Tennis Now Gear Review: How The Vapor 9 Stacks Up

By Robert Martin

(April 28, 2012) As someone that has been playing tennis for nearing two decades, I’ve gone through my fair share of shoes, and despite the reputation of Nike, I have only tried a few. Of the two models that I used, I was left seeking more with each one.

The first was extremely breathable, but it lacked traction and within the first week I was sliding around on hard courts, not something that is often suggested to people not named Novak Djokovic. The other offered plenty of cushion but still slipped and even worse, were incredibly heavy.

So I avoided the hype of the new “Roger Federer Shoe” for a number of reasons, but it has now been almost four months and it is still THE shoe that people talk about. Of course, looking through the current colors, I can’t say I was too excited about the cosmetics, but then I saw the upcoming color that Roger Federer will be wearing at Roland Garros.

Regardless of how the Zoom Vapor 9 Tour plays on the court, I am likely to pick up a pair of the French Open shoes just because of how awesome they look. While I wait for those to be released, it seemed like the perfect time to test out the performance of the shoe that I seem to see everywhere on the courts.

The Zoom Vapor 9 Tour is available in two variations, one with a synthetic leather upper in the forefoot, and one with a mesh upper. I opted for the synthetic upper since I figured the shoe was already light and a bit of extra stability would not hurt.

Initial Fit
As with most Nike shoes, the Vapor 9 fits a bit on the narrow side, especially in the forefoot where I prefer a medium-wide width. The fit is snug, but not tight, so I expected that the fit would loosen up after a short break-in.

The adaptive-fit system is a bit unique in that each eyelet is somewhat individually adjustable for a more customizable fit across the mid foot and top of the foot. I did not need to mess with this too much to get a comfortable fit.

On Court
After taking about 2 days of break-in, the front of the foot loosened just enough to take some of the pressure off the sides of my foot. The first thing I noticed wearing the shoes around was that they feel very light and offer a fair amount of cushioning. This is actually my first experience with a Zoom cushion, and it certainly is not the same level of comfort as an Air Max shoe, but it provides a much more low to the ground feel.

After putting in some serious court time in the Vapor 9 Tour, I can see some of the reasons it is so popular, but it does have flaws. The XDR sole has slightly better traction that my previous Nike shoes, but still not to the level that I would like.

For a light shoe, it does feel a bit bulky around the heel where it seems that there is an excessive amount of padding. In exchange for that somewhat awkward feel, I was pleasantly surprised by lateral stability throughout the shoe. A lightweight midfoot shank allows the front and rear of the foot to have some added flexibility for awkward stops while providing some stability.

Final Thoughts
The attention this shoe has gained is a double-edged sword, resulting in a large number of happy wearers, but also quite a few that have had more lukewarm opinions of the Vapor 9 Tour. As with every shoe out there, it is not for everyone, and the $130 price tag is a bit steep, but it is very comfortable, surprisingly stable, and lightweight.

Conclusions
In comparison to the previous Nike shoes I have tried, this is certainly the best one to date, especially if you are looking for a match-day shoe for some extra speed and comfort. For an everyday practice shoe however, the cost would not work out for me, as I had worn through the outsole in some areas by the end of my 6-week playtest.