The Vapor Pro 2s build on the line's reputation as perfect match-day shoes, but what exactly does that mean? Our team of experienced competitors would define match shoes as comfortable yet light with a great fit, allowing wearers to feel confident moving quickly and nimbly on the court. Many models of the Nike Vapor from the past have perfectly fit that role. Brittany, who has had a long history with Nike shoes, was extremely happy with this update's fit and feel. She explained, "They fit my narrow-width feet almost perfectly while still offering a roomy toe box and standard length. I didn’t need a break-in period and they were very comfortable overall. While I enjoyed the heel cushioning, I found the cushioning underfoot to be a little on the firmer side, especially in the forefoot, but it didn't affect me in any way (although I do prefer a little bit more of a plush feel in general). Nevertheless, I didn't have any issues with arch support or ventilation throughout the playtest."

Tiffani really liked the look of these shoes out of the box, and that made her even more excited to head into this playtest. She said, "To start the playtest, I pulled my pair out of the box to try on and compared the shoes to the original Vapor Pro, which I had kept since that was my favorite Nike model of 2022. I immediately noticed that the uppers on the Vapor Pro 2s felt more pliable than the previous model. These shoes have a fairly snug medium width, but they didn't squeeze my feet in a painful way. As the playtest wore on, the uppers relaxed as well. There is a wide version of the Vapor Pro 2, and I tried them on. The fit was a bit more generous in the toe box than the standard width, but still more of a medium rather than a wide D width. The Vapor Pro 2s are light and flexible with a low-to-the-ground ride. Overall, I thought the comfort was an upgrade compared to the first Vapor Pro."

Michelle said, "I automatically noticed the new Air Zoom unit under my forefoot, and it made me feel bouncy! The heel collar also felt like it had more padding, and I had zero break-in. I was excited to wear these Vapor Pro 2s and thought they looked great; the comfort was good for such light, speedy shoes."

It had been a while since Zsofi tested Nike tennis shoes, and she was looking forward to getting the Vapor Pro 2s on her feet. She said, "I will be honest; I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the last generation of Vapors, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from the Vapor Pro 2s. To my surprise, I am amazed by these shoes! Right out of the box they were good to go with no break-in time necessary, which is always nice. I truly enjoyed how speedy and light I felt on court. I prefer shoes with a lower build that have that low-to-the-ground feel, and this is exactly how the Vapor Pro 2s felt. I had the perfect amount of cushioning, and even after a long day on court my feet were not hurting, which is a huge plus!"

Most of our team was satisfied with the support the got from the Vapor Pro 2s, but almost everyone noted a desire for an extra eyelet for a little more ankle support. Tiffani described, "These shoes started off on the snug side, so I didn't have any issues with support. Even as the playtest wore on and the uppers stretched, my feet were well supported. I did have an issue figuring out how to get my heel locked in. The lacing system doesn't come back as far as I would have liked. Initially, I was getting heel slippage. That lasted about two hours of court time before the shoes molded to my feet better."

This is where Michelle began to have some issues with these shoes. She explained, "The uppers seemed to open up and expand the more I played in the Vapor Pro 2s, and the lacing system didn't hold me in securely during serious play. I was looking to use an extra eyelet, but it wasn't available with the lacing system. I am a player who likes to tie my laces up snugly so I can feel completely secure inside my shoes. Even if I tied my laces as tightly as I could, I could still pull my feet out of the Vapor Pro 2s without untying them. For me, that meant there was not nearly enough ankle support. The length fit my feet true to size, so I couldn't size down to try to fix the problem."

On the other hand, Zsofi felt nicely supported in all her moves. She said, "I was very impressed with how much support I felt, even with the low profile of the Vapor Pro 2s. I was able to move confidently on court, and I trusted the shoes to support me even in tighter directional changes."

Since the Vapor Pro 2s offered a snug fit, Brittany found that they nicely supported her feet at the start of the test. As she spent more time in the shoes, though, the fit started to change. She said, "Toward the end of the playtest the uppers had opened up a little bit, and I was starting to move around ever so slightly. When it came to stability, I felt like I sat nice and deep within the shoes and close to the ground. I also never had any ankle stability issues. I did, however, want a more locked-in fit around the ankles. The lacing system was limiting on the medial side due to the eyelet placed on the inside, and I could have used one more eyelet on the lateral side as well."

