Tennis is a sport played on many different surfaces. Having the right type of equipment for the different surfaces is important, especially when choosing clay court tennis shoes. The four major tournaments are comprised of synthetic hard court, clay, grass, and the traditional concrete and asphalt hard courts. Many players will go an entire tennis career without leaving the comfort of the hard court, but for those that venture outside the norm—proper attention must be given to these changing conditions.
Clay especially is a surface vastly different than any of the others. If you are inexperienced on clay, learning to slide into shots instead of over running them can be a painful lesson. Shots and strategies like hitting behind your opponent, while only mildly successful normally, might become a staple to your clay court game. Quick lateral changes of direction are the most basic and fundamental movements in tennis, and also the ones most affected by the slippery clay. Being prepared with the right type of equipment won’t make you a master of the surface, but it can help you take every available advantage.
Outsole of the Clay Court Tennis Shoes
The outsole of a shoe is normally very important for durability, but on clay traction is your biggest ally. The best clay court tennis shoes will utilize a special tread pattern that helps reduce some of the slipping around the court.
Clay Court Tennis Shoes: Herringbone Tread Pattern
Shoes specifically designed for clay courts are those that have a herringbone tread pattern throughout the entirety of the outsole. Other shoes will often employ portions without tread to reduce friction and maximize the player’s ability to turn and rotate the shoe as they move into their shots. This design works fine on a hard court surface, but sacrificing friction on an already slippery surface of loose dirt is not the desired performance of a clay court tennis shoe. To check for the correct outsole, simply examine the bottom of the shoe. The desired pattern will be small uniform ridges and there will not be large portions of smoothed material.
Shoes designed for a hard court will still function on clay. Many hard court shoes are designed with this kind of herringbone pattern in the first place. Take caution that the tread is not set in deep grooves that might gouge holes into the clay surface. Tournament referees have the ability to disallow these kinds of shoes because they can temporarily damage the surface and make the playing conditions considerably worse. If you play at, or are considering attending, a facility that has clay courts, check with the manager to see if there is a restriction on the type of shoes that can be worn. At many clubs for tennis, clay court shoes are the only kind of footwear allowed. Leaving an uneven and beat up court for the players after you is bad etiquette and might even get you kicked out of a facility.
Build and Weight of Clay Court Tennis Shoes
Today’s notable tennis shoes are increasing in both weight and durability. The move to a heavier, stronger, and more durable shoe can be observed in any of the top brands. Gritty hard court surfaces are nothing short of sand paper to a shoes outsole. The majority of tennis players are on hard courts day in and day out, so durable enforced outsoles are necessary.
On a clay surface, however, the material of the shoe doesn’t need to be as strong. The shoes outsole will be torn up much more slowly due to the surface and its decreased friction. The clay surface provides the unique opportunity for a tennis shoe producer to all but ignore the durability factor when designing a shoe. This ability allows clay court shoes to be focused entirely on light weight speed and performance. Many clay court shoes, like the Adidas Feather, are incredibly light and fast on the court. While these shoes are a far cry from durable, when used on a proper clay surface, they will last surprisingly long and perform incredible well. Mixing the right tread on a light weight shoe is the recipe for the best clay court tennis shoes. Pay attention to the different tennis surfaces to get the maximum performance out of your game and equipment.
Sometimes it’s fine to wear one type of shoe for both surfaces. One man, Rafael Nadal, sports the heavy Nike Air Max Court Ballistec 3.3 on both surfaces. This shoe is a heavy duty monster, but is far from light. Nadal has the strength to overcome pretty much any shoe weight though, a luxury most recreational players won’t share. Prince tennis shoes offer a great lighter alternative and reasonable herringbone shoe in the T22 model.