ASICS Court FF 3 review

As the brand's top-shelf offering, we can't praise the Court FF 3 enough! We believe that it will best suit players who:

• want a premium-level tennis shoe that scores high on every front
• are aggressive movers and need a highly stable shoe
• expect a very secure containment from a bootie-style upper

The Court FF 3 is one of the priciest tennis shoes on the market. But the good news is that you can get equal quality and performance from a shoe with a cheaper price tag, such as ASICS Gel Resolution 9.

Also, the shoe's one-piece Mono-Sock upper is not for everyone. Particularly not for players with wide feet. These folks can turn to the aforementioned Resolution 9 or the ASICS Gel Challenger 14.

We were excited to see larger ventilation pores on the tongue of the Court FF 3. But do they beat the already breathable Court FF 2?

Unfortunately, no. The third version took a step back on breathability.

This ASICS shoe didn't feel particularly airy during our playtest and didn't show the best results in our breathability test either. Pumping its upper with smoke, none of it passed through the toebox, whereas the mesh tongue showed only a mediocre result.

But because it's not entirely hopeless, we gave it an average rating of 3 out of 5. In our transparency test below, it is very clear that the shoe's tongue plays the lead role in the shoe's breathability game.

But it just can't pull out the whole shoe's ventilation all by itself. The polyurethane hard shell on the upper doesn't leave much breathing room.

Taking a closer look at the shoe's toebox through our microscope, we can see a mesh layer beneath the polyurethane. But it's quite densely woven and doesn't look like it could help the shoe's airflow that much.

Disappointed with the shoe's breathability, we had ZERO doubts about its durability.

The Court FF 3 was built for the most aggressive on-court action, including toe drags and multi-directional slides. Equipped with a Dremel, we challenged the shoe's reinforced toebox for 12 seconds at a 5K RPM speed.

And as you might expect from an elite £180 tennis shoe, this Court FF just laughed at us for this attempt. The tool didn't even go halfway through the hard shell layer! And you can also see how the shoe's protective stripes get even more aggressive and pointy on the inner side of the toebox.

Taking all of this into account, the ASICS Court FF 3 deserves nothing less than the maximum 5 out of 5 for toebox durability!

If only we could say the same about the shoe's inner lining...

The material that covers the shoe's heel counter from the inside is made of a pretty delicate textile. It took as little as 4 seconds of Dremel drilling to leave a visible hole in it.

On a 1-5 durability scale, we had to rate the shoe's heel padding with a lower score of 2. Most likely, it will be one of the first parts to give up over time.

But when it comes to the outsole, we found that its wear resistance is second to none!

First of all, it has a decent level of hardness for a premium tennis shoe. According to our durometer, it has a reading of 85.3 HC which is standard for a tennis shoe.

We always start with this test to make sure that the shoe's rubber is not dangerously soft and, consequently, fragile.

Turning to our trusty Dremel, we couldn't help but turn the speed up to 10K RPM and put the Court FF 3 through its paces. We also drilled for a longer period of 22 seconds to really test the outsole's limits.

And the result was absolutely stunning! First of all, you have to really look for the dent, and secondly, our tread gauge shows that it's as shallow as 0.4 mm!

Taking into account the shoe's 6-month outsole warranty, we can wholeheartedly recommend the ASICS Court FF 3 as one of the most durable tennis shoes!

We also checked the amount of rubber on the Court FF 3 and our caliper showed 3.3 mm. This is a millimeter thinner than average but we wouldn't be so concerned given how well it stood up to the Dremel.

But if you want that extra millimeter of coverage, try the ASICS Gel Resolution 9 (4.3 mm).

Given the shoe's focus on stability and cushioning, it is not really intended as a lightweight and nimble speedster. Thus, we didn't really expect it to show low numbers on the scale.

At 14.3 oz (406g), it is an ounce heavier than the average tennis shoe. However, it is still in line with its stability counterparts like the ASICS Gel Resolution 9 and the Adidas Barricade.

For a baseline-oriented shoe, we never felt bogged down by the ASICS Court FF 3.

Playtesting the Court FF 3, we thoroughly enjoyed the impact protection it provided on every hard landing. In fact, it turns out to be one of the most well-cushioned tennis shoes in our lab!

Based on our caliper measurement, its heel stack height comes in at 32.2 mm which is among the the thickest we've seen! Undercut only by the Resolution 9 (32.5 mm) and the Mizuno Wave Enforce Tour (33.0 mm).

As for the forefoot stack, we found it to be more down-to-earth at 21.8 mm. But there is nothing to complain about here as we experienced a nice balance of court feel and responsive cushioning for explosive launches.

The difference in stack height between the shoe's heel and toes comes at 10.4 mm in the ASICS Court FF 3.

This is a fairly average drop for a tennis shoe which puts the foot in an optimal position for heel landings as well as fast and smooth heel-to-toe transitions.

