Tennis experience/background: I played as a little kid and then got serious and played/took lessons year-round from age 12-18, playing USTA tourneys. Eventually at the end of high school and the summer after freshman year of college, I helped coach/feeding balls at clinics where I trained. I didn't play for about a decade and have been back in the game for 9 years or so. I generally play once a week, or twice if I am lucky. I am more addicted to tennis now than I was as a kid though. So, when I do get on the court I appreciate and love it.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I'm an all court player. I am 6'3" and running a little thick in the middle presently at 215 lbs. I'm also a lefty. So, i mix up spins with aggressive positioning and try to make the other player uncomfortable from the start. I don't find a lot of utility in playing long points and generally look to control the point as soon as possible. I use a one handed backhand. Key for this playtest is that I am not a toe dragger. I take lots of small steps. I feel like my feet move even more in doubles than in singles...I may cover less ground, but take more steps.
Current shoe: I've worn Kswiss Hypercourts for the past couple of years. This year I have also been alternating with a pair of Adidas Barricades. I wear a size 14.
How many hours did you play with the shoe? About 18 hours, all on hard courts. However, I wore these shoes pretty much every day for some portion of the day this past month. They went to 2 SEC Football games/tailgating. They went to a Jason Isbell concert. I wanted to get as much wear as I could and put them in situations where I was on my feet for long periods of time.
Normal Size: 14
Playtesting Size: 14
Comments on shoe performance: I have already commented on the comfort and the traction/squeek earlier in this thread. Both get very high marks from me. I put these up there at least on equal *footing* with my favorite tennis shoes (Kswiss Bigshot and Hypercourt) and slightly above what I think are the most popular highly-rated tennis shoes (Asics Gel Resolution, Adidas Barricade).
-comfort: Fantastic right out of the box. Length and width fit me very well. I have commented on the tongue of the shoe being maybe a little fuller, which I felt comfortably locked my foot and cut down on front-to-back and side-to-side movement. I had no issues with rubbing, sliding, or tongue movement inside the shoe. No complaints here.
-arch support: I am not too sensitive to arch support issues until something goes wrong. For some reason I've only been bothered by one pair of shoes in the arch (Asics Gel Speed 2, i think). With the Diadoras, I never felt any discomfort while playing. I did notice after driving 1.5 hours and then going to a concert, that my right arc got tired (maybe tired is the right word) about 2.5 hours into the concert where we were standing constantly. No lasting problems there though. Maybe it was just me...who knows.
-stability/support: I always felt stable. I am lucky to not have sensitive/injured ankles. I only took one misstep actually during the first match wearing these shoes where I started to go over sideways on an ankle, but recovered without a fall or injury and stayed in the point. For me, that's pretty good stability/support.
-ventilation: These aren't as ventilated as some, just from the materials and construction of the shoe. That said, I play in a very warm and humid climate and didn't have problems.
-sole durability: I think this will be a strong highlight of this shoe. Mine look pretty much new still to this day. I usually wear out the insole/cushioning before I wear out the outsole, so I'm guessing I will be able to wear these into 2019 with maybe just an insole swap. I expect the squeek will continue as well.
-toe durability: I'm not a toe-dragger, so not the best judge here. They look like they are reinforced well. For me, they'll offer all the toe durability I will need, plus some.
-traction: Great traction. At first, I was a little surprised how grippy they were. Not sure if that was just in comparison to my normal kicks getting worn down or what. If I'm designing a shoe, I want it to have traction just like this Diadora. I enjoy the squeek, and the ability to change direction quickly.
-weight: Honestly, they seemed on the heavy side while holding them in hand. I am a big boy though, so a couple of ounces of weight on a size 14 shoe aren't going to worry me. As long as they feel stable and I'm able to accelerate and run down a tennis ball, you won't hear me complain about the weight.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I would definitely buy these shoes. These are going maybe to the top of my list. I'll keep wearing these as my main shoe during the fall seasons. I will make sure to pop back in here when the soles start to wear down, which I think will take several months. Also, if
@winchestervatennis and I get some downtime at the same time, I'll try to get a video of me running him side to side so you can all marvel at his sliding technique and, of course, the shoe's performance. Thanks for the playtest, Diadora and TW!
Miss those...
