Junior Tennis Shoes for Boys That Fit Orthotics: From First Lessons to Varsity

Tennis looks gentle from the bleachers. On the court, a junior player sprints, stops, pivots and slides sideways hundreds of times a match, mostly on hard courts. The shoe takes a beating, and so do the heel, the ankle and the big toenail. Many boys start in whatever sneakers they wear to school, and many keep doing it far too long. This guide is for parents of boys from first lessons and junior tournaments through varsity. It covers what the research shows about young players and why a court shoe matters. It also explains how to choose one for a wide, narrow, flat or high-arched foot. Finally, it shows how to fit a custom orthotic inside it.

Shopping for a daughter? Read our guide to junior tennis shoes for girls. For every sport a high-school boy plays, see our varsity guide for boys. A teenager already in men's sizes can also use our men's tennis shoe guide.

What the Research Shows About Junior Players

The best look at elite junior boys comes from a national tournament. Hutchinson and colleagues (1995) recorded every injury that needed medical help at the boys' national championships over six years. About one in five players needed care for an injury in that study. Leg injuries outnumbered arm injuries, and strains and sprains made up most of them. Nearly nine in ten ligament sprains were at the knee or the ankle. Pluim and colleagues (2006) reviewed the tennis research back to 1966. Most injuries were in the legs, and they found no randomized trial of any injury-prevention measure in tennis.

In the national high-school data, tennis had fewer leg and foot injuries than soccer or basketball. Brant and colleagues (2019) found that girls in tennis had about twice the boys' rate, the largest gap of any sport they compared. For boys, the main foot problems we see in tennis are heel pain, sprained ankles, blisters and bruised toenails. Most of them trace back to the shoe or the schedule.

Why a Running Shoe Is the Wrong Tool

A running shoe is built to move forward. It has a soft, tall heel and a flexible upper, and the sole is often narrow under the forefoot. On a tennis court, the foot moves sideways and stops hard. A soft running shoe lets the foot roll over the edge of the sole, which is how ankles get sprained. A court shoe has a lower, firmer heel, a stiffer upper on the sides and a flatter, wider sole. It also has a tougher outsole, often with extra rubber at the toe. A junior player drags his back toe on serves and lunges. We suggest a true court shoe once a boy plays more than casual lessons.

Most junior tennis in our area is played on hard courts. A hard-court sole is the right choice for nearly every boy. Clay-court shoes have a full herringbone tread that sheds clay. They are worth buying only if he plays most of his tennis on clay.

Heel Pain and Bruised Toenails

In a boy between about eight and fourteen, heel pain is usually irritation of the growth plate at the back of the heel. That is where the Achilles tendon pulls on bone that has not finished growing. Wiegerinck and colleagues (2014) found 3.7 cases for every 1,000 registered patients aged six to seventeen in Dutch family practices. Hard courts and a growth spurt both aggravate it. James and colleagues (2016) randomized 124 children with this heel pain to a heel raise or a ready-made orthotic. Every group had improved about the same amount by the end of the year in that trial. A cushioned heel cup, calf stretches and a lighter schedule for a few weeks help most boys keep playing.

Black or bruised big toenails come from the toes hitting the front of the shoe on every hard stop. The fix is fit and lacing, not a bigger shoe. A shoe that is too long lets the foot slide forward even more. Lace snugly over the instep and use the top eyelet so the heel stays back. A toenail that is red, swollen or growing into the skin needs care. Read about ingrown toenail treatment and heel pain that won't go away.

What to Look For in a Junior Tennis Shoe

Proper fit comes first. Klein and colleagues (2009) measured 858 preschool children and their shoes in Austria. Most wore shoes that were too short, and short shoes were associated with a big toe that angled outward. Measure both feet each season and fit the longer one. Leave about a thumb's width of room past the longest toe with his tennis socks on.

• A firm heel counter. Squeeze the back of the shoe. It should not fold.
• Firm sides. Push on the side of the upper. It should resist, so the foot stays on the sole during a sideways stop.
• A flat, wide sole. A sole that is wider than the upper is harder to roll over.
• Extra rubber at the toe. Juniors drag the back foot, and the toe wears through first.
• A removable insole. Lift it in the store and look at the depth underneath.
• Laces. Hook-and-loop straps are fine for small children, but a boy who plays matches needs laces.

Getting an Orthotic Into a Tennis Shoe

A court shoe is one of the easier athletic shoes to fit with an orthotic. It is usually deep enough, and the factory insole lifts out. Take the insole out, set the orthotic in, and check that his heel still sits deep in the counter. A snug midfoot can pinch a bulky device, so a slimmer one often works better. Bring the tennis shoes to the fitting.