When it comes to light, speedy match-day shoes, our team doesn't expect a ton of durability. And while the Vapor Pro 2s had a lot of strengths, durability was one area where they fell a little short. Because she loved these shoes so much, Zsofi put many hours on them over a relatively short amount of time. She said, "Unfortunately, I saw wear on the outsole, and it resulted in a bit of traction loss for me. Other than outsole durability, I would say the shoes were holding up nicely for me."

"I did put in a good amount of time in these shoes, and I noticed a loss of some traction after two weeks, causing me to slip. After that, I chose to only wear them for light hitting or teaching," added Michelle. "Ironically, I saw the most wear on the opposite side of the shoe that I normally wear down. Normally I see smoothing under my big toes, but on these shoes, the smoothing started on the outside of my feet and moved toward the middle."

Brittany put in 10-plus hours of playtesting on both indoor and outdoor courts. She said, "Durability was around average with the Vapor Pro 2s. Since they are lightweight shoes, I expected to see some smoothing in my high-wear areas, like around my big toe, and that is exactly what I saw. The toe bumper did its job well, and while I can see that I dragged my toe numerous times, there is no damage or wear to that area."

Unlike some of her fellow playtesters, Tiffani didn't see too much wear after a dozen hours in these shoes. She noted, "My toes are scuffed, and there's the start of some smoothing at the tips of the toes, which is one of my high-wear areas. I don't expect these to be the most durable shoes, but I'm happy with how they are lasting considering their light weight."

With the Vapor Pro 2's outsole, Nike has designed a traction pattern that should be ideal for the modern mover. It worked great for Zsofi at the beginning of this playtest. She said, "I had the perfect amount of give and grip." However, as she continued to wear the shoes, she found that things started to change. "My one knock on the Vapor Pro 2s would be that as the playtest went on, there was noticeable wear on the outsole, which made my shoes slightly more slippery. Honestly, I didn't really mind, but it's something to keep in mind."

The traction of the Vapor Pro 2s is exactly what Brittany looks for in her tennis shoes. She described, "There was plenty of give when I needed so I never felt stuck. I am not much of a slider, but I think these shoes would support a player who likes to slide into or out of their shots with ease. They were able to grip just enough when I was on the outside of my foot, and then gave perfectly so I didn't feel stuck. The shoes also offered a low-to-the-ground feel, so I felt really connected to the court, which helped greatly with my movements."

Tiffani noted a slicker feel on the court, which she liked. She said, "I didn't feel like I was slipping or spinning my wheels as I took off to the next shot, but I could pivot easily. This let me feel fast on the court and transition well."

One member of our team had a conflicting opinion here. Michelle, who tends to prefer a stickier outsole, struggled with the traction. She said, "About two or three weeks into this playtest, there was a day when we were filming a racquet review, and I completely slipped and tweaked my knee in these shoes. After that, I was scared to wear them for any serious movement; I lost confidence moving aggressively. I think it happened as the tread wore down. Either way, it was a bummer for me, as the shoes were comfortable and light."

Although some of our testers struggled with traction, there was no doubt that the Vapor Pro 2's lightweight feel was a definite plus for our team. Tiffani explained, "I didn't feel weighed down, and I liked the level of cushioning I got. I moved well in these shoes, so I have no complaints in this department."

"I would put these shoes in the lightweight category, no doubt," added Michelle. "They were easy to move in and felt speedy. They were great for all-day wear too. I actually began this playtest at BNP and wore them from sunup to sundown. I really enjoy how comfortable and light they are.”

Zsofi was also very happy with how light these shoes felt. She said, "I felt so speedy and comfortable on court. I would say these Vapor Pro 2s are lightweight and low profile."

For Brittany, the standout feature of these shoes was the lightweight feel. She described, "As soon as I slipped the Vapor Pro 2s on, I forgot about them and was able to move around the court seamlessly. I also felt super quick in my movements, especially when I was moving side to side or making a quick change of direction."