Diadora Speed Blushield 4 Review
Tennis experience/background:
I have been playing tennis for about 30 years starting in my 20's. Never played as a junior. I play singles almost exclusively - as in I would rather practice serves than play doubles. I used to play 4.5 USTA league years ago. Judging from the results against currently ranked players I'm still at 4.5 level.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
I am a baseliner with my game being 'I can hit from both sides very reliably, I will run down most balls, I go to the net only to collect balls
(trying to change that), if you can outlast me over 2+ hours or hit winners - you are a better player'. I play on hard courts as well as har-tru, indoors and outdoors.
Current shoe:
Asics Solution 2 for har-tru, Prince T22 for hard courts. But I'm not married to anything - I've played in Yonex, Adidas, Nike, K-Swiss. For reference - for me the best shoe ever was Yonex SHT 305 - a perfect blend of weight, cushioning, fit, stability, although not the most durable.
How many hours did you play with the shoe?
4 hours on har-tru, 4 hours on hard court
Normal Size:
9.5 US (or 10 US depending on brand)
Playtesting Size:
9.5 US
Comfort:
I found the shoes comfortable immediately, no break-in needed. I thought padding was pretty normal, did not notice any difference compared to my current shoes. I do wear sof-sole inserts to prevent plantar fasciitis (along with a native shoe inserts) so arguably the additional inserts mask the original ones anyway. The shoes are on a heavier side (~425g) but I was pleasantly surprised that they did not feel as heavy. The fit was pretty good. The heel area is very, very sturdy, it's made out of hard plastic-like material, it does not bend at all - but I have not experienced any rubbing or discomfort. I would say heel fit/design is the best feature of these Speed Blushield 4 shoes.
They are _roomy_. Sometimes I need to get size 10 in order to fit soft-sole inserts - but with these Diadora shoes even 9.5 size, with original inserts and with extra soft-sole it still felt on the biggish side. Especially the front and top of the foot - it feels there's extra room there. When I cinch the laces to lock the foot in the material sort of bulges a bit on top. Maybe I have narrow feet?
But I have not notice any in-the-shoes slippage while playing. The sole seems rather thick (and it must be given the weight) providing very good cushioning but there was no problem with flexing or break-in.
Arch support:
As mentioned I always play with additional inserts to prevent plantar fasciitis so no matter what my arch is well supported. To sacrifice my health in the name of the science I did walk a bit without extra inserts and then I thought other shoes did have better arch support. The original inserts are made out of foam-like material, there's no more rigid/sturdy material shaped to support the arch in the mid-foot area you would find on some shoes.
Stability/support:
I had no issues with stability and support. After tight lacing and the feet warming up due to play it all felt in place rather nicely - but I did have to cinch laces fairly tight leading to that material bulging on top. But at least my toes were not hitting the front of the shoe when stopping on running forward - which has been the problem for me in the past. Probably the best area was the heel - it stayed in place without any movement/rubbing up/down or sideways. For comparison - I could never get my heel to lock in place when playing with Yonex Eclipsion 2. I found over the years that on hard courts I do need shoes with better than decent cushioning so I can walk the next day
- thus I play with Prince T22 even though they are heavy. These Diadora seem as good as Prince in that regard.
Ventilation:
This is a bit hard to judge as the temperatures here in the Mid-West are, well, mild these days. I have not noticed any issues and judging from construction it should not be a problem. The entire front part is very well ventilated.
Sole durability:
Clearly too early to judge. The shoes come with 6 months warranty. And being on the heavy side the weight must be somewhere - and it looks like it is in the sole (and perhaps the heel cup section) so I would expect a rather lasting shoe.
Toe durability:
Clearly too early to judge. I'm not a toe dragger in general anyway.
Traction:
The traction seemed very good, actually even on har-tru courts better than my current Asics. I never have any issues with traction on hard courts no matter what the shoes are.
Weight:
at ~425g they are not light. But they do not play as heavy. The extra plastic-like material at the heel area likely adds to the weight - but I feel that extra heel protection is well worth the extra weight.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
I did enjoy the shoe. I got the black colorway - which I actually find better looking than the blue/red version. My daughter used the word 'very chic' - but it could be to make me feel good since I was waiting for them every day for 2 weeks (the package, according to UPS, did a round trip around US due to bad sorting). My wife was not as thrilled - sort of 'it's a shoe'
. Honestly the design is no-frills, I would not mind a slightly better looking one. I liked the heel-loop thingy helping to get your foot into the shoe. The slight complain is that fit in the front/top portion - a bit too roomy for my liking. It is a bit weird since they look slimmer/more pointy compared to let's say Prince T22 or KSwiss Hypercourt Express - but they are not narrow at all. I would definitely suggest considering a 1/2 size smaller than one's usual size, especially if intended to wear with no extra insoles.
I'll update the review this week after few additional hours of play.
Thank you Tennis Warehouse and Diadora for selecting me as a play-tester!
