NikeCourt Vapor Pro 2 review

Having thoroughly tested the Nike Vapor Pro 2, we believe that its versatility can suit various types of players but it is going to be particularly beneficial for:

• aggressive sliders who want a more forgiving outsole and a highly durable toe drag guard
• baseline players who don't move around the court a lot but perform very forceful lateral cuts

If you've come to expect super light and nimble shoes under the Nike Vapor name, you are likely to be disappointed in the Vapor Pro 2. The shoe has gotten heavier and clunkier in return for offering more comfort and stability. For a more Vapor-like experience, we recommend the ASICS Solution Speed FF 3.

Even though this Nike shoe features a Zoom Air unit, it didn't feel particularly lively and responsive. If that's what you are looking for, you will find it in the Nike Zoom GP Challenge 1 instead.

Nike's product page describes the Vapor Pro 2 as being "lower to the court." While it's certainly not the most grounded tennis shoe we've tested, it didn't feel tall either.

Our caliper measurement returned a heel stack of 28.9 mm which is just the same as the category average.

The same can be said about the shoe's forefoot stack. At 18.8 mm, it is just about the same as the average.

But it doesn't feel like average thanks to the Zoom Air unit embedded into the ball of foot area. We could feel the benefit of added impact protection that this pressurized air unit offered on hard landings.

However, it's not the same bouncy Zoom Air experience that you would get in a shoe like the Nike Zoom GP Challenge 1. That's the shoe to consider if you are looking for an extra spring in your step courtesy of two Zoom Air units inside.

The heel-to-toe difference brings no surprises in the Nike Vapor Pro 2. Based on our stack height measurements, it comes in at a standard 10.1 mm.

In this setup, the heel is moderately elevated above the toes, offering a slightly tilted foot position. This gives the rearfoot more cushioning for landings whereas the forefoot gets a better ground feel and maneuverability for precise movements.

The difference in foam density between the original Vapor Pro and the Vapor Pro 2 is strikingly evident! Looks like Nike decided to soften things up in the second version quite a bit.

Pressing our Shore A durometer against the half-cut midsole of the Pro 2 returned a low reading of 20.0 HA. This is notably softer than average and is a whopping 70% softer than the original Pro!

Of course, the hard rubber sidewalls create a firm carrier to keep this plushness under control but we could still feel the soft touch directly underfoot.

This update evidently made the Vapor Pro 2 more comfortable and better cushioned but, unfortunately, it took away that instant responsiveness of the original Vapor.

There is nothing particularly interesting about the shoe's insole. Showing 4.4 mm of thickness in our caliper measurement, it is slightly thinner than average and has a standard shape.

We found that the Nike Vapor Pro 2 has a one-to-one toebox fit but we wouldn't call it tight.

Showing 97.8 mm in the widest area of the toebox, it is 2-3 mm narrower than the average in a D-medium width.

Considering that the shoe's toebox is also covered in firm protective overlays, we don't think that this amount of space is optimal for wide feet. You may want to try the Nike Vapor 11 or opt for ASICS tennis shoes because Nike doesn't make alternative widths for tennis footwear.

The narrower part of the shoe's toebox (near the big toe) returned an average caliper measurement of 76.5 mm.

But it doesn't change the fact that the toe space of the Nike Vapor Pro 2 is quite limited.

The Nike Vapor Pro 2 features basic flat laces that are not slippery and stay tied quite nicely.

An additional eyelet on the very top of the collar helps to make the fit slightly tighter if needed. However, it doesn't have a counterpart on the other side of the collar which results in a bit of an asymmetrical lacing.

And if you struggle to find the medial top eyelet, it is hidden under a protective rubber overlay.

It seems like the Nike Vapor Pro 2 followed the same approach to stability as the Vapor 11. The two shoes even look alike from the side! Except that the Vapor 11 has notably taller TPU sidewalls and the Pro 2 relies on firm carrier foam and rubber overlays.

The lateral support offered by the Nike Vapor Pro 2 made us feel very confident during the playtest. You can see how steady it remained in our ankle-shifting test below.

On the other hand, we felt like the shoe evolved from an agile all-court option into more of a stable baseline-oriented shoe.

Even though the Nike Vapor Pro 2 doesn't have a stiff shank in its midsole, our manual test revealed how much torsional rigidity it managed to pack without it!

On a 1-5 scale, we confidently gave this court shoe the maximum score of 5. Ankle twisting is just not happening here!

Our heels also felt securely locked inside this Nike shoe. Its substantial heel counter is very generously padded and has a great deal of stiffness to prevent in-shoe play.

The full-length frame on the lateral side of the shoe creates large flanges in both the forefoot and the heel. We found these especially helpful for forceful lateral movements during quick cuts. 

Measuring the widest area of the Vapor Pro 2's forefoot returned a solid reading of 107 mm.

The rearfoot flange, on the other hand, made the shoe's heel wider than average at 93.2 mm in the widest area.

