Babolat SFX3 All Court Mens Tennis Shoes - Black / Poppy Red

Link

Close share Copy link

Tennis Shoes – there's loads to choose from, what are the key things to look for when choosing?

We’ve put together a key summarised and more detailed list for you to help with your decision. We’ve also detailed aspects that you may not have considered when buying a good pair of tennis shoes that’s right for you and how you can use this guide to find the right product on our site.

Key Factors to consider are the following:
- Shoe Support
- Comfort & Fitting
- Playing Surface
- Weight
- Player Level
- Shoe Durability
- Looks

1. Shoe Support

So often, Tennis Shoes are treated as an after thought to Rackets, but choosing shoes with the right support for your playing style is SO important.

Why you ask? Just look around at the number of players with knee or hip injuries. You MUST have shoes that can really absorb your running around the court if you want to avoid injury. These injuries are typically caused by either bad technique or poor footwear, so please don’t cut corners when choosing the right Tennis Shoes. You need shoes with good cushioning and shoe structural strength. Go for a respected Tennis or Shoes brand that really know what they're doing.

On our product pages you’ll see we’ve given a rating for every Tennis Shoe to enable you to easily assess how good the shoe is in this area! Take full use of it, no other retailer out there offers this level of help.

A number of Tennis shoes will also make comment on certain shoe support technology, such as graphite plates and power cushion shock absorbers. These are usually good clues that the shoes have been properly developed to support the bodyweight of a player when moving and change direction at fast pace.

2. Shoe Fitting & Comfort 

Who hates playing with a new pair of shoes and within an hour you’ve got foot blisters? We’ve all been there and it’s just limiting to our abilities to enjoy Tennis and play to our best! Secondly, a good fitting pair will help reduce the risk of rolling your ankles and causing injury when really pushing yourself on the court.

Fit & Comfort are technically 2 aspects but effectively they cover the same thing. Look out on our shoe product pages for “Shoe Size Length Fit” and “Shoe Size Width Fit”, different brands/manufacturers make their shoes in different ways, and really annoyingly you’ll find a size UK7 with an Adidas shoe is not the same as a UK7 Babolat shoe, so keep a close eye for our comments in the product pages for this. This is particularly important for players with narrow/wider feet than the average person.

You’ll also want to note almost all Tennis shoes are made to be ergonomic or “ergoshape”, this is intended for shoe stability when playing and particularly providing also flexibility in the toe area. How does this help? Simple – it enables explosive movement when moving forwards and backwards.

On our product pages also look out for the “Designed For” shown in our specifications section, this will sometimes say “Comfort”. If you see this, it simply means the priority in the develop of the shoe for the player in our opinion has been comfort.

One side suggestion we sometimes would recommend is also purchasing insoles to help with fit further or ankle supports to stop yourself rolling your ankles if you have done it before.

So how can you tell if your shoes are a great fit? Simply put the shoes on and you’ll want it so that the toe is not pressured when lunging into a shot or when stopping badly, this typically means theres a small finger gap between your toe and the end of the shoe.

Finally, remember, when you get your new shoes, you must expect a short period of “wear in”. This is wear your shoes are adjusting to your foot shape. To help minimise this happening on court we would recommend to wear your new shoes around the house for a week to allow them to soften and stretch a little.

3. Playing Surface & Shoe Outsole

Tennis Shoes are pretty unique in that players may need more than 1 type of playing shoe depending on what playing surface they’re on. Why? Simple put grip! Different surfaces need different shoe grip setups to make the most of them.

The outsole of the shoe is the area that grips the surface. You’ll notice different shoes are made to grip in different ways depending upon the playing surface.

We’ve listed on our product specifications in the tennis shoe pages the preferred playing surface of each individual shoe we sell to help you with in.

So what are the Tennis Shoe Types?

- All Round / Hard Court Tennis Shoes – the most versatile type, they will offer good durability on hardcourt surfaces, and typically are the most popular tennis shoe type and style. The reason for this is because they can usually be used on other surfaces too. They can be spotted for having a modified herringbone pattern on the outsole for best grip on court. They’ll typically also include excellent cushioning with a midsole to help transfer energy into each step, combined with shock absorption due to the harder surface being plated on.

- Carpet Court Tennis Shoes – these will typically have smooth soles and are made to give you the right amount of grip for the surface. Please note, they are not designed for other surfaces and will wear out much quickly on other court types.

