Wide foot woes... any shoe with bigger toebox than Babolat SFX3?

LoanStar said:

Diadora Speed Star K. I developed a neuroma in both feet so needed a wide toe box that would accommodate a Cadence insole with a metatarsal pad. Been wearing them the past two years. They're a little heavier, but durable and comfortable.

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Isca said:

Hi all, this is my first post here and I hope you knowledgeable folk will be able to help me!

I have been trying to find a pair of tennis shoes that will fit my duck feet. For years I've crammed my feet into whatever and gone up a size or two, but it's never really been satisfactory. I've transitioned to minimalist/zero drop shoes for everything except tennis in the past few years and my old tennis shoes just feel way too uncomfortable now.

Here's a photo to demonstrate my problem:

On the left is my Altra Torin 2.0 running shoe, which fits me perfectly. In the middle is the Babolat SFX3 (which I bought to try and am going to return).

As you can see, the Babolat is way too narrow for my foot and I felt really crammed in to it. There's no way I could play tennis like that without messing up my toes. This shoe was touted by Tennis Warehouse's review team as being a godsend for wider-footed players... I guess mine are abnormally wide!

I am considering playing tennis in my Altras, but I play exclusively on hardcourt and they have a very soft sole which will wear through in no time I'd imagine - also, they're obviously not built quite like a 'proper' tennis shoe and I'm worried about lateral support.

The only other shoe that made my shortlist after much research was the K-Swiss Hypercourt Express. Anyone out there tried both and can confirm/deny whether that shoe is any wider?

To make matters worse, I live rurally in England and it seems even less wide-fit shoes make it over here than in the States. I'm relying on shops with free shipping and returns policies (e.g. Tennis Warehouse Europe) to try stuff out.

I'm running out of ideas, so any advice gratefully received!

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Crazy Finn said:

Is it me or does your foot get super wide in the ... mid-foot? (is that what they call it?)

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ron schaap said:

you could try very thin socks or no socks plus another thinner insole which saves you a few millimeter.

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zipplock said:

New Balance is the answer. Fresh Foam Lav is an amazing shoe, comes in many widths. I have a high volume forefoot and buy shoes with a squarish toe box like your Altra for that very reason. I'm all in on New Balance.

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Tennis_Hands said:

Both Adidas Übersonic 3 and Adidas SoleCourt Boost will comfortably accommodate that foot in the OP.

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Isca said:

Are you sure? A guy who tried Adidas SoleCourt Boost told me his foot's like mine and he didn't find it wide enough. It looks narrow to me from the photos online. I might give it a try if I can find a pair with free returns!

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Tennis_Hands said:

How wide is your foot at the widest part?

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Crazy Finn said:

You'd think that TW Europe would have access to the wider 2E, 4E New Balance shoes, but I don't see them on there....

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Isca said:

It's about 120mm on the widest part, which is actually sort of in my midfoot, and my overall foot length is 275mm on my longer foot (my right foot is half a size longer than the left one)

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galain said:

Hey @Isca - I'm another one cursed with gorilla feet and honestly, my feet are wider than yours are (I've tried Altras for running and they're too narrow for me). The best luck I've had has been with New Balance in wider sizes. I've had some success with a couple of K Swiss models, but I know you understand what I'm saying when i say going up by a size or half a size is always second best to finding the 'right' fit for you.

I'm in Europe too. When I need to buy more running shoes I order from the US and just accept the taxes when they arrive. For whatever reason Europe doesn't seem to understand the concept of wide feet. I've had no luck at all finding shoes here. New Balance my friend - 2E or 4E depending on the shoe. They're the best I"ve found.

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Tennis_Hands said:

120 mm is probably on the border of comfortable. I have similar problem, but apparently not as pronounced:11.1-11.2 and am fine with 45 1/3 in SCB and 46 in the U3s. Going to 46 in SCB resulted in too roomy a toe box for me. However, I use the stock inner sole and very thick socks.

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Isca said:

Thanks for the info - it's really helpful to see what's worked and hasn't for other people who are in the same boat. Maybe I will at least try the SCB - are the uppers forgiving enough to not be too uncomfortable if my 'big toe knuckle' presses against them?

