As we all know Rafael Nadal has been the hottest player on the men’s tour in 2010, capturing the French Open and Wimbledon titles. Not only is he the hottest player on tour, he is the best mover around the court in the game. So that raises the question, what is the shoe of choice of Rafa? The answer is the new Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3. The Air Court Ballistic is an update to the previous 1.3 version. This new Nike is a sharp looking shoe and I have been playing with this shoe for the last few weeks. Here are my thoughts on how the shoe feels and plays around the court.
SHOE SPECIFICATIONS
I bought the shoe in white/grey and I think the shoe has a good looking modern style to it. In my opinion its not too busy and has a pretty clean look to it. To start out I would like to talk about the features of the shoe. The Air Court Ballistic 2.3 features a Drag On X upper material which is claimed to be 30% more durable than the older Drag On material. The shoe has an XDR outsole which is extremely durable, as the outsole comes with a 6 month durability guarantee. The midsole is made of LunarLite cushioning. Nike says the LunarLite material is, ultra lightweight and springy for soft yet responsive shock absorption. The Air Court Ballistic has a uni-tongue construction. This means the tongue is actually connected to the shoe. Many of the laces eyelets are hidden underneath. The shoe weighs in at a full 16.5oz. The Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 has a standard lenth fit, a medium width, and medium arch support. The shoe also comes in a wide variety of colors to please every player. Well that is a enough of a description of the shoe, let me get to its performance.
PERFORMANCE – COMFORT
First of all I would like to rave about the comfort of this shoe. The Air Court Ballistic 2.3 offers very plush cushioning around the court. I find the uni-tongue feature to be extremely comfortable. This makes the shoe fit snug even when you don’t have it tied up. It is a very comfortable shoe to wear around untied with the fact that it doesn’t flop around. I found the heel of the shoe area and the back by the achilles to offer extreme cushioning and comfort. Around the court the shoe felt nice and comfortable. I am on a court for more than 8 hours everyday, so comfort is a big thing for me. Some shoes make your feet feel like you are wearing boards on your feet after a few hours. This has not been the case with these shoes so far. My feet are feeling great after my long days on court in these.
PERFORMANCE – DURABILITY & STABILITY
The Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 shoe comes with a six-month outsole durability guarantee. I always look for this when choosing a shoe. If you are a player like me who seems to wear through shoes in no time, look to this shoe. The shoes are expensive at around $120, but if you blow through the bottoms quickly the money is well worth it. The Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 seems to be an extremely stable shoe when moving around the court. I find the uni-tongue makes the shoe really hug the foot nicely. I never feel my foot slide around inside the shoe as I suddenly start and stop. Stability is extremely important in the performance of a shoe and I feel as though Nike has really hit the spot with this one. The shoe is hefty at near 17 ounces but I never feel as though it is slowing me up around the court. I can really accelerate fast in this shoe. I have worn other shoes around 17 ounces and felt heavy on my feet, but this shoe feels as though it is a part of my foot.
OVERALL
I have found the Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 to be my favorite Nike shoe in a few years. With the comfort, stability, and durability this shoe offers I don’t think you can go wrong with this one. I would recommend this shoe to players who beat up their shoes most often on hard courts. Those who are looking for the ultimate in performance coupled with durability will find a winner in this shoe. The price tag may seem a bit steep, but like I said it is well worth it. The Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 is a very high quality shoe and it’s easy to see why it is the choice of the world #1 Rafael Nadal. Check out the Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 and give your feet the same confidence around the court as Rafa.
