Breakdown

Comfort: 9.2

Tennis can be a grueling sport for your feet, but thankfully, the Wilson Intrigue Tours knocked it out of the park in the comfort department. Our playtesters all agreed that these were some of the plushest shoes they have tested in a while. The Intrigue Tours got more and more comfy each day Brittany wore them. She said, "I couldn't wait to get the Intrigue Tours on my feet once I had heard about everything that went into designing them, and I wasn't disappointed once they were laced up. I found a standard length and a medium width. The toe box was perfect (not too much extra room), and the arch support, while on the low side, did its job. The shoes felt like they were made for my feet. They were very comfortable, and I had no break-in period. The uppers were soft and flexible, and the underfoot cushioning was plush."

Zsofi also gave the Intrigue Tours high marks for comfort. She said, "I wasn't really sure what to expect from these shoes, but I can honestly say the new Wilson Intrigue Tours were some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever tried. When I first put them on I couldn't believe how comfortable they felt! I was walking around the office with a smile on my face. The cushioning is absolutely amazing. No matter how many hours I wore them, the cushioning underfoot held up nicely. The shoes fit true to size, and I didn't really need any break-in time; they were good to go right away!"

These Wilson shoes had Michelle feeling like she was in a fairy tale. She explained, "Simply put, I love these shoes! I have been struggling through playtests this year, having minor issues here and there with every model. I joked I was in my Goldilocks era, because Wilson got it 'just right' with these Intrigue Tours. The Intrigue Tours fit my medium-width feet perfectly from the very first wear, and I had zero break-in and no rubbing, hot spots or discomfort. The cushioning underfoot allowed my feet to really sink in for an almost customized feel, yet I never felt slow or stuck in the shoes. The uppers were soft and flexible, but still supportive."

Ana was pleasantly surprised by how well the Intrigue Tours performed. She added, "I can honestly say that these shoes exceeded my expectations in every way and checked all the boxes for comfort, support and weight. After playing in these new Wilson Intrigue Tours I realized that high-performance shoes can also be very comfortable without compromising support and stability. I do gravitate toward shoes that offer more support than softness, and I thought Wilson did a good job of achieving that perfect balance of cushioning and support. They were also quite breathable, and my feet never felt like they were overheating. I was impressed with everything these Intrigue Tours offered, but mainly with the fit, and I believe this is why people will choose these shoes. The fit is true to size, with a medium to narrow width and a nice roomy toe box, which is rare for women's performance shoes. Even though the shoes offer more room, they still provide great support and stability."

Because of her wide feet, Tiffani required a break-in before the Intrigue Tours felt truly comfortable. She said, "I loved the look of these shoes when I opened the box. The design is so clean! I really liked the soft feel underfoot, and the width felt snug but not super tight on my wide feet. Once I started rallying, though, I ran into some fit issues. I didn't have this problem when I was just standing or walking casually, but as soon as I was up on my toes and beginning to cover the court, I could feel the uppers pinching in the forefoot region, specifically the section by my pinky toe between the toe cap and the support piece on the lateral side. The uppers did start to relax after about three hours of play. The pinching sensation stopped, and I only had slight pressure in that area. That aside, I loved the soft feel of the cushioning, and I never thought twice about my feet overheating or my arches not feeling supported."

Foot Support / Stability: 8.7

The Wilson Intrigue Tours have a special FootFrame system that is connected to the laces to help lock in feet for exceptional stability and support. Our team was impressed with their stability and support. With the Intrigue Tours on her feet, Michelle always felt secure in her movement. She said, "There was the perfect amount of support and stability in these shoes! They had a good balance that allowed me to flow in and out of shots without worrying about my shoes letting me down. I thought the uppers were really supportive, but still flexible, breathable and comfortable. I appreciated that the uppers remained as supportive as they initially were even after weeks of wear, and they never opened up or felt sloppy."

The snug fit and support allowed Brittany to play with intensity. She said, "For the first time in a while, I felt like my feet were fully supported and stable in a pair of playtest shoes. I was able to cinch my laces to get a secure fit around my ankle, and the uppers did a great job of supporting my feet within the shoes. When I was moving aggressively and changing directions during singles matches, my feet didn't move within the shoes. Even after some long hours on court, the Intrigue Tours kept my ankles fully stabilized, and I had no issues on or off the court later on in the day."

Shoes that stand out for good support and stability are usually on the heavier end of the spectrum, so these Intrigue Tours surprised Zsofi. She said, "Another feature of these shoes that I was really impressed by was just how supportive they were for a very lightweight shoe option. Even though the uppers are soft and hug my feet comfortably, they still held me well in all movements on the court."

Ana was able to play her all-court game in the Intrigue Tours without any trouble. She said, "In terms of support and stability, I was very impressed with these new Wilson shoes. I thought the Intrigue Tours offered ample support, and I didn't experience any issues when moving quickly and aggressively. I do think that the Intrigue Tours may have been a bit too wide in the toe box for me, but thanks to the mid-support area, I didn't feel like my feet were moving around in them."

Tiffani would have liked a more locked-down feel from the Intrigue Tours when she had to stretch wide for a shot. She explained, "These shoes offered me plenty of ankle stability, and I never feared a rollover. I did use the last eyelets, but I think that was more out of habit than necessity. I never felt like my heels were lifting out of the shoes, which is one of the primary reasons I usually tie through the extra eyelet. For me, the support started off strong, but as the uppers relaxed they got more comfortable, and I also started to have some support issues. I felt like I was sitting on top of the shoes rather than sitting down inside them, which allowed my feet to slide around too much from side to side. I would only notice this when pulled out really wide."

