Breakdown

Comfort: 8.4

Nike has a tendency to create iconic shoes and then discontinue them. It leaves us yearning for them to return or digging through our closets to find our old beat-up pairs (see: Vapor Tour 9.5). For a lot of players, that discontinued favorite was the Nike GP Turbos. Enter the GP Challenge 1s. These shoes have been built to offer similar comfort to the GP Turbo but with a streamlined design to match the modern player’s game. Michelle thought this update was a great evolution. She began, "These shoes feel more match-ready and stylish than the GP Turbos. The underfoot cushioning is bouncy and feels a bit quicker. The fit was about a quarter size short for me, but I didn't change sizes because I like to lace my shoes up tightly and I didn't want any extra wiggle room in the forefoot. The width was just perfect for my medium feet. I like shoes that are on the snugger side when I play in tournaments, but for casual hitting and coaching I will probably go up a half size. With that being said, I found these shoes to fit around my feet a bit better and feel more performance-oriented than the GP Turbos, which at times felt bulkier. The GP Challenge 1s were comfortable right away and had better ventilation, and there was no rubbing and very little break-in time."

When Zsofi first looked at the new Nike GP Challenge 1s she thought they truly resembled the GP Turbo, and she hoped they would live up to the hype. She said, "I noticed an updated fit when I put them on. Nike has a reputation for making shoes that are a bit narrower, and if you are a player who struggles with that then the GP Challenge 1s might just be the solution for you."

Going into this review, Tiffani had pretty high expectations for the GP Challenge 1s’ cushioning levels. She described, "Although I haven’t worn the GP Turbos, I have heard many stories about their outstanding comfort levels. I can't make a comparison, but I can say these GP Challenge 1s have the bounciest cushioning I have experienced in a tennis shoe. I definitely felt like I had a spring in my step, and not just because I was happy to be playing tennis! These shoes also have a more medium fit than some other narrower-fitting Nike shoes, and I felt pretty comfortable in the toe box. The support piece on the lateral side of the midfoot is pretty firm, and if I wore socks that were too thin I could really feel uncomfortable pressure there. I needed to be sure to wear medium-thickness socks to protect the sides of my feet. Although I also appreciated the thickness of the tongue, all that cushioning led to some pretty warm conditions in the shoes. I would recommend carrying socks to change into after your tennis sessions in these shoes. As for the arch, I didn't really have any issues. I have low arches, but I felt supported and was comfortable."

While the underfoot comfort of the GP Challenge 1s wasn't quite up to the level of Brittany's beloved GP Turbo, she still found the performance respectable in this category. She said, "I found a medium width (not as wide as I was expecting) and a length that was just on the edge of being short. I decided to stay in size because I didn't want too much extra space, but I'd recommend going up a half size if you are in between sizes or like a little extra room. I was also surprised that I could feel the arch support in the shoes, since not a lot of tennis shoes offer more than a low or low-to-medium support height. I would say the GP Challenge 1s have medium arch supports, which was fine for my feet except I thought the supports were a little too far forward, which caused some arch soreness throughout the playtest. The cushioning was plush underfoot at the start of the playtest (not as bouncy as the GP Turbos, but those were in a league of their own), and I found that the cushioning started to compress and firm up over time. The ventilation was fine; we playtested in cooler months and I didn't have any issues."

Foot Support / Stability: 7.6

Our team noted no major issues with the GP Challenge 1s’ stability, but everyone craved a bit more support. Zsofi explained, "The GP Challenge 1s felt really nice and supportive overall. The uppers hugged my feet nicely, and I had no pressure points. I loved the plush tongue and the comfort around my heels. The tongue did move quite a lot to the side, though, and I had to get used to how low the heel and ankle support was. The low ankle support and the sticky and thicker outsole made me feel a bit disconnected from the court. I had a sense of instability and a lack of confidence when moving around. My personal preference will always be for shoes that keep me a bit more connected to the ground, so the fact that I was so high up and my heels were not that locked in made me feel a tad bit scared to move around."

Tiffani didn't have any issues with stability and didn't feel like she was going to tip over in these shoes. She commented, "These GP Challenge 1s do sit higher off the ground because of the plush cushioning, and I prefer sitting lower. However, I still didn't come close to rolling an ankle over the course of our month-long playtest. The support was not quite as good, unfortunately. I did wish I could secure my feet because I was sometimes sliding forward inside my shoes. I would retie my shoes a few times during my hits, and when I made sudden stops, I could feel my toes hitting the hard end, especially on the medial side where there is a protective piece over the uppers."

