ASICS Gel Resolution 9 review

The ASICS Gel Resolution is an honourable tennis shoe series that professional players have trusted for years! We can wholeheartedly recommend it to seasoned athletes who:

• want maximum stability in their tennis footwear to protect the ankles
• rely on tonnes of impact protection and cushioning responsiveness
• seek a highly durable tennis shoe with a 6-month warranty

The Gel Resolution 9 had to make sacrifices to become the sturdy and stable monster it is. And the price was weight and agility. If you prefer to be super quick on your feet, we recommend the ASICS Solution Speed FF and the Nike Vapour Pro.

With its highly reinforced upper, fully covered in polyurethane, we could hardly imagine a hint of air passing through. And yet, the Resolution 9 left us pleasantly surprised.

As the heat started to build up during the match, we didn't find ourselves as toasty as we expected!

Back in the lab, we double-checked our perception with a smoke-pumping test. Filling the shoe's upper with smoke, we approvingly nodded to the amount that passed through.

Of course, it's not as airy as the ASICS Solution Speed FF 2 (on the right) but quite decent. On a 1-5 scale, we rated its breathability as 3.

To reveal the shoe's secret, we hovered its half-cut upper over a light bulb. As you can see, the shoe's got some pretty large ventilation pores underneath the hard shell and in the tongue.

To give you an even better idea of how those apertures, we looked at the shoe's upper through our microscope.

The layer beneath the polyurethane is nothing but breathable mesh.

On a scale from 1 to 5, how durable do you think this ASICS shoe's upper is? We didn't even doubt that it would make a solid 5!

We chose the Dremel with a sandpaper tip to mimic regular and repetitive toe dragging. Setting it up to a speed of 5K RPM and pressing against the shoe's toebox at a 3.2N pressure, we drilled the material for 12 seconds.

Looking at the laughable scuff on the ASICS Gel Resolution 9, we had no second thoughts - its upper durability is nothing short of phenomenal.

The next area we checked was the inner lining of the shoe's collar. That's a sensitive one!

But because it can't have the same reinforcement as the toebox, it turned out to be much more frail. It took only 4 seconds of drilling the fabric at 5K RPM to leave a glaring hole in the heel padding.

Unfortunately, this part of the shoe can't boast of the same level of wear resistance as the toebox. On a 1-5 scale, we gave it a low score of 2.

Coming down to the outsole, we knew that ASICS had cooked something delicious for its AHAR rubber.

The hardness check with a durometer showed 85.5 HC which is just the same as the average of tennis shoes. But that's not the only parameter that fully reveals the nature of rubber.

A more trustworthy result is always provided by our demanding Dremel tool at the lab.

We turned up the speed to 10K RPM and pressed the sandpaper tip against the outsole for 22 seconds. As expected from the AHAR rubber, the result was stunning!

Measuring the barely visible scuff on the rubber with a tread gauge, the dent was as tiny as 0.37 mm! Can you even imagine that?

We must also mention that the amount of rubber on this ASICS shoe is quite sufficient. Our caliper showed 4.3 mm of thickness which is typical for tennis shoes.

Taking into account the shoe's 6-month warranty, we just can't stop praising the ASICS Gel Resolution 9 fo its durability!

You don't necessarily need a scale to know that this ASICS shoe is a big boy.

And just like that, on the scale, the Resolution 9 shows 13.8 oz (393g)in a men's US size 9. That's an ounce heavier than average.

But we can totally forgive the extra bulk given the shoe's major benefits like stability, cushioning, and exceptional durability.

The ASICS Gel Resolution 9 makes it into the most cushioned bunch in our lab.

Measuring its stack height precisely, our caliper showed 32.5 mm in the heel! By far, it is only outplayed by the Mizuno Wave Enforce Tour (33.0 mm).

Hard landings felt like pure joy in the Resolution 9, keeping our feet and legs protected at all times. When there is no time to think about how you go in and out of your shots, you need a trusty pair to be there for you.

As for the shoe's forefoot stack. it comes in at a fairly standard 21.6 mm.

We found it to be sufficiently cushioned for explosive launches. But what's more, it also made us feel connected to the court and in control of the footwork.

Calculating the difference in stack heights, we get a 10.9 mm drop in the Resolution 9.

That's a standard drop for a tennis shoe as it puts the foot in the most ergonomic position for hard landings and explosive launches.

On the court, the cushioning of this ASICS shoe feels immensely comfortable and protective. We cannot describe it as plush but it certainly feels quite bouncy.

