I played a long competitive match in the Court FF's today. There was not even a hint of knee pain, and the GR6 would normally give me some knee pain at the end of a match like the one I just played. I think the cushioning in this shoe is much better than the Gel Res. It feels more cushioned and the results seem to be better thus far. I do feel some bounce to it. I'm not going to say that it makes me any faster or more explosive (I don't think there's any shoe that will), but at least I don't get the stuck in the mud feeling. I think this shoe is going to replace the Barricade Boost as my game day shoe. It seems to do everything that the Barricade Boost does, but it's more comfortable and the fit in the heel area is more secure. The heel area was a weak point with the GR6 but it's a strong point for the Court FF. I thought the traction on clay was going to be a little bit of a problem like it was with the GR6, but it wasn't. The traction on hard surfaces is excellent. Too bad it won't last as long as the GR6 or the Barricade. I don't know whether to blame Asics for that or to blame Nike for setting the expectation that super expensive shoes will have poor durability as well!
The booty construction does have some interesting consequences. I once looked down at my shoes and noticed that my left laces were untied and I played the point without knowing it! It's unfortunate that a shoe in this price category has seemingly cheap thin laces, but at least when the laces come undone, you can probably play the point out and not miss a step. For some players I think the laces will be unnecessary. They are just there to tighten it up a bit. The fit is looser now than when I first got it. I don't know if the material is stretching or the booty is compressing, but either way it does loosen up. So if you think the fit is a little tight at first, that probably means it's going to be just right.
So far, I'm really impressed with this shoe. I liked the GR6 except for the heel slippage and the cushioning, and this shoe completely fixed both problems while still being soft, comfortable, and stable like the GR6. The GR6 might have the edge in stability, but overall it's no contest for me. I'll be very upset if the cushioning compresses and gets worse over time, but I'm pretty optimistic because of Asics' reputation with FlyteFoam running shoes. I hope we keep seeing discounts when the colorways get old, because I'm not going to pay $179 for my next tennis shoe.