and supple, and I had no issues with ventilation even during some of our warmer playtesting months."

Foot Support / Stability: 6.5

While our team appreciated the comfort levels, they all agreed that they could have used more support and stability from the Wave Enforce Courts. Zsofi admitted she struggled a bit with support, even after making some adjustments. She explained, “I felt more locked in once I utilized the second eyelet on the shoes. Unfortunately, that didn't completely help; I just didn't feel locked down enough when I was moving around aggressively."

While Michelle thought the Wave Enforce Courts felt fine for low-impact tennis, she found that they struggled to support her more aggressive movements. She said, "As I mentioned, I could use the Wave Enforce Courts for coaching, but when I wore them for more intense tennis and drilling I noted a lack of support and felt my feet moving around and over the top of the shoes, leaving my feet and legs craving snugger support. They felt more stable than supportive, but the lack of support made me relegate them to lighter hits and coaching, feeding, etc. I quickly utilized the last eyelet, which did help, but it still left me wanting more support. The positive for me was knowing Mizuno has a more stable cushioned option with the Wave Enforce Tour, so I would suggest that model for players who need more support and stability for the highest level of tournament play."

After Brittany's first try-on of the Wave Enforce Courts, she was interested to see how they would do in this category. She said, "While the uppers were extremely comfortable, I was worried about how soft and flexible they were. I immediately used the extra eyelet to lock in my ankles, and I was happy to see I didn't have any extra room in that area. While my feet weren’t moving inside the Wave Enforce Courts, getting the uppers to hold my feet in place was a struggle. There were times when I felt like my feet were going over the edges of shoes, and that made me a little nervous. I never rolled an ankle, but I did feel a little soreness at times after a hit. Overall, I need higher levels of support and stability, and I did not feel fully confident in the Wave Enforce Courts."

"These Wave Enforce Courts cost a bit less than the Wave Enforce Tours, and I think the support and stability category is where that shows most," added Tiffani. "These Wave Enforce Courts aren't as supportive, especially around the ankles. I wore these shoes with a runner's knot to make them feel secure in that area, but I still wouldn't place them in the top tier of support and stability. I felt confident enough in these shoes to play some dingles and to rally, but I would opt to wear the Wave Enforce Tours if I were looking to move more aggressively on the court."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.1

Our team was more than satisfied with the durability of the Wave Enforce Courts. While Michelle wore these shoes a lot, she didn't put a ton of aggressive wear on them. She said, "I am happy with how durable these shoes are. I am barely seeing any smoothing. I have appreciated the durability of other Mizuno shoes, so this was to be expected."

Brittany found the overall durability of the shoes to be really good, especially for how light they are. She said, “At the end of the playtest I saw basically no wear on the outsoles, toes and upper portions. While I did get about the standard 10 hours in, I wasn't moving aggressively or pushing the shoes to the limit due to the lack of support and stability.”

After a dozen or so hours, Tiffani didn’t see much wear on her pair. She said, "I'm really happy with how these shoes are holding up. The toes are also in good condition. They squeak a bit, but it's nothing too jarring."

Zsofi was on the same page as the rest of the team. She echoed, "I didn't see much wear on the outsoles or the uppers during the playtest. The outsole seemed to hold up pretty well too."

Traction: 7.7

While some of our testers found the Wave Enforce Court's outsole a bit on the sticky side, and others found it a tad slippery, the general consensus was that the traction got the job done. Brittany didn't have to think about the traction much during this playtest. She said, "I have no complaints. I thought the outsoles had a good balance of grip and give. I was able to change directions and move in and out of my shots seamlessly."

"I would place the outsoles of the Wave Enforce Courts on the stickier side of the spectrum," said Tiffani. "I felt sure of foot, yet I was happy that I didn't feel stuck when trying to pick up and move to the next shot."

Zsofi found the soles of the Wave Enforce Courts to be a bit too slippery for her. Game. She explained, "I do like to have a bit of give and the ability to slide around a little, but after testing the Wave Enforce Courts on a couple of different hard-court surfaces, I found the soles to be too slippery, especially along the lines of the court."

Michelle tends like more grip than give in her tennis shoe outsoles, and she thought the traction levels here were great. She said, "I never had to worry or think about the traction, which is a good sign. I would say they were sticky rather than slick, but I never felt like I was stuck. On the flip side, I never felt like I was skating or slipping around either." 

Weight: 8.9

The lightweight feel of the Wave Enforce Courts was another major highlight of this playtest for our team.Michelle found that the Wave Enforce Courts compared favorably to their Wave Enforce Tour sibling in this category. She said, "When I picked these shoes up for the first time, I was shocked by how light they were. Based on my experience with the Wave Enforce Tours and how cushioned they were, I was expecting them to be heavier, but it was a pleasant surprise that they were so light and not at all bulky."

The Wave Enforce Courts felt quick and nimble on the court to Brittany. She explained, "I was amazed they were under 10 ounces (size 8.5). I felt extremely quick and was moving around with ease in every direction. The heel-to-toe transition was very smooth as well. If I had to be picky, I’d say they were a little too light, and I wouldn't mind having a little more weight if that led to better support/stability."

Tiffani thought that the Wave Enforce Courts were impressively light for the amount of cushioning they provide. She explained, "Mizuno sure has a knack for creating light tennis shoes. Even these Wave Enforce Courts, which feel loaded with cushioning, feel plenty light around the court. The cushioning is a little on the soft side, so there are times when I felt that I sank into the padding a bit too much rather than being propelled forward. However, that was minor, and if I were looking for that level of performance, I would instead look at the Wave Enforce Tours."

Breakdown Summary