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galain said:

Hey @Isca - I'm another one cursed with gorilla feet and honestly, my feet are wider than yours are (I've tried Altras for running and they're too narrow for me). The best luck I've had has been with New Balance in wider sizes. I've had some success with a couple of K Swiss models, but I know you understand what I'm saying when i say going up by a size or half a size is always second best to finding the 'right' fit for you.

I'm in Europe too. When I need to buy more running shoes I order from the US and just accept the taxes when they arrive. For whatever reason Europe doesn't seem to understand the concept of wide feet. I've had no luck at all finding shoes here. New Balance my friend - 2E or 4E depending on the shoe. They're the best I"ve found.

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WestboroChe said:

European shoe makers seem to think that everyone has long narrow feet. Whenever I buy shoes from a European brand always go down half a size.

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Isca said:

I wish all clothing sizes could be standardised, but particularly shoes! It's ridiculous in this globally interconnected world that shoe length and width aren't standardised internationally. Also baffles me that manufacturers can't even stay consistent within their own lines...

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Tennis_Hands said:

They cannot be standardised, because different populations have different base measurements, and I don't think that the Americans will be happy, if the American sizing is aligned with the European and they have to wear always XL and above shirts. That would be just too much. I think the shoes are mostly standardised. The width, however is not.

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Isca said:

I understand why an Asian L is an American S in shirts, for the reasons you state, and with such garments there's also the cut to take into account... but I don't see that it would matter across populations to just have shoe length and width expressed exactly in mm, e.g. 275mm would be my size. I know it won't happen, but I like precision

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Tennis_Hands said:

FYI, both SCB and Ü3 are 276 mm for 44 2/3, 280 mm for 45 1/3 and 284 mm for 46.

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Isca said:

Is that what they say on the chart, or is that a measurement you took yourself? I am probably going to buy the SCB in 46 today, as I've found them for a good price - though no free returns! I will take a chance on it, as from what you've said it seems it might have a chance of fitting. Thanks again for your help.

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Tennis_Hands said:

It is what is on their charts, I was giving the example that they have the measurements in mm, that is why I mentioned the difference that despite of being listed at the same length, I need two different sizes .

However, your question made me realise that there might be a difference, so I pulled out the SCBs and, surprise surprise, the footbed of the insole of the SCB in size 45 1/3 measures at 285 mm. With the sidewall (or rather, the "back wall") the whole insole measures at a whole 295 mm!

So, the official given measurements for SCB for size 45 1/3 are 280 mm, but the actual footbed length is 285 and the entire length of the inner sole is 295 mm.

Now, that is a problem with the sizing the companies should address.

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Tennis_Hands said:

They are not uncomfortable, but there is a medial protection there and it is a kind of stiff. Like I said, I use them with very thick Adidas Parley socks so it is not uncomfortable, just tight. Maybe order them with an option to return them, if they don't fit you well. With the width of your foot, I would suggest 46 for SCB, if you decide to try them.

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Isca said:

So, the Solecourt Boosts in EU46 arrived today!

The good:
1) They look great!
2) My feet do push tight against the sides and bulge out in the midfoot, but it's not uncomfortably pinching there. This is helped by how supple and tolerant the mesh material there is.
3) Overall it feels much more spacious in the midfoot than the Babolat, and the material much more forgiving.
4) They feel well-made and definitely seem like they'd be durable.

The bad:
1) As you can see, they're quite long compared to my Altras (also EU46). There is a LOT of space at the end of the shoe in front on my big toe. Probably 25mm at least. Lacing with a heel lock and hopping around in my living room didn't cause the shoe to slip, but it does feel odd having so much space there, especially if I bend my foot to stand on the ball of it.
2) The shoe feels incredibly stiff around the ankle and hindfoot. Where the top eyelets finish, it cuts into my foot/ankle when I move. If this was a pair of shoes for walking, I'd leave the top eye unlaced or make it looser, but I don't think I can do that with these for tennis.

Tennis_Hands, two questions for you: do the Solecourts loosen up and feel more forgiving around the entryway after some playtime? And having tried both, do you feel the shoes get noticeably narrower in the midfoot if I were to swap to the next size down?