A flat foot alone is not a reason for an orthotic. Wenger and colleagues (1989) followed 129 children with flexible flat feet in corrective shoes, heel cups, custom inserts or nothing. The arches improved in every group, and the treated children did no better than the untreated ones in that trial. An orthotic does not reshape a growing foot. It earns its place in a tennis shoe when there is a problem to treat. Heel pain, an arch that aches after matches and pain under the ball of the foot all count. See our guide to flat feet in children.

Match the Shoe to Your Son's Foot

Wide Feet

New Balance is the place to start. It sells its kids' 696 in standard and wide, and its kids' 996 in medium and wide in little kids' sizes. HEAD describes its Sprint Pro Junior as fitting average to slightly wider feet. Tennis Warehouse calls the K-Swiss Hypercourt Express Junior a generous fit.

Narrow Feet

A narrow foot slides inside a shoe built for a broad one, and a sliding foot rolls on a sideways stop. Lace to the top eyelet with a heel-lock loop, and choose a firm heel counter and a snug midfoot.

Flat Feet

A flexible flat foot is common and usually does not hurt. If it aches, a firm heel counter and an orthotic help more than a soft shoe. A stiff flat foot that does not form an arch on tiptoe needs an examination.

High Arches

A high-arched foot lands hard and rolls outward easily. Choose a wide, flat sole, a roomy instep and some cushion under the forefoot. A cushioned heel cup helps on hard courts.

Loose Ankles

There are no brace trials in tennis, so the evidence comes from basketball. McGuine and colleagues (2011) found that high-school basketball players in lace-up braces had about a third of the acute ankle injuries of players without them. McGuine and Keene (2006) found that a balance program cut sprains in high-school athletes by about half. Both likely carry over to a sport with this much stopping and turning. Read our guide on ankle sprains.

Tournaments, Lessons and Rest

Junior tennis is often played all year, with lessons, clinics and weekend tournaments stacked together. Jayanthi and colleagues (2015) compared 822 injured athletes aged seven to eighteen with 368 who were not injured. Training in a single sport was linked to more injuries and more serious overuse injuries in that study. Playing more hours a week than the athlete's age in years was linked to serious overuse injuries as well. A few weeks off the court each year, or a second sport, gives heels and growth plates a chance to catch up.

Junior Tennis Shoes for Boys to Try

No shoe company pays for placement here. No brand sponsors this article. Every shoe here is our own pick, based on the features above and on what we see in the office.

We do run a separate website, footshop.cc. Patients kept asking where to find the products we talk about in the exam room. So we built a separate site that keeps the links in one place. It includes links to Amazon and other retailers. Every affiliate link over there is disclosed where it appears. If you buy through one of those links, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra. We run it as a convenience for our patients, not as a condition of care. You are free to buy any of these shoes anywhere you like, at whatever price you find, with or without our links. Our advice is the same either way.

Medical footwear is not part of that. Prescription shoes, inserts, boots and braces are never on our affiliate site. They are not a shopping link, and we will not treat them like one.

Wide Feet

• New Balance 696 (kids'): sold in standard and wide on New Balance's site, from little kids' through big kids' sizes.
• New Balance 996 (kids'): sold in medium and wide at Zappos, in little kids' sizes.

Roomier Fits in One Width

• K-Swiss Hypercourt Express (junior): one width, with what Tennis Warehouse calls a generous fit.
• HEAD Sprint Pro (junior): one width, which HEAD calls a medium fit for average to slightly wider feet.

Average and Narrow Feet

• NikeCourt Jr. Vapor and NikeCourt Jr. Lite (big kids'): one width each. Nike lists a removable insole for both.
• ASICS Gel-Resolution and ASICS Gel-Game (grade school): one standard width.

For every shoe on this page, lift the insole in the store. If it comes out and the orthotic sits flat with his heel still inside the counter, you are in business. If it is glued, bring the shoe to our office, and we will design the orthotic around it.

What to Check Every Season

• Measure both feet standing, at the end of the day, in tennis socks. Fit the longer foot.
• Put his orthotic in the new shoe at the store, with the factory insole out. If his heel lifts, try another shoe.
• Check the toe. Once the rubber wears through, the shoe is done.
• Check the sole. A smooth patch under the ball of the foot means it no longer grips.
• Ask about heel pain, blisters and black toenails. Boys tend to hide all three.

When to See a Podiatrist

Bring him in for heel pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks. A limp, swelling or night pain needs an examination too. Come in after a sprain that is still swollen after a week, or for an ankle that keeps rolling. A toenail that is black and loose, or red and growing into the skin, needs care. So does pain on the top of the foot that gets worse as he plays. If he already wears orthotics and has grown a size, bring the orthotics and his tennis shoes. Our pediatric foot care page explains how we see young athletes. Our custom orthotics page explains how we make devices.

More reading: everyday athletic shoes for kids and foot care for athletes.