I recently tried out my HEAD Speed Pro III tennis shoes. My first impressions were these shoes have great step-in comfort and good right out-of-the-box feel.
I usually go for pretty robust shoes that tend to be on the heavy side, so the Speed Pro III is a bit lighter than what I usually wear; however, these aren’t “lightweight” tennis shoes. Even so, the weight certainly wasn’t a distraction and there was still plenty of cushioning underfoot. The outsole had plenty of traction so I didn't slip or slide on the courts and easily sprinted to the ball. The shoe was stable and low enough, allowing me to move laterally without worry.
With zero break-in time, the uppers still fit well—no pinching and no hot spots or blisters. I did experience some discomfort and minor cramping in the arch area of my foot so that was a slight concern, but only in the beginning. I do have very flat feet and I've had problems with cramping in my arches in the past but the discomfort subsided after the first 30 minutes. Considering my bad arches and a lack of break-in, I would by no means consider that a red flag; instead, I would encourage players to wear the shoes around for an hour or two before playing in them—especially if the player has lower arches.
I normally wear a size 10 in athletic shoes and my biggest issue was that the Speed Pro III definitely fit long. I'm not sure that it ran quite a half size long, but it was definitely longer than a size 10 normally fits. Although I played some points with the shoes on and didn't have any major problems, I'm a little worried about going all out with them on. As most tennis players know, your toes repeatedly slamming into the front of your shoes isn't pretty even when the shoe is the right size. When the shoe is too large—well, you get the picture. I'm going to try it with some thicker socks next time I go out to see if that makes a difference. Either way, I would recommend that players at least try on a half size smaller than normal before buying—especially if they are on the borderline between sizes. If you don’t have a tennis specialty shop nearby, you may want to try Shoefitr and compare the fit of these shoes to a pair you know fits the way you like.
Fit issues aside, the HEAD Speed Pro III performed well. It had ample cushioning without feeling heavy or bulky. The shoe's low profile kept me feeling stable and balanced so I could make quick lateral movements confidently. The upper was fairly breathable and didn't cause any irritation, even with no break-in period. Any player looking for a performance shoe should definitely consider the Speed Pro III, just make sure to account for the shoe's generous sizing.
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