You can’t go wrong with Wilson. I tried their third shoe this year, the new Wilson Tour Ikon, which is designed for hard court play. As is the custom of Wilson, comfort, durability and support are excellent. The Tour Ikon has a low-to-the-ground feel, which is always preferrable, and it features heel support and TPU Stable Wrap.
Because of the amount of tennis I play, I would often get certain foot discomforts (around the heel and outer side) but once again after some heavy use on hard courts, both my feet are pain free. In my experience Wilson shoes are always, 100% consistently very good equipment for maximum foot protection. Unlike other top tennis footware makers, there is never any ups and downs in quality of product, Wilson can always be counted on for excellence in their shoes.
Let’s talk about features. The high abrasion toe guard is also top-notch, for you defensive-oriented players who like or need to grind out long points, and like to run and change direction. Big toes take a beating from playing hardcore tennis, but the toe guard of the Tour Ikon is as good as it gets.
The Tour Ikon might feel a bit cumbersome in the beginning (it weighs 15.4 ounces for size 10.5) but after a few weeks of wearing down edges of the outer sole, it will begin to feel just about perfect. After reaching high speeds, I like to slide to a stop on hard courts, like stopping on ice skates or skis, and this shoe allowed me to do it from day one out of the box. The midsole and outersole are very comfortable – the midsole uses the DST foam with a sculpted TPU Arch Bridge for stability. Arch support is described as medium. There is out-of-box comfort, no break-in is required.
Another favorite aspect of the Tour Ikon is the Ortholite Comfort Foam sockliner – it has five toe indents which I love the feel of and this feature seems to help you dig your feet more into the court, enhancing traction and footwork.
Back to the quality of the outer and midsole. Wilson uses Reactive Gel inserts in the heel and forefoot. Scientifically speaking, the Reactive Gel is said to react to the “stress and force placed on it to provide optimal cushioning, energy return, stability and dynamic movement support.”
It’s a winner of a shoe, worn by the likes of Feliciano Lopez, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jarkko Nieminen and others. The shoe comes in three colors, white (with black), red (with black) and blue (with black). It’s a stylish performance shoe, which evoked an unprovoked review from a guy named Frank down at my local courts, “Mark always has the coolest shoes.”
Four stars again for the Wilson Tour Ikon which has a six-month outsole durability warranty. The shoe is listed for $120 at www.Tenniswarehouse.com
