Which tennis shoes for which court?

The outsole decides where a tennis shoe works best, and most listings on this page name their surface. Here is how the men's tennis shoes sort:

• Clay: the Nike Court Air Zoom Vapor 11 Clay and Vapor Lite 3 Clay use Nike Claybreaker technology for traction and less clay build-up. The Vapor Cage 4 Rafa is designed for clay and padel courts. The ASICS Gel-Dedicate 8 Clay and Solution Swift FF 2 Clay are made for clay too.
• Hard courts: the adidas Gamecourt 2.0 has an Adiwear outsole for hard-court traction, and the Adizero Ubersonic 5 is made for fast play on hard courts.
• All courts: the adidas Courtflash Speed 2 and Court Spec 2 and the Wilson Kaos Stroke 2.0 are built for all surfaces.
• Artificial grass: the adidas GameCourt 2.0 Omnicourt has an omnicourt outsole for traction on artificial grass.

What makes a clay court shoe different?

On clay you slide into the ball, so the sole has to grip and let go. Nike says Claybreaker adds grip in the forefoot and midfoot, with a wide traction pattern that helps you slide with control. ASICS gives the Solution Swift FF 2 Clay a vertical dash pattern made for clay. The Vapor Cage 4 Rafa adds covered medial eyestays for durability while sliding, plus signature Rafael Nadal details.

Two shoes here are not for tennis

Read the sport line before you buy. The adidas Court Pickleball 2 is made for pickleball on hard courts, and the Wilson Bela Tour has a padel outsole and is inspired by Fernando Belasteguin.

If you are new to tennis and play on clay, start with the ASICS Gel-Dedicate 8 Clay: ASICS calls it a baseline tennis shoe for the entry-level player. For the rest of your kit, see tennis for men, all tennis gear and all tennis shoes.