- Grass Court Tennis Shoes – the unique thing about these shoes is their “pimples” in the soles, to provide the ideal grip level for grass or “grass like” surfaces. The “pimples” wear out quickly on other surfaces, so please don’t use them that way.

- Omni Court Tennis Shoes – designed for articifical grass and hard courts, they have an outsole designed for both surfaces, however they’re rarely made

- Clay Court Tennis Shoes – Designed to effectively slide and more around all types of clay surfaces, they feature a full “herringbone” grip pattern for maximum effectiveness. These shoes can also be used for hard court surfaces too. The full herringbone grip pattern is made to balance the need for both grip and sliding ability on court to get to shots. 

Clay Court Shoes will also typically include a tight fitting shoe upper for maximum stability and keeping clay from entering the shoes themselves.

4. How Lightweight the Shoes are

Annoyingly the brands are often pretty cagey with this information! Also factoring in the different sizes its often hard for them to provide it too. However, a lightweight shoe is super helpful for players who depend on fast movement and reactions in their games.

Typically though, be careful to get the balance right on lightweight shoes as you’ll often find the shoe support is lacking as a result. In our experience, as a generalisation we’ve also noticed a lightweight shoes oftens offers less durability and breaks down after less use.

On our product pages lookout in the specifications section where it says “Designed for”, if you’re looking for a “Lightweight” shoe, we will generally state it there.

A lightweight shoe is typically better suited to smaller, younger or lighter players on their feet. You need to have excellent movement on court and good technique to use them effectively, as often mentioned they will lack the structural support of some heavier shoes out there.

5. Your Playing Level at Tennis

So often players “get all the gear but have no idea”. We care about you guys n girls, and honestly sometimes there’s no need to spend more than you need to on a good pair of Tennis Shoes! As a result we’ve added a bar rating from 0-100 for the player level the shoe is potentiallty intended for. You’ll typically also notice the price of the shoes are usually aligned to the playing level too.

Typically you’ll find the higher the playing level of the Tennis Shoe, the more technical and technology features are included in the shoe to maximise playing performance. Some of our top end Tennis shoes are played and used by the world’s top players.

6. Shoe Durability

So it’s important to remember with durability, a lot of it is dependant upon the players level of shoe use, combined with their footwork technique. There’s so many factors in Shoe durability there’s not 1 rule for how long a shoe will last.

That said, a good clue to spot the more durable shoe is usually one built for comfort or featuring some higher end technologies in the shoe to provide good structurable support. We will detail these in the product description area.

One essential aspect is to make sure you use the correct type of tennis shoe for the surface you are playing on!

Typically the more you spend, the better durability a shoe will have with the exception of being if a shoe is made to be “lightweight”.

Look out for the product specifications section on our product pages and look for “Designed For”. We will state “Strong Support” usually where a shoe is more durable.

7. How it looks

For some this is the most important aspect! We won’t advise on fashion sense, this is down to your personal preference!

Other Regularly Asked Questions:

Do I need Tennis Shoes or can I play in normal shoes?

Short answer is a definite YES!

Why? Well the construction of a tennis shoe outsole combined with the ankle support means they’re built to enable you to significantly reduce injury risk when playing tennis compared to a standard sports trainer or running shoe. In addition to this you’ll be able to move off the surface better, meaning you’ll play better with a more effective support structure from your body as you go to hit the ball. 

The main difference between tennis shoes and other sports shoes or trainers are the outsoles, a support around the ankle in particular to enable a player for move in a very effective way around the court. There are other smaller aspects too, for example the toe guard on a tennis shoe when you drag your toes getting to a shot. Normal shoes in this area will wear down much faster.

What's the correct fit for a Tennis Shoe?

Typically we’d suggest a tight and snug fit to the foot to avoid too much movement in the shoe by the foot. This will reduce the risk of injury, avoid blisters forming so easily and improve overall responsiveness when playing with your movement.

So what does that look like? Ideally we’re recommending a small finger gap at the end of the toes to the shoe when wearing it. Being slightly more or less is fine, but the most important thing is that it holds and supports the foot properly. 

Look out on our product page specifications - we’ve really helped make this easier for you. See the “Shoe Size Length Fit” and “Shoe Width Fit”. 

How to measure your feet for the perfect fit when choosing tennis shoes?