Brittany, who has narrow feet, struggled to get a locked-in feel even after utilizing the last eyelet. She said, "This was most noticeable in my up and back movements. I experienced some toe jamming because the toe bumper is on the harder side. I would like to note that I did sit higher in the shoes (similar to the GP Turbos), and that took a little time to get used to. However, my ankles were fully supported, and the base of the shoes was wide enough that I never felt like I was going to roll or tip over."

Michelle thought these shoes were more stable than supportive. She said, “The support was there once the GP Challenge 1s were tied fairly tightly, but I think one more eyelet would have helped me feel locked in. Stability-wise, I never questioned moving and changing directions. I liked that there was some visibility with the shank on the shoe, which was a good indication that the shoe wouldn't twist around." 

Overall Sole Durability: 8.7

Our team had no complaints when it came to the durability of the GP Challenge 1s. Brittany said, "After 10-plus hours of testing on hard courts, I am impressed with the levels of durability that these shoes offer. I am seeing virtually no wear on the outsoles. The uppers and toe bumpers tell a similar story, and they will last well past the life of the shoes."

After wearing the Challenge 1s for about 15 hours on hard courts, Tiffani was not too worried about either the toe bumper or the outsoles. She described, "I am seeing some slight wear under my big toes, which is where I tend to drag my shoes on my groundstrokes. I'll likely wear out that area first, but I have plenty of life left in them. The protective piece on the upper is holding up well too, and I only see a few cosmetic scratches."

"Durability-wise, these shoes were absolutely top notch," added Zsofi. "I barely saw any wear on the outsoles or the uppers, even after many hours on the court."

Traction: 8.0

The traction of the GP Challenge 1s was more stick than slick, according to our playtesters. For Zsofi, the most aggressive mover on the team, the traction was almost too good. She explained, "The outsole was a bit too sticky for me. For my style of play, I found that the outsole needed some break-in time to give me a bit more give."

Michelle appreciated the traction levels of the GP Challenge 1s. She said, "There was the ideal blend of tack and give for what I like in my footwear. Although I don’t actively slide on hard courts, I do appreciate a bit of give on some shots. The traction never felt slippery to me, and the durability of the tread was awesome. There was consistent wear through the test."

"These GP Challenge 1s are definitely grippy," added Tiffani. "Typically I prefer shoes that offer a bit more give, and that was especially so here because of the high-off-the-ground ride in these shoes. I can think of a couple of instances when I felt stuck. At one point I was caught out of position and tried to slide my left foot back to quickly widen my stance to hit my two-handed backhand, but my shoe didn't want to budge. The outsoles do offer a good amount of grab for when I want to really push off, though."

There was nothing substantial to note about the traction for Brittany, who said, "It offered me a balance of give and grip, and I was able to move around the court without feeling stuck or slipping. Since there is a good amount of cushioning underfoot, I didn't feel as connected to the court, but this was something I expected and don't hold against these shoes."

Weight: 7.9

While the GP Challenge 1s may be on the heavier side, they never felt too bulky or slow to our playtesters. Tiffani noted that since Nike's focus with these shoes was the cushioning, it's no surprise that they don't feel especially quick and nimble. She said, "If you're looking for lightweight shoes, I would steer you to the Nike Vapor Pro 2s. These GP Challenge 1s are definitely not light, and they're not the most agile shoes either. These shoes are more about comfort and cushioning, and that does come with some weight. Plus, all that cushioning puts my feet higher off the ground, so I don't feel as connected or as fast. However, I wouldn't call it a negative since there's going to be trade-offs somewhere."

For Brittany, the weight of the GP Challenge 1s was an improvement over the weight of the GP Turbos. She said, "The Challenge 1s did feel a little lighter, and I felt quicker and smoother running around the court. Compared to other shoes on the market, these are slightly above average in terms of weight underfoot, and they do feel slightly heavier. However, this could also be due to how high I sat off the ground."

Michelle also thought the Challenge 1s felt lighter and more streamlined than the GP Turbos, saying, "To me, it made complete sense that Nike evolved the GP Turbos into the Challenge 1s. The Challenge 1s feel a bit quicker and have a snugger fit, and they're just easier to get up and go in. The cushioning felt a bit more responsive too, which I think helped make the shoe feel leaner."

Zsofi thought the GP Challenge 1s were on the heavier side. She said, "I did feel a bit sluggish at certain times."

Breakdown Summary