Babolat Pulsion All Court Jr - White/Fluo Red

Babolat first moved into footwear in 2003, when, spying an opportunity in the market, they partnered with grip experts Michelin to create a dedicated tennis shoe designed for the specific movements of the sport.

The French doubles pairing of Babolat and Michelin continues to this day, with all top-end Babolat shoes benefitting from the superior traction and durability provided by Michelin’s premium rubber.

We say doubles – there’s now a third player in the all-French team. Since 2016, starting with the speed-focused Jet, select Babolat shoes have featured Matryx materials in the upper, courtesy of the Ardoix-based creator of technical fabrics, Chamatex.

Matryx is a mixture of ultra-durable aramid and polyamid fibres that allows you to have flexibility in one area of the upper and rigidity in another. Essentially, it can be tailored specifically to the demands of tennis players, providing targeted support, flexion, breathability, and abrasion resistance where required.

American No.1 at the time, Andy Roddick was the first big-name player to sport Babolat shoes on-court, lacing up in the Propulse for the 2005 Tour. The supportive and durable Propulse remains popular with pros today, while the lightweight Jet caters for players who favour speed as much as stability. Or, if you’re after an all-round shoe that’s focused on comfort, check out the wider-fitting SFX3.

All-court shoes have hard-wearing, hybrid grip patterns designed to cope with the quick changes of direction required in the fast-paced game played on acrylic and synthetic hard courts.