I have never seen anyone getting and Dissecting a pair of Rafa personal shoes. Thank you so much Zach. I am an engineer and I really love your analysis and knowledge of everything that goes into different parts of shoes. A big big thank you for solving this mystery ! Happy holidays to you and your family.
Absolutely fascinating... I can't think of another channel that combines all the elements of yours (medical expertise, athletic experience, up-to-date on latest releases, customization, etc.)
I find these PE teardown and comparisons to be really interesting and probably some of my favorite videos. I love seeing these small visible and non-visible tech changes. No one else besides you is doing it, but probably because it's cost-prohibitive. Keep up the good work, Doc!
Definitely something new and great analysis for insight on pros vs commercial models, can't even imagine what goes on inside most other athelete shoes that we don't see. But Nadal I think is another story altogether (and tennis being a singular athelete focused sport)
I’m so grateful that you won the shoes and show to all the tennis and Nadal fans what’s inside. Thank you, your channel and videos rock! Now a request/idea, you showed some footage of a CB2.3, are you planning to dissect them and compre them to the actual Rafa’s shoes? Since some elements like the outsole and heel cushioning are coming from this model it would be great to see how the compare. Once again, thanks and hope you keep getting more followers to continue with your great content!
I'll probably never buy a tennis shoe, but I really appreciate your tear downs and insight into the functionality of the designs. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hello, Dr. Zach. The comparisons between custom and stock shoes are fascinating. It would be fantastic if you could get your hands on custom basketball shoes and compare them to their stock model. Keep up the great work!
Nadal started out with Nike Breath & Court Ballistic models which all used the Max Air unit in the heel. He must have gotten used to them & didn't want to change!
This is very high accomplishment and dedication to your audience. And also shows part of the problem with the current marketing of brands, where they launch shoes saying it is as worn by their athletes but there are always a plethora of customizatios that essencially make a new shoe, even though the brands say it is exactly like they use
Love this type of video it would be great knowing the difference especially between two or three different players that wear the same model but see how different the customizations can be.
Only you would win a custom, professionally worn shoe and would cut it up to dissect it for educational purposes. Love it! Hopefully you can do more of this.
I love these videos where you're tearing apart player customs... Because it shows what players really want in their shoe rather than what's released to the public. ❤
Great video! After seeing and you explaining the customizing it makes sense why Rafa never updated his shoe. The amount of customization for his needs are insane, imho.
Amazing video. Very unique. I love the PE breakdowns. If enough of this is seen by the shoe community, maybe big brands will be held to higher standards after seeing how good they can really make a shoe.
Loved the vid doc! I wouldn't mind seeing more of these since it's cool to see exactly how fine-tuned equipment for elite athletes are and how much effort is put into trying to wring out every ounce of performance they can from the stuff they use
Great video Zach! You should create a website for pro athletes to donate their footwear for you to dissect lol! This was a great video showcasing what us average customers get vs the pros that get the best from their company.
wow its so cool to learn about all the customization that rafa's shoe have, wish they can put bit more thought into their current tennis shoe lineups tho
What a dream to have in hand and actually be able to wear the same shoe a legend wore to become one of the greatest. Amazing video and a privilege for everyone
Such a cool vid to see the possibilities of what a shoe can be - I’d go for the grippppy customization too given the chance. Would be so cool to just put your own shoe together! Thanks for this!
Great to see someone finally gettyin to the covert customisation available. Ex Pro here. Hope they Steam cleaned those beasts for your $1500! Loved the torquoise on the mud. (* The Racquets and handles....)
And I can’t stress this enough. For shoe manufacturers big or new, please consider collaborating with Zach for shoe test and review. His knowledge and experience is second to none.
I think these reviews are fascinating, I think it would be interesting to look at one of the lower tier signature models from Nike/JB, because on paper it seems like it would be better as a player to just be signed to the brand and play in the flagship shoes than whatever basic thing they churn out as your first signature. Looking at a Ja, JT or Freak PE would be interesting.
It has been obvious for a while that Nadal hardly seems to bend his toes when he runs - it's interesting to see that his tennis shoe design promotes this. The customizations Nadal requires are amazing and very interesting. Just how wide are his shoes? I've noticed for a long time now that my very narrow A width feet might be good for speed in a straight line but rob my tennis game of power and don't offer much stability. Great job! Keep up the good work.
Incredible insight. Very curious to know what your perfect tennis shoe would be like. If you could take all the different elements and create a custom shoe. That would be a very fascinating video!
Great video as always, Doc! As for a suggestion: I would love to see you giving a deep dive into the Air Jordan line (1-14). I think most of those shoes are relatively widely available and could bring some insight on how the Air Jordan line evolved as the years passed, as well as basketball shoes as a whole, given the differences between the first and last models Jordan played in.
