ASICS Gel Game 9 review

The ASICS Gel Game 9 is worth considering if:

• you are on a tight budget but want a decent shoe for recreational games (1-2 per week)
• you prefer very light, nimble, and flexible hard court shoes

Any low-cost tennis shoe has its limitations. What matters is which ones are your dealbreakers?

Our tests showed that the weakest points of the Gel Game 9 are its lacking cushioning and inferior abrasion resistance.

If you want a more durable shoe at the same price point, we highly recommend the Adidas Gamecourt 2.0. And if it's more cushioning and impact protection that you are after, the ASICS Gel Challenger 14 is a worthy option to consider.

Positioned as a light and flexible tennis shoe, the Gel Game 9 doesn't offer a ton of cushioning.

In fact, its heel stack height proved to be lower than average at 26.6 mm which is some of the lowest measurements in our roster.

If you are a heavier player, have any past injuries, or simply need maximum impact protection for longer matches, this ASICS shoe won't cut it. Try the Gel Challenger 14 instead.

The shoe's forefoot stack also proved to be a few milimeters lower than average at only 16.9 mm.

This is great for court feel, flexibility, and maneuverability but if you experience any pain in the ball of foot or toe joints, you need a shoe with more material in this area.

The Gel Game 9 has a standard heel-to-toe drop of 9.7 mm which means that the heel is moderately elevated above the toes.

This is a common offset for tennis shoes as it puts the foot in an ergonomic position to:

• provide enough cushioning in the heel
• minimize strain on the Achilles (espeically when you rapidly plant the whole foot on the floor)
• keep the forefoot close enough to the court for better proprioception

The ASICS Gel Game 9 gave us a pretty firm and somewhat dull underfoot experience during the playtest.

But this is not surprising given that it uses a basic EVA foam for primary cushioning. Pressing a durometer against it returned a high reading of 30.6 HA which is slightly above the average and puts the shoe in the firm category.

Curiously, the brand's product description states that the Game 9 "combines an EVA midsole foam with GEL technology" in the forefoot. But having cut he shoe in half, we didn't find any GEL inside...Unless it's a very small unit which is hidden somewhere else in the midsole but in that case, does it really have any effect? Because this ASICS shoe is pretty far from feeling cushy or bouncy.

We hardly ever have any fuss with ASICS shoes as they tend to fit perfectly as expected. And the Gel Game 9 is no different.

We retrieved a mold of the shoe's interiors using proprietary gel to check where it stands and the measurements confirmed our on-foot experience. With 94.3 mm between the big toe and the pinkie (the shoe's widest area), it offers a regular medium-width fit indeed.

We also found that the Gel Game 9 remains accommodating closer to the front, showing a normal width of 70.1 mm near the big toe. There is no sharp tapering to cramp the toes here.

The shoe also surprised us with its abundant vertical space showing as much as 27.6 mm of toebox height.

This is a couple of milimeters taller than average but not too roomy to cause any impromptu foot shifting.

As promised in the brand's product description, flexibility is one of the Gel Game 9's most standout features. And our lab tests proved it to be true.

Using a shoe flexing tester, we measured now much force it takes to bend this ASICS shoe to a 30-degree angle and the machine showed as little as 11.0N! That makes it one of the bendiest tennis shoes in our catalog.

It flexed and moved effortlessly with our feet, accommodating some very precise footwork. But on the flip-side, it's not so snappy or propulsive for those rapid scrambles to the net.

Where the ASICS Gel Game 9 holds back on cushioning and durability, it makes up for both with its really light construction.

Putting the shoe on a scale in a men's US size 9, we got a pretty low, below-average reading of 10.79 oz (306g). That's one of the lightest tennis shoes we've ever tested!

Contrary to the brand's statement, they didn't seem to "focus on improving ventilation" in the Gel Game 9 and we have a few breathability tests to prove it.

First of all, the shoe's PU lined toebox failed to let any smoke pass through! And we've seen many other tennis shoes that offered upper protection without compromising the airflow (ASICS shoes included).

Inspecting the Game 9's upper over the LED light, we only saw a few pores light up in the midfoot area but the toebox remained opaque.

Our microscope shot revealed just how much that PU finish blocks any potential air channels on top of the toebox. And because of that, we couldn't rate the ASICS Gel Game 9's breathability any higher than 1/5.

