Breakdown

Comfort: 8.4

The combination of foam cushioning underfoot and the engineered mesh upper makes these Wilson Rush Pro 4.5s comfortable right out of the box. As soon as she laced them up, Tiffani was impressed by how the shoes felt. She said, "When I first put on the Rush Pro 4.5s the width felt snug, but very comfortable. The uppers were soft and flexible, allowing my feet to relax inside the shoes, and I didn't need any break-in time at all. Underfoot, the cushioning felt comfortable, with the right amount of responsiveness. I didn't sink into the cushioning too much, but I felt protected while running around on the court. The uppers also felt breathable, and I thought these shoes had above-average ventilation."

The Rush Pro 4.5's overall fit was good for Ana, but she would have liked an extra eyelet to help lock in her heel. She described, "In terms of overall comfort, I thought these shoes were quite comfortable right from the start. They offered great support and felt soft. I did not need much break-in time, and there was enough space in the toe box to keep my feet from being cramped, but I still felt supported. I guess my only issue with the fit was that the shoes kept slipping at my heels, and I wish they had an extra eyelet so I could get a more secure hold. I ended up tying them tighter, which helped, but I would have liked a bit more ankle support. These shoes were surprisingly breathable. The material on the uppers was light and ventilated. The only issue I had with breathability was my soles feeling hot after just a couple of hours of playing. It might have been the extreme heat here in Georgia, but I have never felt the bottoms of my shoes burning as much as I did with these new Wilson Rush Pro 4.5s."

Zsofi appreciated how comfortable the Rush Pro 4.5s felt, but she also had issues with the breathability. She said, "This is my first time testing a Wilson Rush Pro, so I was really excited to put them on and see how they performed! The new Rush Pro 4.5s are super comfortable right out of the box, and I really enjoyed that nice cushioning under my feet. Wilson did a really good job with the overall comfort. I didn't need any break-in time, and I was good to go on court right away. When it comes to ventilation, I don't normally notice my shoes heating up, but I did notice it with this pair. The Rush Pro 4.5s got hot, and I felt like the ventilation was not strong enough to compensate for that heat." 

The Rush Pro 4.5s felt good on Michelle's feet for light hitting, but she experienced painful toe jamming during aggressive play. She said, "I loved the styling of these shoes and was excited to get the test started. I have playtested several Rush Pros now, and with the past generation, my feet struggled a bit with the fit of the toe box. That fit issue, combined with the firm toe guard, caused some discomfort at the beginning of this playtest, and I was experiencing some pretty severe toe jamming on my big toes. After some aggressive on-court movement, my feet were in pain for the next 72 hours. After that, I paused my playtest for a bit and relegated these shoes to more casual settings like teaching and coaching. Toward the end of the playtest, I started to trust the Rush Pro 4.5s a bit more again and really cinched up the laces, and I didn't experience as much toe jamming as I did at the beginning of the playtest. With that out of the way, these shoes were comfortable around my ankles and underfoot. These are great shoes for teaching and light hitting, and I think they look really good on and off the court too. However, for serious drilling and point play, I have to leave these shoes behind due to the toe jamming."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.0

For shoes that are on the lighter side, the Wilson Rush Pro 4.5s offered good stability to our playtesters. Because no two playtesters’ feet are the same, they did have different issues with the support these shoes provided. While the stability of these shoes was good for Michelle, her feet did not feel secure enough in them, leading to the problems she had with toe jamming. She explained, "These Rush Pro 4.5s were very stable, but I struggled with the support, and I'd blame that for some of the toe jamming I was experiencing. I did really appreciate how stable they felt without feeling bulky or heavy."

Although she was happy with the stability the Rush Pro 4.5s offered, lateral movements became an issue for Tiffani after a few hours of playing. She said, "I initially found excellent levels of both support and stability. These shoes felt very light on my feet, so I was surprised by how stable they were throughout the playtest. However, the support started to wane after about the fifth hour of wearing them on court. The uppers started to relax too much, and I noticed my feet sliding around a bit inside of the shoes. Rather than having toe jamming issues, I could feel my feet sliding sideways over the chassis when I stopped hard after being pulled out wide, or when my opponent hit behind me."

Ana appreciated the Rush Pro 4.5's updated lacing system, but she would have liked to see an additional eyelet. She said, "In terms of support and stability, these shoes met the standard. They were supportive enough that my feet were not shifting inside them, and I wasn’t afraid to move. My only issue was that the ankle support was not the best. As mentioned before, my heels kept slipping out, so I did not feel locked in. I wish they had an extra eyelet to tighten them up more. Cinching the laces extra tight helped, but I still would have preferred a bit more ankle support." 