Thank you Doc!!! How did I miss this ep?!! I have a pair of Dimitrov's custom shoes just laying in my cupboard getting moldy. Would love to see you to cut them in half. I think they are very close to Roger's Nike custom!!
Great video, so interesting, especially bc of Rafa's injuries! Also he's such a creature of habit, I'm not surprised he prefers older shoe tech over the new ones.
I reckon he might even benefit from a harder / less bouncy foam giving more direct energy towards the ground, aiding his explosive playstyle. Also, he tended to slide and quickly turn a lot, which would give insane wear to his ankles if he was on soft/ unstable foam.
It’s incredible you got these and you ran them through your battery of tests. Amazing work, this is what we’re here for. ❤ Would I play in these? Heck no, I’m perfectly happy with the gel res, and if I can later get some NB, Mizuno or Yonex here I might try em. But it’s amazing the performance these offer, it’s a shame retail Nikes seem so inconsistent and watered down. And on consistency is exactly why I expect someone as particular with his gear as Nadal is to find something that worked for him before and just update it the bare minimum to account for his ailments.
I know nothing about tennis, but this was a super cool analysis. Really shows how there’s not simply one best shoe for everyone. I’d love to see more break-downs of game-worn shoes in Basketball. Especially those whose stock version makes you think “no way the signature player would wear THIS version in-game”, something like Giannis’ main shoe line. I’m also wondering about the added value that custom orthotics provide for professional athletes who already get their entire shoe customized.
THIS IS AWESOME!!! I think we need to see what is going on inside the shoes of the new-wave gen of young athletes like CARLOS ALCARAZ's custom Vapors and BEN SHELTON's Ons
This was SUUUPER interesting! It's a shame they didn't come with a pair of his custom orthotics, that's the real Holy Grail imo! Would LOVE to see a teardown of a pair of Federer's customs (maybe even some Nike customs vs ON customs...) Would be cool to compare between RN's customs to RF's customs.
I remember when nike gave kyrie full lenght zoom with full carbon fiber plate on his lunar hyperdunk, crazy how it can be so different compared to stock, yet still looks the same.
Hi Zach, thanks for the video! I think it’s fascinating to see you dissect the difference between a street release and a player edition. I appreciate the cost that went into this video, and I hope it’s something you can do again in the future. I’m interested to see what secret tech might be hidden in NBA players’ shoes. I’m especially curious whether Devin Booker has a different version of the Book 1, given how pedestrian the retail release is.
Awesome video. I still remember the Kyrie PE video. Definitely a cool idea to see the differences between stock and PE shoes. I wonder if Tatum’s shoes get any better with his customizations or if technologically “spare” shoes like the latest Giannis, Ja, Book, or GT Cut 3 improve with their PE versions. Hard to believe the pros are playing without a shank.
Silly question doc … if Rafa has the ability to customize his shoe why would he need an orthotic? Nike could create a mold to his foot … add a pair of socks and you are good … love the video … perhaps a video on Federer’s shoe ?
Much easier to make small and meaningful updates with a single modular component-even if you got a perfect fit with zero customization, you'd have to redo the whole shoe. Moreover, I imagine Nadal is quite used to his own orthotics so in a way, he gets to keep his insoles consistent while adjusting the shoe itself, hopefully preventing injuries.
It goes along with ideas of my ideal performance basketball shoes. The significant shank in the foreforefoot, good amount stability but customize orthodic or just orthodics in general is almost impossible to find in overseas
If possible, it would be super cool to see the same breakdown in the newest NBA stars and their shoes! Thinking on the likes of Devon Booker or Ja Morant. Their first signature shoes hasn't got too much tech in them, and I wonder if they actually play with that, or are they like Nadal, where they wear the known model in terms of visuals, but then have a totally unique shoe underneath? Love this video!
Really interesting. I’d love to see Tatum’s customs especially cause the standard model seems not so great. Although the 3’s seem pretty good this time.
Love this, and you know we all wanna see you grab some bball customs, any player tbh! Also we better get a clip of you trying to shoot in some size 20 NBA player shoes 😂
Incredible stuff! Would love to see an nba custom shoe to see what’s inside. Crazy that Nike is capable of this but unfortunately is there to sell the stock versions because majority of buyers don’t put as much thought in to a purchase as us wear testers, and just want something that’s comfortable and performs well
Grab a Normalize Playing Tennis Shirt HERE: footdoctorzachshop.com/products/normalize-playing-tennis-gym-t-shirt
Brother please get the Xtep ZL 1
Hi @FootDoctorZach I need a wide toe box tennis shoe. Which shoes do you recommend?
