The same model of shoe can fit differently from one year to the next due to subtle design changes, says Mark Mason, owner of Mason’s Tennis in New York City.
Finding the right pair of tennis shoes can be tricky. Mike Layton, owner and CEO of Westside Tennis in California, says, “If you start changing directions in a running shoe, you might hurt yourself because you are not going to be able to pivot on the ground as easily as you would with a tennis shoe.” Footwork in tennis spans a wide range of movement: running backward, lunging, sidestepping, and even sliding (think Rafael Nadal at the French Open), which is why running shoes and other nonspecific sneakers won’t cut it on the court.