Support was also a sticking point for Zsofi. She said, "As far as support goes, I did have a bit of an issue. I had quite a lot of heel slippage even when I utilized the last eyelet. I tried to compensate by tying my shoelaces up tightly, but it still didn't seem to solve the problem long-term. This, in combination with the stickier outsole, caused me to not trust my steps as much as I would have liked. The overall support was not really there for me, unfortunately." 

Overall Sole Durability: 7.0

The Wilson Rush Pro 4.5s come with a six-month outsole durability guarantee, and our playtest team emphasized this in their feedback because they all saw smoothing on the soles earlier than they would have predicted. Even though she saw some wear, Zsofi noted that the soles were still gripping the court well. She said, "I did see some pretty significant wear on the outsoles really early into the playtest. I already noticed wear under my big toes after a couple of hours, which is not really a good sign about long-term durability. Now I will add that the outsoles remained sticky even with the smoothing, and Wilson also offers a six-month durability guarantee, which is a nice bonus." 

The durability was a concern for Michelle as well. She described, "I was surprised to see that there was some significant smoothing underfoot after 10 hours of wear, specifically under my big toes on each side. Luckily, these shoes come with a durability guarantee, but I was expecting the outsole rubber to be a bit more resilient."

"These shoes come with a six-month durability guarantee, and I think I would need it," Tiffani added. "My Rush Pro 4.5s showed smoothing within just a couple of hours of play on hard courts. After the nine hours I wore these shoes, I saw smoothing along the medial edge of the forefoot and also some smoothing at the toes."

The Rush Pro 4.5s didn't live up to Ana's expectations in this category, though she did note that the lace durability had improved compared to the previous version. She described, "I thought these shoes were going to be more durable, but I could see some wear on the soles under my toes after playing in them for just a few hours. I would not mark these shoes as durable. On the other hand, it is great that they offer the six-month sole warranty. One positive in terms of durability was improved laces. The Rush Pro 4.0s used to have a system where laces were more prone to breaking after sliding too much on the court. This version has eyelets that are gentler on the laces, giving me more confidence that they won't break during a match."

Traction: 7.8

Our playtesters agreed that the Duralast rubber outsoles and the tread pattern of these Wilson Rush Pro 4.5s were very effective for guaranteeing good traction on the court. Tiffani explained, "The outsoles have an interesting tread pattern, but my footing was very reliable. I was never in doubt of my footwork, and I found a good blend of traction. I wasn't slipping unexpectedly, and I never felt stuck to the court.”

The traction got better for Ana after a short break-in period. She said, "The soles of the Rush Pro 4.5s felt very sticky the first time I played in them, almost to the point that I was a bit afraid to move in them or switch directions too quickly. They lost traction quickly due to wear, but they still felt fine and had some grip on the court, so that wasn't a bad thing." 

Zsofi prefers soles with less grip, so the Rush Pro 4.5s didn't quite fit with her play style. She described, "The outsoles were definitely on the stickier side, and they actually stayed sticky even after some wear on them. I prefer shoes that offer a bit more give than grip, so the Rush Pro 4.5s required some adjustment time on my end." 

"I had no problems with the traction of these shoes, but I did start to blame it partially for the toe jamming," Michelle added. "The pattern didn't make a ton of sense to me, but they never felt too slippery or too tacky."

Weight: 8.6

With a weight of 11.9 ounces (women’s size 8.5), the Wilson Rush Pro 4.5s are not the lightest shoes on the market, but our playtesters all thought the 4.5s allowed them to move with ease on the court. Tiffani was pleasantly surprised by the Rush Pro 4.5's lightweight feel. She said, "Because these shoes have that durability guarantee, I expected a much beefier feel on the court. Thankfully, I was wrong! These shoes feel light and agile right out of the box. Plus they offer plenty of comfort."

"Weight-wise, these shoes were great," Ana added. "I didn’t think they were too heavy or too light. I thought the weight was good enough for high-performance tennis shoes." 

The weight of the Rush Pro 4.5s was in Michelle's sweetspot. She said, "I thought these shoes felt pretty middle of the road in terms of weight — not too heavy or bulky. I actually never had to worry about the weight of the shoes, which usually means they were just right!"

Breakdown Summary