Mizuno Launching New Neo Ace Tennis Shoe As Flagship Model

The new Mizuno Neo Ace tennis shoe launches Aug. 1.

Mizuno

Mizuno tennis has a new flagship shoe. The Japanese brand announced the release of the Mizuno Neo Ace, designed for the intermediate to advanced all-around player, taking over the title of “flagship” for the brand.

Ryohei Suzuki, the footwear developer on the new model, tells me the Mizuno developed the Neo Ace franchise to serve as the key option for players looking to take performance to the next stage and says the technology helps make that happen.

For the first time from Mizuno, the brand has incorporated its Enerzy XP cushioning throughout the midsole. The highest-rebound cushioning material from the brand, Suzuki says the “exceptional energy return delivers explosive propulsion—from the first step through full-speed sprints—helping elevate footwork to the next level.”

The Mizuno D-Flex Groove design in the midsole features diagonal grooves to provide stability during pivots while still allowing the player flexibility in movement.

With a first-of-its-kind midsole, Mizuno also created a new outsole. The brand calls its “Crouching Wall” technology key in enhancing stability during sliding. Using an “agility frame” to reduce lateral movement during quick changes of direction, the two technologies support precise footwork on the court, Suzuki says, enabling smoother transitions from step to step. The outsole also includes what Mizuno calls DX rubber, meant to balance stability and lateral sliding—it comes with a six-month outsole warranty.

Suzuki designed the upper material to provide softness, flexibility and breathability to go with durability. Suzuki says the shoe features a forefoot fitting tape and an evolved half-bootie construction to offer a wraparound fit designed for comfort and a secure feel.

The Neo Ace launches Aug. 1 and will debut in a white with blue and blue with white for men and white with purple and purple with white for women. ATP player Damir Dzumhur will wear the Neo Ace.

The Neo Ace follows the January release of Mizuno’s Wave Exceed Tour 7, a speed-focused footwear model that brought Enerzy XP into the design for the first time, albeit just in a portion of the midsole. The Enerzy XP is the newest in the proprietary line of foam from the brand, popular in running shoes. The nitrogen-infused foam is found in some of the brand’s high-end running models. Nitrogen infusing in foam has become the standard for elite running foams, allowing for a lightweight construction that still offers softness and energy return.

The fresh approach on footwear comes as Mizuno re-released rackets into the North American market for the first time in decades. The Japanese company started crafting tennis frames in 1947, first bringing them to the United States in the 1980s—notably used by Ivan Lendl—but Mizuno didn’t stay in North America. The brand’s latest tennis equipment build-out focuses on taking its racket technologies global with the April launch of the AcroStrike and AcroSpeed frames in North America.

Mizuno has additional plans for tennis growth. The brand expects to expand its racket lineup and is already developing grips and strings. The expanding footwear offerings play into the tennis business model.

“This new flagship model,” Suzuki says, “brings together all the essential elements players need to perform at their highest level.”