Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 5 Women's Tennis Shoe Review

Comfort - Score: 3.9

Our team began this playtest on a positive note and agreed that the Wave Exceed Tour 5 felt well cushioned underfoot. As a big fan of the previous version, Brittany waited patiently for a couple of years for this update. She began, "After sliding the shoes on my feet, I found a pretty similar fit to the Wave Exceed Tour 4s. They were on the narrower side (perfect for my narrow feet), but I would have liked a tad more room in the toe box. I thought they tapered a little early and kind of came to a point, putting some pressure on my inside toe joints. The length fit pretty standard, and I stayed in my true size 8. I thought Mizuno did an excellent job cushioning under the heel and the forefoot. The shoes were very comfortable underfoot as well as around the ankle and tongue. Arch support was perfect for my medium arches; I never even noticed them. The uppers kept my feet well ventilated throughout my hitting sessions."

Tiffani first tried Mizuno shoes with the Wave Exceed Tour 3, and the fit has gotten a bit wider over the last couple generations, which worked better for her feet. She explained, "With the Wave Exceed Tour 5s, I didn't have the same issues with the shoes feeling too narrow through the midfoot, but the toe box does come to a point quite aggressively. I did have some pressure on the sides of my feet in that region. Out of the box, the shoes were laced pretty tightly, so I took the time to loosen the laces all the way down to the toes. That helped alleviate the pressure I felt in the toe box, and the upper material felt pretty flexible, so I could play without too much discomfort. With this latest model, I felt the cushioning was excellent in the heel but has been reduced in the forefoot. I still thought the shoes had a nice feel underfoot, though. The shoes also felt pretty breathable, and I never noticed any overheating on the court."

"These shoes were not short on comfort," Michelle said. "I found the midsole cushioning to be super soft and bouncy from the first wear. I know previous versions have been favorites among the playtest team, and I also knew Mizuno would have to bring the comfort with this update to keep players of all levels satisfied. If I had to be critical, it would be with the tongue. The first time I laced these shoes up, I felt the updated, thin tongue dig into my feet. I wish it were a bit longer and plusher. I also ended up using the last eyelet, which only made the tongue dig even more into my feet. I wouldn't say I have big ankles, but the tongue did consistently dig in, causing discomfort throughout the playtest. Aside from that, the cushioning was awesome, and the shoes feature a really comfortable upper as well."

Foot Support/Stability - Score: 3.2

Our team all agreed that the Wave Exceed Tour 5 could have used a bit more support. Michelle described, "While these shoes were super comfortable underfoot, I definitely opted to lace up that last eyelet to get a more secure fit. As someone who gravitates toward lots of support and stability, it was a bit more noticeable. Did I ever roll an ankle? No. But I preferred these shoes for light hitting and teaching rather than intense drilling or point play. They aren't the most supportive shoes I've played in recently, but that's OK."

Tiffani has been pulling her laces through the last eyelet in nearly all her tennis shoes lately, and that was also the case with the Wave Exceed Tour 5s. She said, "These shoes felt especially low cut around the ankles, and I liked using that last eyelet to help me mentally. The shoes never did waver on their lateral stability, and it was more a mental thing that the shoes felt low cut. Support-wise, the uppers held my feet well, and I never experienced any toe jamming. I did notice that after playing in these shoes my ankles felt tired in the evening, like they were working harder than usual."

Brittany thought the Wave Exceed Tour 5s performed better than the 4s in terms of support, but she still had some issues with stability. She said, "After peeking at my notes from the previous version, one thing I thought Mizuno improved upon was the foot support. In the Wave Exceed Tour 4s, I found my feet were moving forward and backward within the shoes. With the update, I used the additional eyelet on the uppers and found my feet were secured nicely in place. Every now and again I got some heel slippage, but nothing I needed to worry about. My one main issue with the shoes was the stability, especially around the ankles. For the past couple of years, I have required higher levels of stability from my shoes due to an ankle injury. Unfortunately, the Wave Exceed Tour 5s didn't offer enough for me to play consistently and confidently. After each of the first few hits (singles match and a drilling session), I had soreness in my ankles that started almost right after I finished playing and continued into the night. There were a couple instances where I felt like I was coming up over the shoes when changing directions. Moving forward in the playtest, I was more cautious with my movement and limited my hours."

Overall Sole Durability - Score: 4.0

Considering their lightweight feel, the Wave Exceed Tour 5s held up well and impressed our playtesters. The outsole guarantee was, of course, a major added bonus. Tiffani started to see the tread wear at the tip of the toes. She said, "That is where I drag, so it started to smooth around 10 hours into the test, but there was no danger of wearing through that area or the outsoles. The fact that Mizuno offers a six-month durability guarantee with these shoes is impressive."

Michelle is always shocked when light shoes come with a durability guarantee. She described, "These shoes are holding up well to wear, and they have that outsole guarantee that gave me added satisfaction when lacing these up. I am not the roughest on my outsoles, and I don't slide on hard courts so I may not be the best to test the outsoles on these, but I think they will hold up well for players who tend to burn through the rubber on their shoes. After a few weeks of wear, I'm seeing some smoothing, but there is still a good amount of life in the outsoles."

As Brittany previously mentioned, she didn't get to spend as much time in these shoes as she usually does, so she didn't get to fully test the durability. She continued, "With that being said, looking at the outsoles and toe bumpers at the end of the playtest, I had very little to no wear. Since these shoes come with a warranty, I am very happy with the durability."

Traction - Score: 4.0

Our testers found the Wave Exceed Tour 5's traction to be on the stickier side, which could be either a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences. Brittany described, "On one hand, I could really grip the court and felt connected. On the other hand, sometimes the shoes gripped the court a little too well when I was making a quick cut and stayed in place. I was looking for a little give during those times."

As a fan of grippy outsoles, Michelle felt right at home in the Wave Exceed Tour 5s. She said, "The traction was never an issue for me, meaning they were the perfect blend of tack and give (for me), but possibly more tacky than anything. I prefer that stickier outsole and thoroughly enjoyed the traction on the Wave Exceed Tour 5."

The traction of these shoes matched up well with Tiffani's footwork. She said, "Because they're so light and not built to the hilt for stability, I liked that these shoes allowed my feet to pivot quickly instead of gripping the court hard and making my ankles absorb all of my momentum."

Weight - Score: 4.2

The Mizuno Wave Exceed Tour 5s were some of the lightest tennis shoes our playtesters have tried. As you'd expect, they felt very quick around the court, but our testers all would have accepted a little more weight if it meant more stability. Tiffani described, "It almost feels like I wasn't wearing shoes. I wouldn't mind a little bit more weight in them to up the stability."

"I need to double check, but these might be the lightest premium shoes on the market right now," added Michelle. "They are so light! It's a bit crazy how light they are. No complaints, but I would trade some weight for some added stability and support."

Although she used to prefer lightweight shoes, Brittany now leans toward shoes in the middle weight range. She said, "The Wave Exceed Tour 5s are extremely lightweight — one of the lightest high-performing shoes I have played in. They felt like socks on my feet, and I felt extremely quick moving around on the court. However, I personally would have preferred a little more weight if that meant some added stability. They were almost too light for me."

Overall - Score: 3.8