From time to time at The Pro Shop we’ve had guest bloggers stop by to offer their assessments of some of the newest gear on the market. Ed McGrogan is no stranger to frequent visitors of this website, but this is his first time contributing to this space. Welcome, Ed. Besides being well-versed in the pro game, Ed is an avid recreational player. Recently, he took the Lacoste Repel shoes out for a test run and came back with the following review:
For nearly a century now, French clothing company Lacoste has been closely linked to tennis. The company’s founder, Rene Lacoste, won 10 major singles titles, and was part of the “Four Musketeers,” a French foursome that dominated the sport during the 1920s. Lacoste-branded shirts, identifiable by their green crocodile logo, have been worn by some of the world’s most famous tennis players, including Guy Forget, Henri Leconte, and Andy Roddick. And the company has created two of the most unique tennis racquets of their time: In 1963, Lacoste designed the first steel racquet (which was distributed in the U.S. by Wilson); 25 years later, Lacoste patented the “Equijet” racquet, whose head resembles the look of a guitar.
Lacoste’s history of tennis shoes isn’t quite as memorable. Footwear is scarcely mentioned in the company’s exhaustive timeline, and many of today’s prominent Lacoste’s athletes – Roddick, Richard Gasquet, Alize Cornet, to name a few – wear other brands of shoes. That may be why I was struck when I saw Michael Llodra, a fine serve-and-volleyer consistently ranked in the ATP’s Top 40, wearing a pair of Lacoste Repels at a French Davis Cup tie last year.
Visually, I liked what I saw. The Repel has honeycomb-shaped sidewalls on its upper, similar to the Nike Air Max Breathe Cage II, and an oversized croc stamped on the lower part of the shoe. No doubt, it is an attractive piece of footwear. But from a practical point of view, I had some questions. Foremost was the shoe’s support. The Repel appeared very low to the ground without much cushioning, and looked more like a casual, walking shoe. Was it truly fit for tennis?
I’d needed a new pair of tennis shoes for some time, so I decided to give the Repel a try, especially when I saw their newest color schemes for 2009. (Call me crazy, but I really liked how the green and black pair looked.) They looked even sharper in person.
Before I took the shoes for a ride on my local clay court, Jon Levey, TENNIS Senior Editor and shoe savant, got his hands on them. He immediately raised an eyebrow when checking their flex point. The Repel folds right in half, confirming my earlier suspicions about their arch support.
While arch support is not ideal, there is ample support throughout the rest of the Repel. The midfoot is adequately cushioned (note the French “Absorption de Shock” on the heel), and the forefoot benefits from even weight distribution. This made for a shoe that felt both secure on the court and light on my feet.
The Repel is also a very breathable shoe, with vents near the toe and aerated sides (which are supported by the honeycomb-shaped cage). It’s also very true to its size – after playing just one match, the shoes were completely broken-in. These features made for a very comfortable shoe that I’ve enjoyed playing with.
Of great importance to tennis shoes is their stability on the court. In my case, I tested the Repels on an indoor clay court, which can bog down some shoes. But the Repel did a nice job on quick turns and slides – I never felt like I lost control with them at any point. If I could only say the same about my racquet.
So is the Repel truly fit for tennis? I’m still holding out on a long-term answer, because of the Repel’s minimal arch support. Time will tell. But in the short term, I’ve been pleased with Lacoste’s newest offering. The Repel is one of the more comfortable shoes I’ve played in, and performance hasn’t been sacrificed for appearance, despite its stylish look. And I’m not just saying that: On my second go-around with the Repel, my league opponent stopped to ask me where he could get a pair of his own.