The ASICS Gel Game 9 feels inherently stable just because it is a grounded shoe in the first place.

But given how aggressive side-to-side movements can get in tennis, ASICS made sure to equip the Gel Game 9 with a TRUSSTIC midfoot shank, a stiff heel counter, and a number of synthetic leather overlays and a polyurethane film throughout the upper.

All these features combined make the shoe rather stable without adding a ton of weight.

Tennis shoes should have as little give as possible to keep the foot securely in place for the sport. That's why we always check how much torsional rigidity there is in the shoe's midfoot.

We could feel the resistance of the Gel Game 9's TRUSSTIC shank as we attempted to twist it with our hands. Even though there was a touch of give, the shoe still earned a high rigidity score of 4/5.

ASICS also made sure that the heel counter was as stiff as possible in the Game 9. It hugged around our heels and ankles so firmly that no wiggle room was non-existent.

We weren't able to make it bend or fold either way we pressed on it! That earned it the highest stiffness score of 5/5.

However, there is one thing that makes the Gel Game 9 a bit less about stability and more about speed and agility and that's the shoe's platform width.

Measuring its widest area in the forefoot returned a standard reading of 109.8 mm. And it makes sense because as an all-court player, you spend most of the time on your toes and need more forefoot coverage.

But it's the shoe's narrower heel that reveals it's more nimble nature.

Showing a width of only 82.9 mm in the widest part, it proved to be notably slimmer than the average tennis shoe. This can be less advantageous for players who grind at the baseline and plant their whole foot on the court.

If only that sacrifice in breathability resulted in better durability... But unfortunately, the Gel Game 9 brings only subpar wear resistance to the table.

First of all, its toe drag guard is not as resilient as the ones we normally see on ASICS shoes. Applying a Dremel with sandpaper to the inner side of the shoe's forefoot (where most of the court slashing occurs), we saw a pretty tangible damage. This resulted in a lower durability score of 3/5 for this shoe part.

That PU film on top of the shoe's mesh didn't add much reinforcement either. After a bout of drilling, it showed visible damage too which lowered our toebox durability score to 3/5.

Unfortunately, the shoe's inner lining didn't show any better results. The Dremel ruptured the fabric in a matter of seconds leading to yet another below-average durability score of 3/5.

As a more affordable tennis shoe from ASICS, the Gel Game 9 doesn't use any of the brand's premium rubbers (like the AHAR for example).

And even though it showed normal hardness for a tennis shoe outsole (85.5 HC), we didn't expect any impressive durability results here.

Turning to our Dremel yet again, we amped up the speed to 10K RPM and put the shoe's outsole through the wringer for 18 seconds.

The tool bit deep into the rubber, leaving a notable dent of 1.1 mm. While it's not a bad result, it is certainly not on par wit the best tennis shoes out there.

On a positive note, ASICS didn't skimp on the amount of rubber for the Gel Game 9. Our caliper showed a regular slab of rubber with a 4.3 mm thickness.

A moderately padded insole adds a layer of comfort on top of the shoe's firm midsole. It is not the thickest out there (only 4.3 mm) but it's decently cozy underfoot.

The shoe's stock insole is easily removable. You can swap it for a custom orthotic of your own.

When it comes to grip, ASICS keeps its standards high even in the more affordable options. The Gel Game 9 showed a pretty strong bite on the hard court keeping us surefooted throughout the playtest.

Any shoe has to make sacrifices to keep the weight down. However, in the case of the Gel Game 9, in-shoe comfort and padding were not among the sacrificed features.

Its tongue padding, for example, showed a substantial thickness of 12.8 mm and its collar is equally loaded with comfort.

Cheap shoes just don't get gusseted tongues - that's a norm. So a bit of tongue sliding is to be expected.

Considering its below-average price piont, the ASICS Gel Game 9 offers excellent value for money! Yes, its uninspiring cushioning and lack of durability keep it from being our top choice but you can hardly find a better option in the same price range. The Adidas Gamecourt 2.0 is an exception though with its impressive durability for the price. 

If you are ready to stretch your budget, however, you will be pleasantly surprised by the ASICS Gel Challenger 14.

We didn't have any issues putting on the Gel Game 9 so we didn't really mind the missing finger loop or pull tab at the back of the shoe.