I'm torn about whether to keep and play these shoes. Ultimately my current tennis shoes are in need of retiring (an old pair of Nike Dragons). My Altras are so much more comfortable than these, but I'm concerned that I'll wreck the Altra's soft soles very quickly if I use them for tennis, and I'm also concerned that I might roll my ankle making aggressive lateral movements in them. This used to happen to me a lot as a kid during sports. I haven't had this problem in many years as I have been on a break from tennis and have transitioned to low, wide minimalist shoes for all other activities in the meantime. I think I will tentatively try tennis in my Altras for my local club night tomorrow evening and see what happens before making a call on it.

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Tennis_Hands said:

1) They do loosen up slightly, but not by much. The good thing is, as you said the mesh is stretchy and the TPU support has actually a bit of give, so I guess you should be OK, if presently you don't think that they are too tight there.

2) I ordered both sizes at the same time and tried them side by side. I remember being concerned mainly with the length of 46 (the aforementioned too roomy a toe box), so it must have not been that big of a difference, but there WAS a difference. As a person with a much less pronounced similar problem I could take the narrower shoe, but I know that even a couple of millimetres there could make the difference between a shoe being acceptable and a shoe being unwearable, and so I think that in that case it is a bad idea to go down (half) a size, as even minimally narrower shoe there might cause a great discomfort. I know that that is not of much help, as the length of the shoe is a pretty big put off, but I will stand by my advice that 46 was/is the better choice for you. If you can live with the length of the shoe - great, if not, return them and look for something else. Altras (from what I remember) are very short, so much so, that they don't lend themselves very well to comparisons with tennis dedicated shoes. I think that you would find that they are shorter than just about any tennis shoe on the market, so that direct comparison might be slightly misleading. Maybe before deciding what to do go to a shop that has other tennis shoes and compare your Altras to them in your respective size to see if they are also that big. If they are there is a bit of a assuredness that tennis shoes are just a bit longer than what is typical for Altra.

I tie all my athletic shoes with the runner's loop, and I have never had a problem with a shoe slipping, so I don't even think about it.

The most concerning issue with what you say is the ankle collar digging into your ankle. I don't have that problem with my SCBs, but everyone s different. As I said, I wear thick socks (or if I don't have at the moment - double socks), and I am fine with the collar. On that one it is also hard to answer, as with different people the ankle pushes differently against the collar and sometimes it gets better, sometimes not. Usually, when I have that problem I return them, if I have other options, as I don't want to wait until it is clear whether they will soften.

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Isca said:

Thanks a lot for your input!

You're right about sizing, Altra's sizings are weird. In most casual shoes I actually wear a UK10 (sometimes labelled an EU44 or 45), but I have Altras in 46 and even 47 for another model. I try not to obsess over what the label says, as long as it feels right. The Altras feel right everywhere, whilst these really feel long in front of my toes, especially when bending my foot. It's more pronounced becasue of the stiff sole, I guess.

I do worry that the size down will end up being just too narrow, unfortunately. How about other Adidas? The Courtjam and Ubersonic? They look similar in shape to this shoe, but seem to use even lighter material which might be even more forgiving. I will try to get to a sport shoe store sometime, but to be honest I live in the countryside and have avoided big cities since the pandemic began. Perhaps I will try the Ubersonic if I can find somewhere with free returns.

It's mostly the front of my ankle and upper foot that rubs on shoes, as it's very high there. I have the same issue on my old Nike Dragons, which are falling apart and never softened up there, so I'm guessing the Solecourts also might not get any better with time.

Oh well, back to the drawing board... many thanks again for your help and suggestions!

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Tennis_Hands said:

Both Adidas Übersonic 3 and Adidas SoleCourt Boost will comfortably accommodate that foot in the OP.

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Ronaldo said:

Disagree Own and wear Altra running shoe and both the Ubersonic 3 and SCB are no wider in the toebox than the Babolat shoe. Wear all three

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Ronaldo said:

Disagree Own and wear Altra running shoe and both the Ubersonic 3 and SCB are no wider in the toebox than the Babolat shoe. Wear all three

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Tennis_Hands said:

The toe box wasn't the primary concern of the OP, if you look carefully how his foot looks (but he can say himself if the toe box of the SCB in size 46 accommodates his toes well).

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Ronaldo said:

Can only state neither of the Adidas shoes are best for a wide foot. Curious, are NB shoes available?

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