Tennis experience/background: Played mostly singles in high school and college in the late 80's. Currently just playing recreationally at around 4.5 level playing both singles and doubles.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Used to play more of the baseline grinding style of tennis being more of a counter-puncher than an attacker. Currently trying to play more as an attacker trying to end points early. Still a baseliner but always look to try to hit winners or hitting big shots from the baseline to create the short balls to attack. I also try to fight for every point and not give up easy points. I'm really hard on my feet and shoes.
Current shoe: Asics Gel Resolution 7
How many hours did you play with the shoe? Approximate 25 hours of playing. Around 3-4 hours of use as walking shoes.
Normal Size: 11
Playtesting Size: 11
Comments on shoe performance:
-comfort: As most reviewers mentioned, the comfort is outstanding. I can honestly say the Rush Pro V3.0 is the most comfortable (*competition level) tennis shoes I have tried so far. Most flagship model tennis shoes are built tough and heavy, but the Rush Pro V3.0 somehow made it light & balanced the comfort/the support really well. It was almost pillowy compared to the shoes with hard outsoles without losing any support.
One thing to note for the wide feet players is that my little toe (*both sides) felt a bit jammed when I initially wore them. I also had a slight soreness on the sides of my feet on the first day after I was done playing because it felt a bit tight. Those issues never came back after around three-four hours of initial usage.
-arch support: I have flat feet and would have appreciated a bit more arch support, but that's more of an issue with my feet than the shoes. It didn't feel like it lacked the arch support. I just would have liked a bit more, but again, that's more of a personal issue than the fault of the shoes.
-stability/support: Before the playtest, for some reason, I was having a little tenderness in my left archilles. (Not sure what it really was, but I am now thinking my current shoes are a bit too heavy and hard soled for my left ankle, which was once badly injured a long time ago.) Since wearing the Rush Pro V3.0, the worrisome pain has reduced to almost none existent. I believe the support plus the comfort was the answer I needed for my tender archilles. The lateral support was great. I never had any issues with support when I had to make quick stops or directional changes. The lacing system held my feet tightly but comfortably when I had to make quick accerations to get to the balls or making hard stops afterwards.
The lacing system was a feature that doesn't get mentioned too much, but the shoes' lacing system is probably the best I have tried. I usually have to tighten up my shoes tighter and tighter after each play because the lacing system gets looser and could feel my feet move. It usually happens with every shoes. After a while, I would have to double knot because the laces were too long to be just tied in one knot. With these shoes, I never had to tighten them up tighter. It remained and stayed in its original shape, which is really impressive.
-ventilation: My feet never felt like they were being baked. The mesh upper material must have ventilated heat well. My feet usually get really sweaty and clammy (*sorry) if the ventilation is bad. Never really had the need to remove the shoes because they were too hot.
-sole durability: As seen in the pictures above, the only wear area are the big toe area on both sides with the right side having a bit more wear. That was after around 25 hours of usage on hard courts. I expected to see a lot more wear because the outsoles felt soft and made lots of squeaky noises making it seem like the soles were getting worn off. Also, I am really hard on the shoes because I run hard, aggressively and flat footed.
-toe durability: As mentioned above, I expected a lot more wear. The actual wear is barely visible with only the right side showing a bit more wear. The durability is outstanding.
-traction: The outsoles feel soft and really grippy. When I make the hard stops, or directional changes, the squeaking sounds get really loud and noticeable. It's a personal thing, but I love hearing the sound. It makes me feel like I'm playing harder more seriously than I actually am. With having both tight lacing system and the grippy soles, it was confidence inducing to go after the balls that seem just out of reach. My footing was always secure with lots of grip and stability.
-weight: It feels a lot lighter than my current shoes but offers just as much support and stability. Usually, the light shoes don't offer the same stability as the heavier competition shoes, but the Rush Pro V3.0 feels secure and supportive while having really light feel. It offers the best of both worlds, the comfort and playability.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I am really trying to nit-pick by saying my littles toes felt jammed and sides of my feet ached. There is nothing to dislike about the Rush Pro V3.0. I love the performance aspect of the shoes with awesome comfort, support and securedness when aggressively moving. I also love the color scheme. While I love the support of the most flagship model tennis shoes, I mostly cannot wear them outside the tennis courts. It's hard to wear black and orange, or all neon yellow shoes with normal clothing and not look ridiculous. With these shoes (*mine were blue and white), I wore them around proudly and comfotably.
I love these shoes.
Thank you, TW. Thank you, Wilson. Thank you so much for the opportunity. This was an awesome playtest. Did I mention I love these shoes?