Rafael Nadal loves a good tradition. Having worn his trademark headband and sleeveless shirts for years, he’s generally resistant to change. This, too, was the case when he was asked to switch sneakers.
However, after practicing and becoming comfortable with the Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3, he headlines the group of professionals set to where perhaps the nicest colorway to come out. Using white, black and Midwest gold, the shoe is easy to match with yet still bold like you would expect from the most exciting player in tennis.
While it passes the test with flying colors in the looks department, how does it actually feel? This is obviously more important, especially to serious tennis players. After having worn them for a week after buying them, we’ll never put our Breathe Frees on again. These shoes give us everything we’re looking for in the comfort department.
In comparison to other tennis shoes, the shoes weigh in a little heavy at 17.7 ounces. The thing is, if you aren’t told that before buying the shoes, you wouldn’t believe it. The weight distribution doesn’t make them feel clunky at all.
Perhaps this is due to the new LunarLight technology, which features some first of its kind padding at the shoe’s core. Then there’s the DragOn X, which lends support to the toes (especially the big one) to make sure that collisions with the front of the sneaker are minimal. Anyone who plays enough tennis knows exactly what we’re talking about here.
One important thing to note about these shoes is you probably will not be able to wear them to play tennis the first day you buy them. With the Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3, they take a little while to break in comfortably. They arrive to you very stiff, but wearing them either around the house or casually for a day or two will break them in. Also, we’d recommend getting a half size smaller than you normally would buy. So if you wore a 10.5 in most Nike shoes, a 10 will fit you better in the Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3.
The Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3 is built to last for the competitive player. However, those who wear through shoes quickly have no reason to fear because each new pair comes with a 6-month out sole guarantee. If the outsole shows considerable wear, all you have to do is fill out a form (included in the box) and send back your used Nike Air Courtballistec 1.3 for a Nike product voucher. The voucher will be worth the suggested retail value of the shoe you sent back.
All in all, the pros wear this for a reason. It’s a great sneaker that gives you everything you’d looking for in a tennis shoe. Shop around a bit to find the best deal, because they’re out there. Good luck!yea
Tennis sneakers can be tough to figure out, especially after just trying them on in the shoe store. Learn more about all of the Nike Air Courtballistec tennis sneakers and more about the Nike Courtballistec 1.3 sneakers at our dedicated Nike Air Courtballistec reviews site.
