In conversation with the mastermind behind the ultimate female tennis shoes
Tennis shoes are rarely made with female players in mind, but that approach changed when the Intrigue Tour shoes were released.
World No 36 Marta Kostyuk is among the WTA Tour players wearing trainers packed with innovative technology and they helped her to secure an impressive win against Emma Raducanu at the Madrid Open.
Tennis365 spoke to Shivam Bhan, Senior Director of Footwear at Wilson, as he gave us the inside story on trainers that he hopes will change the way women’s tennis shoes are made.
Did Marta Kostyuk have a role in the design of these shoes?
SB: We had an honest conversation with Marta when we started the process to make these shoes. She told us men’s and women’s feet are different, she felt the biology was different and she told us that over the last 25 years, everyone in tennis has followed what Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have worn in tennis shoes. They have dictated what footwear we have in tennis. Marta prides herself on attacking angles and using a balanced style of play. We spoke about how she was trying to play lighter and faster. She explained women’s tennis not like men’s tennis and being light on the court and balanced. She said I want you to make me a shoe that feels like a trainer, but drives like a Formula 1 car. That is what we aimed to produce.
What technology has gone into this tennis shoe that makes it special?
SB: We scanned 1,000 women’s feet as our starting point. Our research led us to three conclusions and the first was that women’s feet have a narrower heel than men. Women have higher arches and they have wider toes. Those three factors played a big part in the design of the Intrigue. We have put super compressed foam into this shoe and we have put the most responsive and lightest material closest to the foot to allow her to feel she had the trainer she wanted. We have a $7 soft liner in these shoes and in other shoes, this might be just 70 cents, so we have put a lot into the bit that is closest to your foot in these shoes.
What is the primary idea behind Intrigue Tour?
SB: We wanted to create something that would allow women to move faster and be more agile while remaining elegant and we hope Intrigue does just that. These shoes have made my game faster and more relentless, and I hope they help players worldwide improve their tennis. Shoes are probably the second most important part of a tennis player’s equipment when they go on court and we wanted to make sure it is the best it can be for the female player. Wilson has always had some good shoes on the tennis market and we have had some success with our Rush franchise, but not enough people know about it. It’s kind of the best kept secret on the market and what we wanted to do is create a franchise that had a focus on women’s players.
Are these shoes best for clay courts, or are they effective on all surfaces?
SB: We didn’t want to go into this thinking about the type of player you are, whether you are a baseliner or an all-courter. That wasn’t important to us. When it comes to men and women, the difference in feet and the difference in size and fit was big. So whether you are playing well, whether you are playing on a different surface, this shoe was designed to ensure you would feel comfortable on court.
You can buy the shoes here.
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