Please help.
I have never seen anyone getting and Dissecting a pair of Rafa personal shoes. Thank you so much Zach. I am an engineer and I really love your analysis and knowledge of everything that goes into different parts of shoes. A big big thank you for solving this mystery ! Happy holidays to you and your family.
Absolutely fascinating... I can't think of another channel that combines all the elements of yours (medical expertise, athletic experience, up-to-date on latest releases, customization, etc.)
I find these PE teardown and comparisons to be really interesting and probably some of my favorite videos. I love seeing these small visible and non-visible tech changes. No one else besides you is doing it, but probably because it's cost-prohibitive. Keep up the good work, Doc!
It's crazy you won those at 1500 and cut them open for UA-cam video, respect.
I don’t think i could be able to , on the other hand I really enjoyed learning about this
Super-cool, Doc! Absolutely more custom teardowns!
Thank you for buying these to show us! Great video on the customization!
Definitely something new and great analysis for insight on pros vs commercial models, can't even imagine what goes on inside most other athelete shoes that we don't see. But Nadal I think is another story altogether (and tennis being a singular athelete focused sport)
Been waiting to see someone get there hands on these. Great content and breakdown. Channel is truly 1 of 1!
I appreciate you
I’m so grateful that you won the shoes and show to all the tennis and Nadal fans what’s inside. Thank you, your channel and videos rock!
Now a request/idea, you showed some footage of a CB2.3, are you planning to dissect them and compre them to the actual Rafa’s shoes? Since some elements like the outsole and heel cushioning are coming from this model it would be great to see how the compare.
Once again, thanks and hope you keep getting more followers to continue with your great content!
I'll probably never buy a tennis shoe, but I really appreciate your tear downs and insight into the functionality of the designs. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hello, Dr. Zach. The comparisons between custom and stock shoes are fascinating. It would be fantastic if you could get your hands on custom basketball shoes and compare them to their stock model. Keep up the great work!
Nadal started out with Nike Breath & Court Ballistic models which all used the Max Air unit in the heel. He must have gotten used to them & didn't want to change!
Hey doctor Zach. Can you make a series on customising your own shoes?
Absolutely love this type of video 🤌👏🐐
This is very high accomplishment and dedication to your audience. And also shows part of the problem with the current marketing of brands, where they launch shoes saying it is as worn by their athletes but there are always a plethora of customizatios that essencially make a new shoe, even though the brands say it is exactly like they use
This is AWESOME!!! if you could do more of this that would be AMAZING! great episode!!!
Love this type of video it would be great knowing the difference especially between two or three different players that wear the same model but see how different the customizations can be.
Only you would win a custom, professionally worn shoe and would cut it up to dissect it for educational purposes. Love it! Hopefully you can do more of this.
Amazing stuff! Best shoe channel on UA-cam by far. Keep it up!
I love these videos where you're tearing apart player customs... Because it shows what players really want in their shoe rather than what's released to the public. ❤
video of the year
Really love the contents that you are making. What a great channel for tennis gear/equipment lovers.
Interesting to see the lengths Nike will go to to make Rafa's shoe visually similar to the regular Cage. Great vid!
I do want more of these!! Knowing the difference of what athletes actually use vs what Nike thinks consumers want is damn interesting.
Great video! After seeing and you explaining the customizing it makes sense why Rafa never updated his shoe. The amount of customization for his needs are insane, imho.
Amazing video. Very unique. I love the PE breakdowns. If enough of this is seen by the shoe community, maybe big brands will be held to higher standards after seeing how good they can really make a shoe.
Loved the vid doc! I wouldn't mind seeing more of these since it's cool to see exactly how fine-tuned equipment for elite athletes are and how much effort is put into trying to wring out every ounce of performance they can from the stuff they use
Lol nice product placement 2:34 non-intrusive. :) Thank you for doing this breakdown doc! So amazing to see how custom athletic shoes go.
Great video Zach! You should create a website for pro athletes to donate their footwear for you to dissect lol! This was a great video showcasing what us average customers get vs the pros that get the best from their company.
wow its so cool to learn about all the customization that rafa's shoe have, wish they can put bit more thought into their current tennis shoe lineups tho
What a dream to have in hand and actually be able to wear the same shoe a legend wore to become one of the greatest. Amazing video and a privilege for everyone
Wow the conviction to cut a "WORN RAFA SHOE" AFTER he's retired.....you my friend embody dedication.
Such a cool vid to see the possibilities of what a shoe can be - I’d go for the grippppy customization too given the chance. Would be so cool to just put your own shoe together! Thanks for this!