Overall Sole Durability: 9.0

Duralast rubber in the outsoles of these Wilson Intrigue Tours helped them stand up to the hard court workouts they got from all of our playtesters. For added peace of mind, the Intrigue Tours come with a six-month outsole durability guarantee. The Intrigue Tours performed very well for Tiffani in this category. She said, "I'm impressed with how well the outsoles and the toes are holding up. I admittedly was worried that the sheen on the uppers would not wear well and would scuff easily, but after a dozen or so hours of mostly indoor hard court play, they look pretty good with just a few marks. The outsoles aren't showing any smoothing."

"I was surprised at the durability of the outsoles," Michelle added. "I was expecting to see some serious wear by the end of this playtest, but I only noted slight smoothing. The rubber compound also felt really soft on the court, but not in a negative way (sometimes soft rubber compounds feel a bit mushy). The rubber felt like it worked in unison with the shoes to absorb shock, and the traction levels remained consistent throughout the playtest. My biggest gripe was that the shoes are looking a little dingy, as if they possibly have some sweat and UV staining after two to three months of wear; my white/green pair no longer looks white."

Zsofi was impressed with how these Intrigue Tours stood up to many hours on the court. She said, "Durability-wise, I have zero complaints. It seems to me that this is definitely a durable shoe option. For lightweight shoes, the outsoles seem to hold up really well."

Brittany was able to really put the Intrigue Tours through the wringer, and she was pleased with the results. She said, "Because I chose these shoes to play a tournament in, they got a lot of wear. By the end of the playtest, I easily clocked 25-plus hours on several different gritty hard court surfaces, both indoors and outdoors. I’m impressed that there is just a slight amount of wear in the high-wear areas, and I still have plenty of tread left. The toe bumpers were also nice and thick, and I didn't see any wear on them. There was one small separation of the mesh and extra plastic protection on my right shoe. It is very minor, but it's right where the shoe creases, so I think it may get bigger by the end of the shoe's life."

These Intrigue Tours held up well for Ana throughout the playtest period, both in terms of durability and comfort. She said, "The durability of the shoes seemed very solid. The soles showed no wear after playing and coaching in them for several hours. Not only that, but the shoes were still very comfortable after I was in them for hours at a time."

Traction: 8.6

The Wilson Intrigue Tours feature a unique wave tread pattern in the outsoles, giving them good traction on a variety of court surfaces. In general, our playtesters were happy with the balance of grip and give, though some would have preferred maybe a touch less grip. Michelle gave the Intrigue Tours high marks in this category. She said, "I liked the traction on these shoes. They have the perfect blend of give and grab. Again, I loved the feel of the rubber on the court, and I always felt confident moving in them.”

A few hours of playing in the Intrigue Tours made the outsoles less grippy and more to Brittany's liking. She described, "The traction of the Intrigue Tours started a tad on the sticky side. It wasn't too sticky, but there was definitely more grip than give. I was happy to see that the traction started to smooth out after a few hours, and I was getting a little more give, which enabled me to push out of my shots effectively. I will note that the shoes are a little squeaky (and maintained their squeak throughout the playtest), but that didn't bother me."

Aside from just a bit too much grip, the traction on display here worked well for Tiffani. She said, "I found these shoes to be on the sticky side, but they weren't overly grippy. I would have preferred slightly less grip, but I didn't have any issues feeling caught up or anything like that."

Ana agreed, adding, "The traction was very impressive - maybe a little too sticky for my liking, but it was not a downside for me."

A little less grip would have made these the perfect shoes for Zsofi. She explained, "The only reason I would give this shoe a 9.5 instead of a perfect 10 is because the outsoles were a bit too sticky for my liking. This strong grip didn't really go away during the playtest, even after 15 to 20 hours on the court. I do prefer shoes that allow me to turn a bit better and adjust out of my shots, so I did struggle a bit with the sticky nature of the outsoles."

Weight: 8.9

At 11.9 ounces (size 8.5), the Wilson Intrigue Tours pack quite a bit of cushioning and stability into a relatively lightweight package. Our whole team thought these shoes felt speedy and responsive on the court. Brittany described, "Typically, when I love the comfort and stability of a pair of shoes, the weight is on the heavier side. However, the Intrigue Tours were super light and quick. I truly felt like I got the best of both worlds. I was moving around with ease and had a smooth heel-to-toe transition. I didn't have to think about my shoes at all and could focus on just playing tennis. These shoes received top marks in this category."

Michelle was able to chase her shots down easily with the Intrigue Tours on her feet. She noted, "These shoes aren't the lightest on the scale, but they have been constructed to be quick and fast. The amount of comfort underfoot is significant, but the foam must be fairly light because I never felt slow or weighed down. The shoes don't feel bulky at all and are fairly streamlined."

The weight of these Intrigue Tours surprised Ana. She explained, "I was quite impressed by how light these shoes were. Due to the materials and looks of the Intrigue Tours, I would not have thought they would be light shoes, but they were more lightweight than I expected. I did not feel dragged down by the shoes, and I was able to move quickly and confidently."

The fit of these Intrigue Tours affected how quickly Tiffani could move in them. She said, "The Intrigue Tours feel pretty light on court, and I think if they fit my feet better, they would have seemed faster. However, because I felt like I was sliding off the top of the shoes toward the end of the playtest, I felt like I was losing a bit of speed as I transitioned to the next shot."

Breakdown Summary