adidas Avacourt Women's Tennis Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 4.5

The Tennis Warehouse ladies understand that it can be tough to introduce a new shoe into the tennis market, but when they learned about all the energy and research adidas put into the creation of the Avacourt, they were very excited to get the shoes on and head to the courts. Michelle began, "Having lusted after these shoes before getting them on my feet, my expectations were high, and fortunately, the Avacourts met those expectations. The first time I laced them up I found them to be very comfortable — no break-in time needed for me. The shoes fit almost identically for me as the Stella Courts, and I even put one of each on to compare. I stayed in my true size and didn't feel the urge to size down. For me, the biggest difference was the underfoot cushioning. These Avacourts felt lighter and more responsive, while the Boost in the Stella feels a bit mushier and softer and a bit more cumbersome. The upper of the Avacourt shoes felt lighter and more breathable, as well as a bit more supportive compared to the Stellas. Both toe boxes fit similarly for me. They were on the wider side, and the toe-down look was very nice, with a feminine edge — a rounded look that was flattering. I did utilize the last eyelet to ensure I was locked in when moving aggressively, and I loved how cushioned the heel collar was. I had no rubbing or blisters or any issues from first to last wear during this playtest. Comfort was top notch!"

When Brittany first opened the shoe box, she was super excited to see how nice the Avacourts looked; but she was even more excited when she slipped them on her feet. She said, "I thought the length fit perfectly (in the past, adidas shoes have fit a tad long on me). There was plenty of room within the toe box and the width was a generous medium, so I had just a little bit of extra room, especially in the midfoot. After putting them on, I headed straight to the court for a one-hour hitting session. I had absolutely no break-in period and did not experience any discomfort from the uppers. The cushioning underneath both the heel and forefoot was responsive and very comfortable. There was decent cushioning around the ankle as well. However, I would have liked a little more cushioning in the tongue, which was a little thin and high for my taste. I had no issues with ventilation or arch support."

"The Avacourts felt so comfortable for me out of the box that I went straight to the court to hit," added Tiffani. "I didn't feel any need for breaking these shoes in. They felt flexible from heel to toe, and the fit was wide enough for me that I didn't need time to stretch out the uppers. The adidas Stella Courts are some of my favorite shoes, but I find them a bit narrower through the toe box than these Avacourts. My feet are fine in the Stellas because the uppers are flexible and allow my feet to relax comfortably, but with the Avacourts, it feels like my feet are sitting down in the shoes comfortably with a slightly wider toe box. After my first hit, I noticed that I was still wearing these shoes hours after I was done on court, which is always a positive sign that I found them very comfortable. I enjoyed the cushioning, finding it soft yet responsive. The ventilation levels felt good, and I never noticed any arch pain."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 4.1

In the last couple of years, Brittany has put more of an emphasis on support and stability in her tennis shoes. She confirmed that the Avacourts passed that test with flying colors. She described, "I was a bit worried about there only being one eyelet near the ankle because I tend to need an additional eyelet around the ankle to get a locked-in feel. However, after several hours on the court, my worries disappeared, and I had no issues. The shoes kept my feet fully in place and supported as I moved aggressively. I had no issues with ankle stability, even after a tough singles session. I could move worry-free without any fear of ankle soreness that night or the next day."

As Tiffani mentioned in the comfort section, she thought her feet sat nicely inside the shoes, which gave her a secure feel in the Avacourts. She said, "I could move laterally without any issues, and my ankles felt protected as well. I used all the eyelets and found it easy to pull tightly on the laces to create a secure fit throughout the shoes."