Best type of video you make the foot doctor shows on these videos
Loved it Zach, but I’m a fan of most of your content
Thank you
I appreciate you
Great to see someone finally gettyin to the covert customisation available. Ex Pro here. Hope they Steam cleaned those beasts for your $1500! Loved the torquoise on the mud. (* The Racquets and handles....)
This is awesome. Please more of these videos.
And I can’t stress this enough. For shoe manufacturers big or new, please consider collaborating with Zach for shoe test and review. His knowledge and experience is second to none.
Appreciate the support
Really appreciate These Videos!
I think these reviews are fascinating, I think it would be interesting to look at one of the lower tier signature models from Nike/JB, because on paper it seems like it would be better as a player to just be signed to the brand and play in the flagship shoes than whatever basic thing they churn out as your first signature. Looking at a Ja, JT or Freak PE would be interesting.
Thanks for this video! It totally answers why Rafa always loosened or swapped his shoes before he did the court interviews...
We love this type of content, is 1/1! So special Doc❤
IIRC, his 2017 US Open shoe has air max bags in the heel and zoom bags in the forefoot. A courtballistec 4.3 made to look like a lunar ballistec 1.5.😂
Loved this vid, very cool doc!
It has been obvious for a while that Nadal hardly seems to bend his toes when he runs - it's interesting to see that his tennis shoe design promotes this. The customizations Nadal requires are amazing and very interesting. Just how wide are his shoes? I've noticed for a long time now that my very narrow A width feet might be good for speed in a straight line but rob my tennis game of power and don't offer much stability. Great job! Keep up the good work.
Incredible insight. Very curious to know what your perfect tennis shoe would be like. If you could take all the different elements and create a custom shoe. That would be a very fascinating video!
love getting into the details of these custom designs
Love this! I had wanted to be a shoe designer in high school so find this so fascinating!
Great video as always, Doc!
As for a suggestion: I would love to see you giving a deep dive into the Air Jordan line (1-14). I think most of those shoes are relatively widely available and could bring some insight on how the Air Jordan line evolved as the years passed, as well as basketball shoes as a whole, given the differences between the first and last models Jordan played in.
fantastic debulking research !
Thank you Doc!!! How did I miss this ep?!! I have a pair of Dimitrov's custom shoes just laying in my cupboard getting moldy. Would love to see you to cut them in half. I think they are very close to Roger's Nike custom!!
Excellent videos... Both informative and entertaining. 🎾🎾🎾
Fantastic video. I’m a huge Rafa fan and collector and we have wondered for years what sorta tech he had going on 👏
Great video!!! Never seen this kind of shoe info.
Unbelievable you were able to get these. Nicely done
Rafa: “try walking in my shoes no?” Zach: “done. Vamos!”
Is there any other shoes with air max heel but covered up?
more of these types of videos please 🙂
Great video, it helps a lot. Thanks for the review.
That was fascinating! I kind of wish I had a pair of those when I was still struggling with plantar fasciitis….
Great video, so interesting, especially bc of Rafa's injuries! Also he's such a creature of habit, I'm not surprised he prefers older shoe tech over the new ones.
Yes, more ! Roger, Andy, Novak!
A BIG THANK YOU to you Dr Zach!! I always wanted to know the REAL RAFA shoes. I like your videos and this one is definitely top of the list!!
I reckon he might even benefit from a harder / less bouncy foam giving more direct energy towards the ground, aiding his explosive playstyle. Also, he tended to slide and quickly turn a lot, which would give insane wear to his ankles if he was on soft/ unstable foam.
These videos are SOooooooo GOOOOOOD, please do more of these
I appreciate you
It’s incredible you got these and you ran them through your battery of tests. Amazing work, this is what we’re here for. ❤
Would I play in these? Heck no, I’m perfectly happy with the gel res, and if I can later get some NB, Mizuno or Yonex here I might try em. But it’s amazing the performance these offer, it’s a shame retail Nikes seem so inconsistent and watered down.
And on consistency is exactly why I expect someone as particular with his gear as Nadal is to find something that worked for him before and just update it the bare minimum to account for his ailments.
I know nothing about tennis, but this was a super cool analysis. Really shows how there’s not simply one best shoe for everyone.
I’d love to see more break-downs of game-worn shoes in Basketball. Especially those whose stock version makes you think “no way the signature player would wear THIS version in-game”, something like Giannis’ main shoe line.
I’m also wondering about the added value that custom orthotics provide for professional athletes who already get their entire shoe customized.