Interestingly, most of the protrusion occurs in the medial side of the heel which we found to be very helpful in preventing overpronation and foot spilling.

The presence of thick rubber overlays on the upper and a Zoom Air unit in the forefoot had a noticeable effect on the shoe's flexibility. It needed a bit more effort to bend compared to the average tennis shoe.

Our force gauge recorded that it took 34.0N to bend the Vapor Pro 2 to a 90-degree angle - 15% more than it takes on average.

If you loved the original Vapor Pro for its light and barely-there feel, you might be disappointed in the second iteration. The Pro 2 gained over an ounce of weight and now became even heavier than the average tennis shoe at 13.4 oz (381g).

It also feels quite bottom-heavy on foot and is hardly reminiscent of the stereotypical Nike Vapor we've gotten used to.

As summer temperatures keep beating records, we were delighted to see another breathable tennis shoe in our lab.

The amount of smoke and the speed at which it passed through the Vapor Pro 2's toebox reassured us of its excellent ventilation capacity.

Even though there is a padded lining beneath the mesh, we found that it's not enough to obstruct the airflow.

Looking at the mesh through the lens of our microscope, we think that it might be the exact same fabric as in the Vapor 11. It mixes thin TPU chain linking with puffier weaves to create a highly porous material.

Taking all of these findings into consideration, we can confidently rate the Nike Vapor Pro 2's breathability with the highest score of 5!

The protective rubber overlays all over the Vapor Pro 2 look very reassuring. Nike even added those to the eyestay which is a high-wear area that is very often overlooked.

Equipped with a Dremel and sandpaper, we drilled the toe guard near the big toe as that's where most of the abrasion occurs during a slide.

But even though our test was quite demanding (22 seconds at 10K RPM speed), the Dremel hardly even burned halfway through the toe guard! This impressive abrasion resistance earned the Nike Vapor Pro 2 a high score of 4 for toe guard durability.

Even though Vapor Pro 2 is very well reinforced, it has quite a few areas with exposed mesh. Sure, these bits are less likely to get damaged but we still wanted to check their durability potential in case they brush against the court.

With the Dremel speed of 5K RPM, it took just a few seconds to tear a hole in the shoe's delicate mesh. Thus, we rated its toebox durability as low as 2 on a 1-5 scale.

Luckily, the Vapor Pro 2 uses a pretty hard-wearing fabric for its interior lining. The mesh refused to give in to sandpaper in our 4-second Dremel test so we confidently rated the shoe's heel padding durability with a high score of 4.

This is great news considering how much friction occurs between the ankle and the shoe collar throughout a tennis match.

The Vapor Pro 2 continued to impress us with its durability potential. Now it was time to test the outsole.

The rubber compound showed a high reading of 85.8 HC on our Shore C durometer which is a standard hardness for a tennis shoe.

The rubber also proved its worth in a one-to-one battle with sandpaper.

After 22 seconds of drilling, the compound showed barely noticeable signs of wear. Based on our tread gauge measurement, the dent was as shallow as 0.6 mm. This is a solid result for a high-performance tennis shoe.

To be on the safe side, Nike also made the Vapor Pro 2's outsole thicker than usual.

Seeing 4.8 mm on our caliper further raised our confidence in the longevity of this Nike tennis shoe. In the absence of an official outsole durability warranty, that was a very reassuring finding.

Playtesting the Nike Vapor Pro 2, we experienced a good balance of grip and give which accommodated both hard stops and sliding on the court.

Taking a closer look at the shoe's traction pattern, we could see how that was made possible with smooth texture in the forefoot and protruding lugs in the heel.

However, if you're someone who favors sticky traction on the court, you will most likely be disappointed in this Nike shoe. And it should also be noted that the shoe's traction pattern only gets smoother with use. Perhaps the herringbone pattern of the Nike GP Challenge Pro would be more suitable if you want a toothier grip.

Even though it is a step-down version of the premium Nike Vapor 11, we believe that the performance gap between the Vapor Pro 2 and the Vapor 11 is not as big as the gap in their retail prices. The silhouette and design approach is very similar.

So even with a slight increase over the past version, we found the retail price of the Nike Vapor Pro 2 to be fair.

We found that the Nike Vapor Pro 2 is very generously padded compared to its predecessor.

For example, the shoe's tongue packs as much as 9.2 mm of padding foam whereas the original Vapor had only 2.5 mm!

The collar of the Vapor Pro 2 also hugs the ankle comfortably with a solid amount of foam. 

We haven't experienced any issues with the Vapor Pro 2's lockdown or foothold. This is in part thanks to the presence of a semi-gusseted tongue, or stretchy internal sleeve, as Nike calls it in the specs.

It prevented the tongue from shifting around and added a sock-like touch to the shoe's fit.

There are no pull tabs at the back of the Nike Vapor Pro 2

The shoe's insole can be easily removed in case you want to use a custom orthotic or elevate the comfort with a different insert.