Wilson Rush Pro Review
Here's my review for the new wilson rush pro's:
Tennis experience/background: Played tennis for about 8 years, only the latter 3 or 4 competitively. Played singles and doubles for my high school tennis team freshman year- junior year. Now just play the occasional tournament but mostly hitting for fun and to get a good workout. Now on to the nitty-gritty.
I would describe myself as a 4.0 (4.5 on a good day) baseliner, working on coming in more on dictating play and being aggressive, coming to the net to close off points when necessary. I currently play with the Lotto Raptor 3's and the air max cage 2's and I played about 25-30 hours in this shoe. When i first got these in the mail, i have to say the aesthetics of the shoe were great. Very nice clean looking shoe, looking a little bit like the barricade 6's. The break-in period (which for me, took about 3-4 times out to the court, plus walking in them) was fairly painful on my arches, similar to the break-in for the CB 3.3, but not as long. Once broken in though, my concerns subsided.
For comfort, i would give it a 6.5/10, reason being, on quick stops i would often jam my toe into the front of the shoe. I wrapped my foot pretty well though, and when not jamming, it felt like a more comfortable breathe cage ii.
Arch support, i give it a 8/10. After break-in, it supported my arches pretty well, not great, but at least there was no burning sensation like in the break-in (was a little worried about it staying this way for the whole playtest.)
Stability/support, i give it 8/10. When moving laterally it was no nonsense, it did what it was supposed to and did it well. My ankle felt secure and locked in, thankfully i have never had any ankle issues in the first place.
Ventilation, i give it a 5.5/10. Here was my main gripe with this shoe. When playing in anything over 60 degrees, after about 30 minutes, my feet would get hot and start to sweat. When this happened, it felt a little like my foot was going to roll over (felt kinda sloshy, like when you're wearing wet socks.) This was fixed by tightening the laces more than usual, making it a bit uncomfortable.
Sole/toe durability is where this shoe signed for me. I give it a 9/10. Obviously if you play in a shoe for a month, there are going to be some signs of wear, which is why i knocked off a point. But, it was so minimal, i could easily see these shoes lasting me another 4-5 months, which would be excellent since i can wear out barricades in 2 (I toe drag a little too much
)
Traction, i give it an 8/10. It never really felt super grippy too me, but i never was worried about slipping and falling. Pretty good.
Weight, another big plus, i give it a 9.5/10. For the durability, this shoe is the lightest feeling shoe i have ever worn. Props to wilson for achieving ultimate durability, while being light enough that you don't notice it while you play.
Overall, i would give this shoe a 7/10. It's a shoe that i would definitely get while on sale, but i wouldn't pay $120 for it because of the jamming and ventilation. But overall, good shoe, great job wilson! and special thanks to TW for picking me to do this playtest, much appreciated!