THIS IS AWESOME!!! I think we need to see what is going on inside the shoes of the new-wave gen of young athletes like CARLOS ALCARAZ's custom Vapors and BEN SHELTON's Ons
Love the video! Really interesting. Would love to see more custom Nike tennis shoes like Alcaraz, Sinner, or Rune.
I loved this video. I want to see this for every signature shoe. Especially basketball
Great video🎉 Sinner's boots would be awsome to see 😮
Foot Doctor Zak .. I gotta admit .. i went into FULL cringe 😬 when you drove the knife deep into them . But very interesting information Sir
This was SUUUPER interesting! It's a shame they didn't come with a pair of his custom orthotics, that's the real Holy Grail imo! Would LOVE to see a teardown of a pair of Federer's customs (maybe even some Nike customs vs ON customs...) Would be cool to compare between RN's customs to RF's customs.
You’re a legend for this Zach
amazing video. no one is making content like this!!!
Super interesting video. I've never seen any of your videos before, but you got an instant sub
I appreciate you
I remember when nike gave kyrie full lenght zoom with full carbon fiber plate on his lunar hyperdunk, crazy how it can be so different compared to stock, yet still looks the same.
This was awesome thank you
Hi Zach, thanks for the video! I think it’s fascinating to see you dissect the difference between a street release and a player edition. I appreciate the cost that went into this video, and I hope it’s something you can do again in the future. I’m interested to see what secret tech might be hidden in NBA players’ shoes. I’m especially curious whether Devin Booker has a different version of the Book 1, given how pedestrian the retail release is.
Just an incredible video, thank you. I also wouldn't mind finding out about Roger's Nike shoes, and see them compared to his Ons 😊
Awesome video. I still remember the Kyrie PE video. Definitely a cool idea to see the differences between stock and PE shoes. I wonder if Tatum’s shoes get any better with his customizations or if technologically “spare” shoes like the latest Giannis, Ja, Book, or GT Cut 3 improve with their PE versions. Hard to believe the pros are playing without a shank.
Silly question doc … if Rafa has the ability to customize his shoe why would he need an orthotic? Nike could create a mold to his foot … add a pair of socks and you are good … love the video … perhaps a video on Federer’s shoe ?
Much easier to make small and meaningful updates with a single modular component-even if you got a perfect fit with zero customization, you'd have to redo the whole shoe. Moreover, I imagine Nadal is quite used to his own orthotics so in a way, he gets to keep his insoles consistent while adjusting the shoe itself, hopefully preventing injuries.
Can capture the arch with just foam- it would be too heavy, plus minor changes would be impossible
Orthotics are like overgrips. They wear down and are cheaper to replace
He might not even have foot problems if he wasn’t wearing shoes that atrophy his foot muscles and reduce its mobility
We’re also talking about the most superstitious, routine based player in history. Could totally just be what worked for him and he stuck to it
It goes along with ideas of my ideal performance basketball shoes. The significant shank in the foreforefoot, good amount stability but customize orthodic or just orthodics in general is almost impossible to find in overseas
Amazing video👏
Awesome review doc! We can finally understand why Nike gives their athletes different shoes from what’s available to the public.
His having a big Air unit while the others have Zoom is insane all by itself IMO. That’s a different shoe going by that alone
If possible, it would be super cool to see the same breakdown in the newest NBA stars and their shoes!
Thinking on the likes of Devon Booker or Ja Morant. Their first signature shoes hasn't got too much tech in them, and I wonder if they actually play with that, or are they like Nadal, where they wear the known model in terms of visuals, but then have a totally unique shoe underneath?
Love this video!
Interesting video man. Glad we could finally see what nadal had to do.
Been waiting for this one since I was a 13 year old Rafa fan! Vamos!
Ill bring them along for you to check out during our next get together
Really interesting. I’d love to see Tatum’s customs especially cause the standard model seems not so great. Although the 3’s seem pretty good this time.
Great Video Zach. Love the insights. Would love a video like this looking at Dimitrov's custom vapors.
cool video zach!
I would cry dissecting that but that's me. Well done Zach! Very informative indeed to us tennis geeks
Love it show more of such videos
I'd love to see the Djokovic Court FF3. I use the stock one to play and it has crazy support for the ankle.
Love seeing how different the professionals shoes are compared to the mass models
Love this, and you know we all wanna see you grab some bball customs, any player tbh!
Also we better get a clip of you trying to shoot in some size 20 NBA player shoes 😂
Vamos Rafa♾️
I Enjoyed this video 🔥🔥
Incredible stuff! Would love to see an nba custom shoe to see what’s inside. Crazy that Nike is capable of this but unfortunately is there to sell the stock versions because majority of buyers don’t put as much thought in to a purchase as us wear testers, and just want something that’s comfortable and performs well