1Tennis shoes might look like any other sneaker on the outside, but it's what's on the inside that makes a difference. The shoe must support both sides of the foot to handle quick lateral movements and weight shifts. The sole should be flexible to accommodate fast changes of direction when you're chasing the ball all over the court.
2 HEAD, the manufacturer of premium sports equipment, is stepping into the footwear business with the launch of Prestige ($109.99), Extreme ($99.99) and Tour ($79.99) tennis shoes for men and women. They just hit the market in February.
3 The HEAD shoes are designed with CXG cushioning technology, radial contact for improved traction and flexibility, a cooling system to release excess heat and HyBrasion, a rubber formula for long-wearing performance.
4 Dr. Lajos Horvath, a neonatologist and avid tennis/racquet ball player, gave the Extreme tennis shoes a test drive. ''It's a nice looking shoe and the arch feels really good,'' he says, so good, in fact, that he ran a few warm-up miles before hitting the courts, where he gave the traction and stopping motion a thumbs up. His only complaints: ``The laces are a little too short and the shoes might be a bit pricey.''
5 The shoes are available at specialty tennis stores including tennisexpress.com, racquetdepot.com and tennisboom.com.