1. Find a flat surface and place a piece of A4 paper on the floor.
2. Stand with one foot on the paper (don’t forget to wear your tennis socks too!)
3. Trace a line around your foot all across the outside of it.
4. Measure the length of your foot tracing giving you your foot length
5. Measure width across the widest part of your foot. This is your foot width.
6. Check closely for the shoe sizes and the advice on the shoe specific product page, then match up and choose the best size for you.
   
   

What can I do to make playing in my Tennis Shoes more comfortable?

The number 1 obvious answer to this is, sports insoles! We stock a range of these and will really help reduce stress on the muscles, tendons and ligaments whilst playing. 

An additional option is a paid of cushioned tennis socks too, again helping comfort and impact injury risk reduction, combined with better absorption of moisture when playing.

 UK Mainland Delivery Options

•  Please note that DPD Express is subject to placing your order before our 1pm dispatch time.

•  Customisation (Re-Stringing) may cause a 24-48 hour delay in dispatching your order.

•  If you'd like to double check prior to ordering, you can contact us via Live Chat, Email (support@tennishq.co.uk) or via the phone (+44 (0)2381 449449).

•  In the unlikely event that your parcel is not delivered, please email support@tennishq.co.uk within 14 days of purchase. We cannot accept claims past this point.

•  Please do not refuse a parcel delivery from the courier. If you change your mind and would like to return the parcel, please follow the instructions provided on our 'Returns' page. If a parcel is refused upon delivery, this holds a £15 charge which will be deducted from your refund upon arrival back to us.

• If any items are missing or damaged on receipt of your parcel, please ensure you make contact with TennisHQ within 14 days of receiving the parcel. If this is reported outside of this window, we will not be able to resolve this for you. The item must also remain unused whilst this is investigated and resolved.

 Rest of UK Delivery Options

•  Please note that due to our location on the South Coast, all Scottish locations above Aberdeen are considered 'Scottish Highlands'.

DPD Express Delivery Terms

•  Tennis HQ strives to deliver all Express parcels on the next working day, subject to ordering before the 1pm cut-off, though can not be held responsible for delays outside of our control. 

•  A signature or delivery image is required for all deliveries from Tennis HQ. 

•  Should you happen to be unavailable when delivery is attempted, the parcel will return to the depot for another attempt. If delivery is unsuccessful on more than one occasion, the parcel will be returned to us, which will incur fees that would need to be paid by yourself.

•  The above also applies should delivery be made to a collection point and returned to us due to failure to collect the parcel. 

•  If a ‘safe place’ delivery is requested, Tennis HQ is not liable for theft or loss of the parcel. By requesting delivery to a safe place, you are taking full responsibility for the parcel, provided the courier has delivered to the safe place requested.

 DPD Terms and Conditions

•  The customer agrees that DPD may, at their discretion

•  In the case of delivery to a pickup shop or neighbour, this information will be provided via the tracking number on the DPD app or website, along with an image of the delivery. 

•  DPD does not deliver to BFPO address or UK PO Boxes. 

•  Delivery information or instructions can be provided or altered via your tracking number through the DPD app or website. You can also select a safe place or preferred neighbour. 

•  To view areas currently affected by service disruption, please click here. 

Unfortunately, due to Brexit, we will no longer be shipping outside of UK Mainland. 

Our Policy

We hope you are happy with your TennisHQ order, though we completely understand that sometimes, rackets don’t quite feel right, or shoes can be a little snug! We’ve made our returns process as simple as possible, to ensure you can return without any hassle. 

We are unable to reserve stock for exchange items, so if you are looking to exchange an item you have purchased from us, this would need to be returned for a refund, and the new item can then be ordered via the website. 

Christmas Extended Returns

We offer an extended returns policy for orders placed for Birthday and Christmas presents. You must tick the box during the checkout process to state it's a Christmas/Birthday gift to be eligible for the extended returns period.

This is valid and available for any orders placed from the 11th October 2024 and will entitle you to return anytime up to the 13th January 2025.

Eligibility For Returning Goods

Before returning, please ensure that you are eligible to do so. The following are the requirements that need to be met in order to return your item. 

• Items must be returned within 30 days from the date of purchase. 

• Items must show no signs of use and returned in their original packaging, including the plastic wrap on the handle of rackets and boxes and tags attached to shoes or clothing. 

• Items must not be customised. Rackets with a 'Stringers Professional Decision' restring applied by TennisHQ at the time of purchase can be returned, but any refund will not include the cost of the restring. If you qualified for a free restring, a £7 service charge will be deducted from your refund to cover the cost of stringing. 

