Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 Clay tennis shoe tested

Fit: 9

Stability: 8 Cushioning: 8 Grip: 9 Durability: 8 Agility and speed: 9

It is with great pleasure that I write my first review of tennis shoes. I play on the Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour Clay myself. The idea that I can once again test a Japanese piece of quality creates high expectations. Apart from the fact that as a tennis player I have long been convinced of the expertise of Japanese manufacturers (I play with the Yonex EZONE DR 98 myself), I am still very curious to see how this relative newcomer in the field of tennis shoes will perform compared to the established order.

There is a lot to say about shoes, but the fact remains that everyone has different feet and shoes are always custom-made. My feet fall into the category of fairly narrow with a high instep. When putting on the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 Clay, you immediately notice how soft they are. As if you are putting on a pair of very well-fitting slippers with air-filled soles. Very comfortable. It is also very striking that the tongue of the shoe fits nicely over your foot and does not give any irritating pressure points. The tongue is also not so wafer-thin but well-filled, just like the edges of the opening of the shoe. The edges give an extra cushiony feeling and continue beyond the first two lace holes. From there, the shoe transitions into a thinner type of ventilating material.

The Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 Clay is very comfortable around your ankles. The shoe is very light and very agile and fast due to the good fit. I tested the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 Clay on gravel but also on artificial grass. What is striking is that this shoe has deep herringbone soles compared to other gravel shoes. Not so friendly for soft gravel courts but the sole does provide very good grip. After two hours of sweating, the shoes also appear to ventilate well. I always have sweaty feet quickly but certainly not worse in these Mizuno's compared to my Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour. To be honest, I find the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 more comfortable than my own Nike's. Especially when I tested them on artificial grass. I had to wear a few for the competition. Their number 1 already chased me to all corners of the court with hitting. During play that was no different but with the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 I seemed to be able to get every ball from every corner. Amazing grip and push-off power that made me feel like I was always a little bit faster than normal and always stayed in the rally. After the race I was complimented on my running ability. And that is also different sometimes. I attribute that to the speed and agility of the Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2.

The laces also tie well and stay in place. Nothing is more annoying than having your laces come loose all the time. All in all a remarkably pleasant experience! And as far as I'm concerned, Mizuno has succeeded excellently in producing a world-class clay court shoe that also does very well on artificial grass. I am once again charmed by the Japanese ingenuity and the quality that they manage to demonstrate. Furthermore, the bright yellow / blue Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 Clay goes perfectly with my yellow / black Japanese bat, the Yonex EZONE DR 98!

You can also find this Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 2 Clay in our webshop! This shoe falls in line with the ASICS Gel Solution Speed ​​3 , but is slightly wider and is therefore also suitable for players with a slightly higher instep.