ASICS uses its premium FlyteFoam cushioning in the Court FF 3. It is a dual-density setup with a firmer full-length component and a softer piece under the heel.

Using a durometer, we measured the shoe's primary foam at 31.5 HA which is exactly the same as the average. In our playtest, it felt moderately firm and quite responsive.

It felt effortless to push off and accelerate to our next shot in the ASICS Court FF 3. We believe that this was in part thanks to the Gel silicone pad under the ball of the foot. It made standing on our toes easy and fun.

A softer piece of FlyteFoam is added under the heel to reduce the heavy load of hard landings. Based on our durometer measurements, it is 14% softer than the primary foam.

Our landings felt safe and the bounce backs were rather quick.

As a cherry on top, we've got a plush, well-padded insole. Based on our caliper, it is 5.0 mm thick which is average for a tennis shoe.

The ASICS Court FF 3 must be on your radar if you're after exceptional stability in a tennis shoe.

Our ankles felt steady and supported all throughout the game. Be it aggressive lateral slides, crossover steps, or rapid changes of direction, we never felt at risk of rolling or twisting.

You can see how well-contained our ankle is when we try to shift it sideways in the video below.

The core component of the Court FF 3's stability is the brand's proprietary TWISTRUSS system. Made of stiff TPU, it wraps around the shoe's midfoot and creates a very steady carcass.

We twisted the shoe in our manual test and it turned out to be practically impossible. On a stiffness scale from 1 to 5, we rated this shoe's torsional rigidity with the highest 5.

No matter how dynamic our footwork got, this rigid system offered a very secure hold that successfully prevented any awkward wobbles. We also felt like it added an extra kick and propulsion to our moves, acting like a springboard.

Our heels and ankles also felt at ease courtesy of the shoe's stiff and supportive heel counter. We felt as though our rearfoot got sucked into the shoe's heel cup and secured inside its structured yet padded confines.

If we have to put a number on it, we rated the shoe's heel counter stiffness with a high score of 4 out of 5.

Of course, the shoe's stability wouldn't be complete without a wide platform to rely on. And the ASICS Court FF 3 takes good care of that.

We've got extended contact points with the ground in both the forefoot and the heel. Using our caliper, we found that the widest part of the forefoot measures 114.6 mm which is slightly wider than average.

We also measured the distance between the widest points of the shoe's heel. At 93.2 mm, it proved to be wider than average as well.

There is no need to worry about the shoe's softer heel cushioning as it is very well controlled by the wide contact area and the stabilizing shank.

The presence of a shank and a sturdy hard shell upper surely made the Court FF 3 a stiffer shoe. But it's not that much stiffer than the average.

Our approach to measuring the flexibility of a tennis shoe is to bend it to a 90-degree angle while using a force gauge. According to the tool, it took 31.3N to flex the Court FF 3 which is only 5% more than it takes on average.

Our only gripe with this ASICS shoe is that it looks a little funky in a bent position as the upper material bunches up. But it doesn't affect comfort or performance and we would describe it as merely cosmetic.

Elite is the one word to describe the grip on the ASICS Court FF 3. We felt 100% surefooted during the playtest.

In our playtest, the shoe delivered excellent stopping power, slid when we needed it, and was capable of gripping the court at any awkward angle we found our feet in.

Getting the ASICS Court FF 3, be prepared for a pretty snug, one-to-one fit. We have medium-width feet and there was not a lot of toebox space to splay our toes so freely. We measured the widest part of the shoe's toebox at 101.8 mm which is just average for a tennis shoe.

However, the tip of the shoe's toebox turned out to be slightly on the narrow side, tapering a little bit more than most shoes. Our caliper showed 74.9 mm in the big toe area.

Mix in the no-tongue bootie design and non-stretchable upper material and you get a pretty snug fit. Thus, we recommend that wide footers consider the Resolution 9 instead as it comes in wide.

There is no separate tongue on the ASICS Court FF 3 as it features a one-piece upper called Mono-Sock. We found that it creates a highly secure foot containment and a very intimate feel with the shoe. Having tested dozens of tennis shoes, we can describe it as one of the most secure uppers.

And if you have narrow feet, you might as well make use of the extra eyelet at the top. You can make a runner's knot to further lock down the foot.

If, on the other hand, you have wide feet, then putting on the shoe can be a real hassle which requires both hands and a bit of time. So, wide footers might want to consider the Resolution 9 instead as it comes in a wide option and a wider shoe mouth.

Assessing the in-shoe padding, we found that the tongue is not particularly thick on the Court FF 3. With a caliper measurement of 5.9 mm, it is slightly thinner than average.

We assume that's because ASICS went for a more one-to-one, sock-like experience in this tennis shoe.

The lack of a finger loop makes it even trickier to get the shoe's Mono-Sock upper on. We recommend using a shoehorn if you don't want to damage the back of the shoe too soon.

The shoe's stock insole is easy to remove in case you want to level up support and comfort with a custom orthotic.