• If your racket was restrung with a string and tension of your choice, as opposed to 'Stringer's Professional Decision', then we are unable to accept a return on this.
  

Goods that are returned that are not eligible according to the criteria above will be refused and returned to you. TennisHQ reserves the right to charge you for any reasonable losses incurred by this. 

Our Return Process

Step 1 - Contact Us

Either pop an email to support@tennishq.co.uk or give us a call on 02381449449 to request the return. Please include your order number and your reason for returning to ensure we can proceed as quickly as possible for you. Once you have made contact with us, you will be provided with a Collect+ return label, which is priced at £5.95. The label is pre-paid, so the £5.95 cost would be deducted from your refund.

Step 2 - Package Your Return

Please ensure your item is wrapped securely, and avoid applying sellotape to the item’s packaging or box. If damage is caused to a product by application of tape or insufficient packaging, you will be charged for this, or possibly have your return refused in severe cases. 

Step 3 - Attach Your Label

Once your return has been authorised, you’ve received your label and packaged the item, you just need to attach the label to your parcel. Please ensure your label is not attached to the product itself, or the product’s box/packaging. 

Step 4 - Drop The Parcel To Your Local Collect+ Point 

Once packaged and labelled, all you need to do is take the parcel to your closest Collect+ point. Your local store can be found here: 
https://www.yodel.co.uk/store-locator

We suggest retaining the receipt, so you are able to track your parcel. This may also be needed if there are any issues with the parcel en route to us. 

We strive to process all returns within 14 days of arriving with us. 

Wrong Item Received / Damaged Goods

Whilst it is unlikely, mistakes can happen. If you believe you have received the incorrect item or your item is damaged/faulty upon receipt, please contact us at support@tennishq.co.uk.

Please ensure you do not use the item, or remove the packaging (plastic wrap on rackets, or tags on clothing/shoes). If the item is used or the packaging is removed, we will not be able to exchange this for you. 

To speed up the process, please include images of the issue, along with your order number.

Once we have the images and order number, we will provide you with a pre-paid label to have the item returned to us. Once returned, we can replace the goods. 

We again kindly request that no sellotape be applied directly to the item’s packaging. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I return using a different courier?

You’re welcome to use a courier of your choosing, though be aware that we wouldn’t be liable for any loss or damage in transit if your own courier is used. 

For returning via your own choice of courier, our address is as follows.

TennisHQ / Flywalk Ltd

Unit 1 Greatbridge Business Park

Budds Lane

Romsey, Hampshire

SO51 0HA

United Kingdom

Will I receive a full refund?

If all items match the return criteria, then your item will be refunded in full, minus the label cost of £5.95 if this service has been used. Shipping costs are not included in the refund unless returned due to damage or an incorrect item being received. 

My item has been damaged through use, am I able to return it?

If your item has been damaged through use, this would need to go through our warranty process. Just email support@tennishq.co.uk with details of the damage and we can begin the warranty procedure. 

How long does it take to receive my refund?

We aim to process all returns within 14 days of arrival at our warehouse. Once processed, refunds will generally appear in your bank account within 2-3 business days.

We're passionate about offering our customers the best possible price on any product!

We review our prices weekly in line with the current product range and update them as often as we can. We try to be as competitive as possible but, if you do manage to find a product for less somewhere else, we'll always try to match the price where possible!

How to achieve a price match?
Please read our terms and conditions below before contacting our sales team by filling in the Price Promise tab available on any product page.  You'll need the competitors website address available so our sales team can verify the match.

Price Match Conditions

1. The product must be identical in all ways.
2. The competitor website must have the goods in stock and ready to ship. When comparing items with multiple sizes / colours, the required size / colour must be in stock.
3. The competitor website's final price must include shipping and VAT.
4. Unfortunately we're unable to match prices for websites based outside of Mainland UK, unauthorised brand stockists, or 3rd party sites such as Amazon or eBay. 
5. TennisHQ price match promise is not a binding contract. Whilst TennisHQ will endeavour to match any price, we reserve the right to refuse price matching at our sole discretion.
6. It is the customers responsbility to contact us & request a pricematch before placing an order. Unfortunately we are unable to offer a pricematch after an order has been placed.
7. Balls and Strings are excluded
8. Babolat products are excluded
9. We cannot offer to price match on shipping costs from other retailers
10. We cannot offer to price match based on discount codes from other retailers