Anyone for tennis? Shoes for Wimbledon

England supporters watched in horror last night as our last hope of a Euro 2012 win evaporated in the dreaded penalty shootout. But the fun and games don’t have to end there, as one of our biggest sporting tournaments is about to begin: Wimbledon! Here at Shoewawa we’ve been checking out the best tennis-themed footwear today, in a brave attempt to get over the hurt of last night’s failings…

Game, set, style!

As sports shoes go, we think tennis shoes are nicer to look at than most: you need to be able to zip around a court without too much weight dragging you down, so the trainers have tended to be lightweight and streamlined, giving rise to plenty of classic styles like Dunlop’s Green Flash (3); a hit style in the 1970s and 80s that later spawned Dunlop pink flash, amber flash, blue flash and many more. They were certainly a firm locker-room favourite of my schooldays, but they originated on the courts! You can find several basic tennis plimsolls, including the green Tennis Lacets by Bensimon (£30) pictured at no. (4).

Green Flash remains one of the most popular sports shoe styles available, but nowadays there are many more specially-designed tennis shoes that look more like trainers. Nike do a great line in tennis shoes, but we particularly love the look of Wilson’s Pro Staff Classic II Tennis Shoe (5); a stylish lightweight trainer made in a neat pink, green and white theme. It certainly makes us want to grab our rackets and have a go!

New shoes please…

Lots of summer shoes are clearly inspired by the green and white calm of the tennis court, and we’re loving the simple women’s flipflops pictured at no.2, and sold by the footwear label of former Wimbledon champion Björn Borg! The ‘Lucie’ flipflops are available at Amazon for £19.78, reduced from an original £27.28. A great holiday shoe, whether you intend to get out on the court or not!

ASOS have some fun two-tone ballet flats (1) in yellow and green, with mesh uppers and a green trim and toe-cap. These are a great tennis-inspired style to wear off the court for casual post-match slouching! They’re available in the ASOS sale, where they’ve been reduced to just £14.

Finally, we love the rough-cut flip-flops pictured at (4), which looks just like it’s been made from freshly-cut turf! Available from Javari, the Solerebels flip-flops are also a steal at just £5.37 a pair.