Best Tennis Shoes For Women 2024

While consistent groundstrokes and good topspin are essential, the best tennis shoes for women can elevate your game to the next level. The right shoe, like our top pick overall, the K-Swiss Hypercourt Express 2, helps with footwork, keeping legs fresh during long matches and preventing injury. On the flip side, the wrong tennis shoes could result in a sprained ankle or knee pain, among other less-serious-yet-really-uncomfortable problems such as blisters or banged up toenails.

durability and comfort while serving up style in spades.

Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailers

After tapping Karen Moriarty, co-owner of New York-based sporting goods store Sportech, we’ve assembled a list of the best tennis shoes for women to enhance your game. While the functional-yet-affordable K-Swiss is our favorite style overall, we’ve highlighted a handful of others that offer the right amount of support, flexibility and style.

K-Swiss

K-Swiss Women’s Hypercourt Express 2

Sizes: 5 to 11; 5 wide to 11 wide | Colors: 11 total, including White and Silver Lake Blue | Court type: All

On steamy summer days—or when the competition gets heated on the court—a lightweight and breathable shoe, like this bestseller, is key. “This shoe is immediately very comfortable when you put it on,” says Moriarty. “It’s a combination shoe that has a generous amount of space in the toe box and it’s not heavy. It has a herringbone pattern on the sole so it can be used on a variety of court surfaces, and a good price point.” This shoe also works well for those with wider feet.

Sizes: 5 to 12 | Colors: 13 total, including Smoke Blue and White | Court type: Hard court

Think of this shoe as kind of the best of everything: It has very good stability and is extremely durable, according to Moriarty, and it’s also supportive but not too heavy. Comfy gel cushioning at the heel and midfoot helps minimize shock from quick stop-and-go movements during matches. Reviewers report that these fit especially well on narrow feet.

Sizes: 5 to 11.5 | Colors: 2 total, including Cloud White and Solar Gold | Court type: Hard court

Adidas tennis shoes achieved cult status with leather Stan Smiths in 1971. And while it remains to be seen whether the Avacourt will ever achieve such notoriety, it’s currently a buzzworthy shoe that receives high marks for comfort and style. Reviewers particularly love that it’s extremely lightweight and has a wide toe box, but some comment that the tongue is long and rubs against the shin. The Avacourt comes in white and silver or a neon orange and yellow combination.

Nike

Nike Air Zoom Vapor Pro 2

Sizes: 5 to 12 | Colors: 7 total, including White and Black | Court type: All

This multi-surface shoe has a built-in inner sleeve, which reviewers like because it offers a snug fit and extra support around the ankle. The thick sole is intended to offer traction but still allow players to slide. True to form for Nike, these shoes come in sleek colorways, with offerings that range from discreet to showy. To note: These are flexible so not as sturdy as other options.

Sizes: 5 to 12 | Colors: White/Navy | Court type: Hard court

If stability is your top priority, New Balance’s FuelCell 996v5 shoes go the extra mile. Its signature NDurance outsole provides plenty of traction, while the high midsole topline boosts its lateral stability. A large TPU shank between the insole and the outsole creates more torsional stability, and a PU support on the tip of the shoe adds a durable touch. Plus, the breathable mesh upper has a contrasted, retro-cool look.

Asics

Asics Gel Dedicate 7 Clay

Sizes: 5 to 11.5 | Colors: 4 total, including White and Soft sky | Court type: Clay

The unique herringbone tread on this ultra-light shoe’s outsole makes it the ideal choice for clay courts, as it provides extra grip on the slippery surface. (Plus, the zig-zag pattern prevents any bits of clay from lodging into your shoe.) Besides this essential feature, Asics’ sneaker offers just the right balance of support and flexibility with a faux leather upper and strategically placed mesh panels. The brand’s signature gel shock absorption technology adds an extra boost of stability for good measure.

Sizes: 5 to 10 | Colors: 6 total, including White and Scuba Blue | Court type: All

If you’re looking for stability and durability, and don’t mind a shoe that’s slightly heavier, the Wilson Rush Pro will help you take your footwork to the next level. Reviewers report they run on the narrow side through the foot with a little extra room in the toe box. The Rush Pros are available in a bright Scuba Blue shade and a few variations of white.

Why Trust Forbes Vetted

At Forbes Vetted, we’ve researched, written and published our way through dozens of fitness and fashion stories. The author of this story, Molly Calhoun, is a regular Forbes Vetted contributor who has covered a range of footwear topics including stories on workout shoes for women and comfortable women’s sneakers. To gain more insight into what to look for in a standout pair of tennis shoes, Calhoun consulted sporting goods expert Karen Moriarty, co-owner at Sportech in Rye Brook, New York. Moriarty shared her top shopping tips as well as her own tennis shoe recommendations.

The selections on this list are regularly re-evaluated to ensure they’re still the best of the best. In this article’s most recent December 2023 update, we introduced two new offerings: the stability-forward New Balance FuelCell 996v5s and the clay court-friendly Asics Gel Dedicate 7 Clays.

What To Consider When Buying Tennis Shoes

When picking out a pair of tennis shoes, there a few factors to take into consideration to ensure you make the right choice. According to Moriarty, here’s what you should keep in mind:

Support

In tennis, there’s a lot of lunging, sidestepping and running both backward and forward. A good pair of tennis shoes needs to have thoughtfully placed support to accommodate all that directional change. “You always want lateral stability in a tennis shoe,” says Moriarty. “That’s why you shouldn’t play tennis in running shoes.”

Surface

Finding tennis sneakers for your game is about more than just fit. You also need to take into account where you play—meaning, whether you play on clay or hard courts, and if you switch between them, depending on the season. “Clay shoes tend to be more flexible and lighter,” says Moriarty. “Hard court shoes have a lot of cushioning and are designed for durability.” In general, hard court shoes tend to be physically heavier and are reinforced more in the toe area, she says. “There are also multi-court shoes that can work for different surfaces.”

Fit

This largely comes down to your foot shape and personal preference, but there are some other tricks to finding the perfect size and ideal level of comfort. “When trying on tennis shoes, do so at the end of day when your feet are swollen. That way you’ll get the right amount of room in your shoes and they won’t be too tight,” says Moriarty. “Also, try on shoes in the type of socks you’ll be wearing while playing. If you wear inserts or orthotics, try on prospective shoes with those as well.” When shopping for tennis shoes online, take advantage of a brand’s return policy if the initial fit feels a little off.