The new K-Swiss Speedtrac performance tennis shoe.
Think of the inspiration for the new K-Swiss Speedtrac tennis sneaker as high-speed motion. The fresh take from the California-based brand aims to put tennis athletes low to the court and give them the assurance they need for all-directional movement.
“The design focused on giving athletes confidence in their movements by minimizing layers and gap between their feet and the court surface for the maximum court feel,” says M.J. Kim, K-Swiss footwear designer. “Also, maintaining the balance between grip and give that is curated for the modern-day tennis players that slide a lot (was a focus).”
Described by the brand as quick, light and supportive, the upper of the K-Swiss Speedtrac features a bootie construction, crafted with stretch. A breathable mesh upper includes a thin TPU film overlay for lightweight protection in places and TPU film on the ghillie lace loops to help with midfoot stability.
The new K-Swiss Speedtrac performance tennis shoe.
The Speedtrac includes the brand’s Surge 7.0 midsole, which Kim describes as “a lightweight cushioning compound that offers a long-lasting ride and gives high energy return for explosive speed.” A plantar support chassis features an “extended fin” for lateral stability and a patch on the medial side of the footwear helps protect the sneaker from dragging.
Underfoot the new “SpeedTraction” pattern with the brand’s Dragguard 7.0 rubber compound was “designed for multi-directional movements on the court.”
Kim says the wavy grooves running in different directions cross each other in the areas that require the most traction.
This focus on close-to-the-court feel and movement is meant to play in the aesthetic strategy as well. “The goal was to give a dynamic aesthetic reflecting high-speed court movements,” Kim says. “The shoe is put together with curved lines and shapes, including the five-digitizes stripes branding, capturing the fluidity of high-speed motion.”
The new K-Swiss Speedtrac performance tennis shoe.
The K-Swiss Speedtrac joins an already existing mix of court-ready models.
Pinnacle lines for K-Swiss on the tennis court include the Ultrashot and Hypercourt. The Ultrashot line is known comfort, support and durability. The Hypercourt line, which includes a mix of variations, places a focus on cushioning and support. The addition of Speedtrac gives the brand a more movement-focused silhouette to compliment the range of shoes already offered.
One of the biggest names on the K-Swiss tennis roster is British player Cam Norrie. Signed in 2020, Norrie has played in the Ultrashot 3 footwear model. He also served as the face of a recent K-Swiss collaboration with Rowing Blazers during the 2022 U.S. Open that included a pair of lifestyle Si-18 Premiers.
The K-Swiss lifestyle footwear catalog is flush with heritage designs taken from or inspired by tennis, including arguably the brand’s most popular lifestyle offering, the Si-18. One of K-Swiss’ newest tennis-inspired lifestyle model is the Match Rival, debuting in September 2021. The silhouette is a take on 1980s-era tennis footwear.
Between the range of tennis-inspired lifestyle footwear models and the growing stable of performance tennis models, K-Swiss remains focused on tennis footwear.