"These shoes offered just the right amount of support and stability, without feeling overbuilt or bulky," Michelle said. "They held my feet in place, and because the fit was so good, I was able to trust them completely. I was confident moving in these shoes in the most demanding situations, and they also worked well in more casual court scenarios. While the shoes were not super snug on my medium-width feet, they still offered support in the right areas. I liked that I could see the support pieces and could feel them holding my feet in place when being pushed."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.0

Our team was in complete agreement about the Avacourts' stellar durability after wearing the shoes for a few weeks both on and off the court. Tiffani was not seeing a lot of wear on the outsoles after 10 hours of hard court use. She said, "I don't think that I'll be wearing out these shoes prematurely. I usually wear the tips of toes the quickest, but the toes here are still holding up for me. My one complaint is that the toe bumper material has a slight sheen to it, and I scuffed both toes within the first hour. The bumper is doing its job, but because they're slightly shiny, I can tell the material has dulled and looks dirty."

"I like how durable the outsoles are on these shoes," added Michelle. "I was wearing them a lot, so I was expecting them to wear out fast. Right away, I noticed that the unique traction pattern held up well, so even with some wear and smoothing, the outsole was still functional. My biggest issue with durability was more cosmetic than anything. Because I wore them so much and all over, they started showing signs of dirt, sweat and wear. But functionally speaking, the durability was solid in my book! I am seeing some smoothing under my big toes, but they don't feel slippery or worn out yet after a month of solid wear."

The Avacourts surpassed Brittany's expectations in this category. She said, "When I initially looked over the Avacourts after taking them out of the box, the color we had received had a translucent outsole, and I wasn't sure how that would translate to durability. As the playtest wrapped up, I had easily 15-plus hours on the shoes and had really put them through the test. When I checked out the outsoles, I saw just a small amount of wear underneath my big toe that wrapped up toward the toe bumper. The rest of the outsoles showed little to no visible wear. I imagine I have many hours left on the shoes (perfect for players who spend a lot of time on court or are hard on their outsoles). I am a slight toe dragger and noticed some small scuffing on the white toe bumper. These looked to be more cosmetic than anything, and there was still plenty of material to protect from additional toe dragging."

Traction - Score: 4.0

When it comes to traction, our team sometimes has differing opinions, but they all thought that adidas nailed the traction levels on the Avacourts. Michelle, who prefers a bit of tack rather than something more slippery, found the outsoles to be just right. She said, "They allowed me to feel confident moving no matter where I was in the court. I never slid or slipped, which was a good thing! I could change direction with ease."

Preferring less tack and more give, Tiffani also liked the blend of traction she got from the rubber and tread pattern. She said, "I don't recall thinking about my footwork, and I was always sure of my movements and changes of direction. I also felt that I moved smoothly from shot to shot."

Brittany was also confident when making quick changes of direction in these shoes. She described, "The outsoles nicely gripped the court when I planted my feet, but they offered just a slight amount of give so I didn't feel stuck in one position. I will note that I thought I was sitting a little higher off the ground and maybe felt slightly less connected to the court, but that didn't seem to cause any issues."

Weight - Score: 3.9

If our playtesters had to categorize the weight of the Avacourts in terms of other shoes in the adidas lineup, they would place them in between the ultra-light Ubersonics and the more stable Barricades. Brittany explained, "I didn't feel like I could put these shoes in the lightweight category, but they also didn't feel heavy or clunky. They felt about average in terms of weight. The reason behind this could also be that they were a tad wide for me, so I didn't feel fully streamlined in them. However, I didn't have any negatives with the weight and never felt like the shoes were slowing me down."

Michelle felt like adidas struck a good balance with the Avacourts here. She said, "When describing the creation of the Avacourt shoes, adidas made it clear that women tend to crave something between a super stable shoe and an ultra-light option, and I would say these shoes aren't the lightest in the adidas lineup, but they're not the heaviest either. They never felt bulky, and they were easy shoes to leave on all day before and after using them on the court. I know a lot of players out there are looking to replace their Stella Courts or Solecourt Boosts, and I think the Avacourts feel lighter than both of those, but not drastically lighter."

Tiffani echoed, "The Avacourts felt middle-of-the-road for me in terms of weight. I didn't feel weighed down, but they don't have the ultra-light feel of an adidas Ubersonic either. For their comfort and support, I think the weight is right where it needs to be."

Overall - Score: 4.4