adidas adizero Ubersonic 4 Men's Review

Comfort - Score: 3.8

Our playtest team enjoyed the comfort of the adizero Ubersonic 4s out of the box. However, some of our playtesters did experience toe jamming and pressure from the laces. Jason explained, "The adizero Ubersonic 4s were very comfortable shoes to wear throughout the playtest. The Lightstrike midsole provided ample underfoot cushioning for those tough landings. I did have one small issue, though: the thin laces pushing through the thin tongue. When I tried to cinch up my shoes tightly, I could feel the pressure at the top of my feet where I laced. I ended up switching out the laces for more standard ones, and the pressure points went away."

Although Chris found the shoes comfortable overall, he had fit issues with one of the pairs he tested. He said, "The level of cushioning I found in the adizero Ubersonic 4s was top notch. My feet felt protected during hard court play, the shoes felt responsive, and I still felt low to the ground for secure movement. I also liked the feel of the upper materials. The shoes flexed and moved with my feet well, so I never had any hotspots or areas of concern. However, this inline color did not hug my feet as well as the early release 'Top Secret' color I first tested. The looser fit resulted in some uncomfortable jamming of my toes into the ends of the shoes, which ruined an otherwise very comfortable ride. The ventilation felt good, and I was able to play in my usual two pairs of socks without my feet getting excessively hot."

Mark thoroughly enjoyed the Lightstrike midsole in this updated Ubersonic. He said, "To a degree, I knew what to expect from playing in prior iterations of the adizero Ubersonic tennis shoes, and to my feet, the Ubersonic 4s feel more akin to the Ubersonic 2 than the 3. I don't call out specific shoe technologies very often, but the new Lightstrike midsole did offer a higher degree of underfoot cushioning while still maintaining a low-to-the-ground stance, which I feel was an improvement over both prior models. I went down by a half size for the adizero Ubersonic 3 review, but my usual size 11.5 fit perfectly for this Ubersonic 4 playtest. Arch height felt medium to low and was fine for my medium arches. The overall ventilation for the Ubersonic 4s was stellar."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.6

The adizero Ubersonic 4s gave our playtesters a low-to-the-ground feel and lots of support overall. Mark credited the low, streamlined ride for the shoe's stable feel. He said, "The new adizero Ubersonic 4s are definitely low-to-the-ground tennis shoes, which inherently helps with stability. What impressed me most about these shoes was the construction of the uppers. Without adidas having to make them heavy, these shoes comfortably held my feet in place during hard stops and directional changes on court."

Chris felt secure when moving around the court, but he again noted some toe jamming from time to time. He described, "When moving side to side, I felt very safe in the adizero Ubersonic 4s. My feet didn't slide around too much, and I felt nice and low to the ground. I also found a secure fit around the ankle collar, with no heel slippage or other issues to report. Unfortunately, on quick forward stops, my toes would jam into the ends of the shoes. I tried cinching down the laces as tightly as I could to remedy this but still could not find adequate support, and it only led to uncomfortable lace pressure on the tops of my feet. It was a shame because I had no such issues with my first pair in the Top Secret early-release colorway."

Jason found these shoes lacking support in certain areas, but he thought they maintained solid stability. He said, "I felt like the Ubersonic 4s were actually pretty stable, considering their lightweight, speed-oriented design. Where they fell short for me was in the support. I had a really tough time cinching up my laces because of the lacing system. I would pull on one section and only that section would tighten, but then the laces were also difficult to loosen. Because I was unable to get a locked-in fit, my feet were sliding around within the shoes, and I was getting some instances of toe jamming."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 3.7

Although they are super lightweight, super speedy shoes, the adizero Ubersonic 4s held up nicely throughout the playtest thanks to the adiwear rubber compound on the outsoles. Chris was quite impressed with the durability of these shoes, given their weight. He explained, "For speed-oriented shoes, the adizero Ubersonic 4s lasted well. I saw some wear under the toes in my high-wear areas, while the rest of the outsoles looked great. On the uppers, the toe tips showed a lot of abuse. At the end of the test, I was impressed that the shoes still had a fair bit of material left to wear through in both my high-wear areas."

Unlike the other testers, Mark managed to wear down his Ubersonic 4s significantly by the end of the playtest. He described, "I have been playing more tennis lately, but until this playtest I have not worn through the outsole of a shoe. I have to say that although the adizero Ubersonic 4 shoes feel and perform great, they are not shoes that I could expect to get through an entire season of tennis using only one pair. To be fair, the tread pattern is clay worthy, and on the soft courts, durability for these shoes would be improved."

Jason didn't find any notable wear on his pair during this playtest. He said, "I didn't see any wear spots that made me too concerned about the outsole durability. But to be fair, because of the lack of support, I wasn't pushing these shoes as hard as I could have."

Traction - Score: 4.5

The traction of the adizero Ubersonic 4s allowed our playtesters to move confidently and play to their potential throughout the playtest. Jason typically prefers shoes with more give, but the Ubersonic 4s still allowed him to get around the court smoothly. He said, "There is plenty of grip with these shoes. I typically like more give to help with sliding in and out of shots, but if you're looking for shoes that'll provide excellent traction on hard courts, the adizero Ubersonic 4s fit the bill."

Chris found just what he was expecting in terms of grip. He said, "I loved the traction I found in the adizero Ubersonic 4 shoes. I was able to sprint around the court at full speed without ever having to worry about getting traction. There was just the right amount of give on lateral stops to take some pressure off my knees and ankles by giving me a little controlled slide. I find adidas tends to nail the level of traction, so I expected these to be topnotch, and they didn't disappoint."

Mark enjoyed the predictability of the Ubersonic 4's traction and felt confident with every step. He explained, "This was another aspect of the playtest where adidas' new adizero Ubersonic 4 shoes performed great, adding confidence to my long-point and counterpunching style of tennis. I played at four different hard court facilities for this test and experienced nothing but predictable traction on every court."

Weight - Score: 4.5

With the light weight of the adidas Ubersonic 4s, our playtesters felt free to move as quickly as their legs could take them. Chris could get off the mark in an instant in these shoes. He described, "The adizero Ubersonic 4 shoes flexed and moved well with my feet. I was able to just focus on my tennis, and I never worried about the weight of the shoes. I felt like I was quick on my first step in these shoes and could get up to full speed quickly. Considering the lateral support and how well they lasted, I'd say what weight there is in these shoes was put to good use."

"I liked the lightweight feel of these shoes," Jason added. "They're not quite as heavy as the adizero Ubersonic 3s, but not as light as the 2s. They have a low-to-the-ground ride as well, which helps with the speedy feel."

Mark thought the Ubersonic 4s lived up to their impressive stats. He said, "On paper, I would consider a tennis shoe weighing 13.5 ounces (men's size 10.5) lightweight, but for me, paper is not where it really counts. On court (where it does count), the adizero Ubersonic 4s feel lightweight and maneuverable."

Overall - Score: 3.8