Pressing our durometer against the shoe's primary foam, we got a reading of 30.3 HA. We found this to be an average level of softness across tennis shoes and it feels perfectly balanced for the sport.

In addition, the shoe also features two Gel pods to amplify the bounce effect. There is one under the ball of the foot and another one under the heel. These units are very squishy but they have a piece of firm foam over them which keeps the responsiveness but eliminates the squish.

On top of it all, ASICS also puts a generously padded insole that is 5.3 mm thick, according to our caliper.

Overall, the underfoot experience in the ASICS Gel Resolution 9 is oh so good that we just can't get enough of it!

If you thought that cushioning was the highlight of this ASICS shoe, you are going to be very pleasantly surprised. The Gel Resolution 9 is a MONSTER of stability.

Its massive, stiff exoskeleton called the DYNAWALL made us feel so secure inside that we cannot even imagine ever feeling off-balance in this tennis shoe. The Resolution 9 was made for the most aggressive lateral movements possible.

Stiff TPU walls throughout the shoe provide a lot of structured support. This setup is ideal for players with overpronation (excessive inward rolling of the ankle) or those recovering from an ankle injury.

Attempting to twist the Resolution 9 in our manual test, we couldn't get very far. On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest, we rated the shoe's torsional rigidity with a maximum score of 5.

The added TPU support at the back makes the shoe's heel counter extra rigid too. We couldn't even squeeze and push it properly! It was an instant 5 out of 5 for heel counter stiffness.

What this gave us on the court was an exceptionally firm heel hold. The padding inside the collar also wrapped around our ankles and held the heels inside the heel cup securely.

Another component that adds stability to the shoe is its sufficiently wide platform. Measuring the widest part of the shoe's forefoot, we got 110.2 mm. This is exactly the same as the average but that's good news.

There is enough width to create a protruding outrigger on the lateral side to prevent the foot from spilling over the edge.

We repeated the measurement in the widest part of the heel and found it to be 88.3 mm. Once again, this is the same as the average but plenty wide to be effective on the court.

With its thick-foamed midsole and unmalleable scaffolding, we didn't expect much flexibility from the Gel Resolution 9. And yet, we were pleasantly surprised once again!

Bending the shoe to a 90-degree angle with a force gauge, we measured how much force it would take to do that. Turns out, that at only 26.5N, this ASICS shoe needs less force to be bent! That is 20% less than it takes on average.

Even though it took a couple of games to fully break in the shoe, it ended up quite forgiving for dynamic footwork.

Disclaimer: For this review, we are using the ASICS Gel Resolution 9 Padel. It is identical to the original model but the difference lies in the outsole design. We tested our pair on an outdoor tarmac court.

We don't see a single glaring issue with the gripping ability of the Resolution 9. Its herringbone pattern is tacky enough to provide excellent stopping power. At the same time, it never restricted us from sliding forward to reach the ball.

We found the shoe's fit optimally snug for our medium-width feet. Measuring the upper in its widest part (near the ball of the foot) with a caliper, we got 102.6 mm. That's considered average for a tennis shoe.

However, athletes with wide feet will most likely benefit from the wide (2E) version of the Resolution 9. You should know that the hard-shell coverage on the upper has no give at all.

We also measured the narrower part of the toebox (near the big toe) and got a reading of 78.6 mm. This measurement is just the same as the average which means that the tapering is not as drastic.

Overall, we believe that the shoe offers a nice and secure, one-to-one fit for most foot shapes.

The shoe comes with a fully gusseted tongue which is always a huge bonus point for the foothold. Attached to the sides of the upper, it never slides sideways and wraps around the instep like it belongs.

We experienced an insane amount of foot containment inside the ASICS Gel Resolution 9. No matter how rapidly we changed directions, we never once experienced any play or shifting inside the shoe.

And if you have narrow feet or just want to level up the foothold, we recommend making use of the extra eyelets at the top. The only caveat here is that you would have to buy longer laces to do a proper runner's knot.

ASICS gives a lot of love to the foot from inside the Gel Resolution 9. We were already in love with the cushioning but then we also got a very generously padded tongue and collar to max-out the comfort.

Using a caliper, we measured the tongue thickness at 13.1 mm. This is significantly thicker than the average.

There is no heel tab in this version of the ASICS Gel Resolution, so you're going to need both hands to get it on. Its gusseted tongue creates a slightly more restricted shoe opening.

If necessary, you can further level up the shoe's comfort by swapping its stock insole. It is quite easy to remove.