Reviews New Balance Fresh Foam X CT-Rally v2

No lifespan in hours has been published. On our grid, the CT-Rally v2 scores 7.2/10 for durability, and eighteen models in our database of 37 do better.

The rubber is an NDurance, the one used across New Balance's whole tennis range. It is not the weak link: in its CT-Rally v2 review, RunRepeat recommends the shoe for its abrasion resistance.

One detail explains the score. NDurance covers most of the outsole, but the inner heel gets a standard rubber patch, which is less hard-wearing. A player who brakes on the inside of the heel will wear this zone first.

No pair is judged without the lifespan of its outsole. That of the CT-Rally v2 puts it level with the Nike Vapor 12 and the Babolat SFX 4, at 7.2, ahead of the FuelCell 996v6 from the same brand (6.4). The two Nike comfort shoes do better: 8.6 for the GP Challenge 1.5, 8.2 for the GP Challenge Pro.

On this shoe, though, the rubber is not what matters most. You buy it for its foam, and foam ages at the same pace for everyone: the AAPSM puts the wear of a midsole at between 45 and 60 hours of tennis. At two hours a week, that makes five to seven months. Past that point, a shoe chosen for its cushioning has lost part of what you paid for, even with an intact outsole.

So keep an eye on comfort before tread.

The article that explains when to replace your tennis shoes lists the signs to check, and the one on outsole rubbers compared places NDurance against the rubbers of Nike, Asics and Adidas.

It scores 8.0/10 on our grid, level with the Coco CG2 and the On THE ROGER Pro Fire. Twenty-three models in our database do better overall. It is eighth in our comfort ranking, and it is the only New Balance present in any of our seven rankings.

One score carries it. Comfort is at 8.8/10, and only one model does better, the Nike GP Challenge 1.5 at 9.4. The rest lags behind: 8.0 for grip, 7.8 for stability and for lightness alike, 7.2 for durability.

The spec sheet points the same way. The midsole is a Fresh Foam X foam, the thickest platform in its category according to RunRepeat, which measures a drop of 13.1 mm. That is the highest of the eleven models in our database whose drop is published. The outsole is NDurance rubber. The shoe weighs around 388 g in the men's model, size not specified, and 319 g in the women's model. It exists in D and 2E widths.

Two figures are missing: the release year and the upper material are not disclosed in the sources consulted.

My view: it is a shoe with a clear bias. Everything in it is built for cushioning, and the rest follows as best it can. If you play two doubles matches a week and your feet tire before your legs, that bias is for you. If you are looking for a lively, low shoe that lets you feel the court, look elsewhere.

The New Balance page places this model between the FuelCell 996v6, which is lighter, and the Coco CG2.

In the heel, yes, according to the only published measurement. In our comfort ratings, it is second.

RunRepeat measures 116 SA of shock absorption in the heel, a record in its measurements. As a reference point, the same source records 84 SA in the heel on the Asics Gel-Challenger 15. The Fresh Foam X foam has a lot to do with it: no shoe in its category has a platform as thick.

Cushioning is not the whole of comfort. On our grid, the CT-Rally v2 scores 8.8/10, level with the Nike Vapor 12, the Nike GP Challenge Pro, the On THE ROGER Pro 3 and the Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion 5. The Nike GP Challenge 1.5 stays ahead, at 9.4.

Cushioning or court feel: which should you choose? The question arises here more than elsewhere, because the CT-Rally v2 has made its choice. Its heel is 13.1 mm higher than its forefoot, and its thick platform leaves little court feel. Stability suffers for it: 7.8/10, with 25 models ahead of it.

For a doubles player, or a baseliner without big lateral movements, this trade-off is acceptable. For a player who changes direction sharply, who comes to the net and sets off again, a lower shoe will be safer.

Our comfort ranking lines up the eight best-rated models on this criterion, with the durability of each.

Yes for wide feet, thanks to its 2E width. For seniors, it comes up often in recommendations, with a reservation about its high heel.

The CT-Rally v2 is sold in two men's widths: D, the standard, and 2E, the wide. The Tennis Warehouse wide shoes page lists the 996 and the CT-Rally in 2E, and the 806 in 2E and 4E. At Nike, no wide version has been identified.

The 2E cannot be guessed from the photo. Only the mention “2E” or “Wide” on the product page is reliable, and the same colourway often exists in both widths. For trying on, keep about a thumb's width between the longest toe and the tip of the shoe, at the end of the day, with your tennis socks, according to Vionic. Do not go up a size to gain width.

For a senior or a player with sensitive feet, the criteria usually cited are arch support, cushioning, a firm heel counter and a rigid midfoot. New Balance's CT-Rally and Asics's Gel-Resolution series come up often in these recommendations.

The reservation comes down to the drop. 13.1 mm is a lot, and this high heel does not suit everyone. This is not medical advice: if you wear orthotic insoles or if a pain has set in, ask your podiatrist or your physiotherapist before choosing.

The guide which tennis shoes to choose as a senior and the one on wide feet compare this model with the other options.

A Nike if your foot fits a standard width. The CT-Rally v2 if you need 2E.

The Nike GP Challenge 1.5 is the best rated in our database for comfort: 9.4/10. It places Air Zoom in the heel and forefoot on a TPU plate. It scores 9.1/10 overall, 8.6 for durability, 9.0 for stability and for grip, against 8.0, 7.2, 7.8 and 8.0 for the New Balance. It costs around €125 in Belgium, which is €7 less. Its downside is weight: 456 g in men's US 10.5, among the heaviest shoes on the market.

The Nike GP Challenge Pro matches the CT-Rally v2 for comfort, at 8.8/10, and for lightness, at 7.8. It beats it on the rest: 8.2 for durability, 8.6 for stability, 8.8 for grip. It has been recorded at around €97, which is €35 less.

That leaves what the Nike models do not have. Neither exists in a wide version, even though the GP Challenge Pro sits on a widened base. A wide foot squeezed into a standard last hurts whatever the cushioning. The CT-Rally v2 also keeps its heavily cushioned heel, the most absorbent RunRepeat has measured.

Outside Nike, the Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion 5 gets the same comfort score, 8.8/10, with 8.2 for durability.

The comparison tool lines these models up score by score, and the overall ranking places the Nike models against the other brands.

Around €132 as the average price recorded in Belgium between June and September 2026. In the United States, it sells for $149.99. The official price in Europe is not disclosed.

The price that matters is the price per hour of play. On the basis of 45 to 60 hours before the cushioning wears out, a CT-Rally v2 at €132 works out at €2.20 to €2.95 per hour. A Nike GP Challenge 1.5 at €125 works out at €2.10 to €2.80, a GP Challenge Pro at €97 at €1.60 to €2.15.

The comfort of the New Balance therefore costs between 10 and 80 cents more per hour than that of the two Nike models.

As for versions, read the title carefully. Our sheet lists the CT-Rally v2 as all-court, and it is under that label that Tennis-Point.be sells it in the women's model. The two men's product pages recorded at Passasports.be and TennisDirect.be, on the other hand, carry the mention “clay”. Before ordering, check two things: the surface, and the width, D or 2E.

On clay, the rubber wears little and the cushioning alone decides the end of the pair. More than eight Belgian courts in ten are clay according to the RTBF. On carpet, you need a completely smooth outsole, which this model does not have.

No outsole warranty has been identified for the CT-Rally v2. The one attributed to New Balance concerns the 996, according to an Australian retailer, and its validity in Belgium is not confirmed. Count on the 2-year legal guarantee, which covers defects and not wear.

The article on cost per hour of play applies this calculation to nine models, and the one on the 6-month outsole warranty details who covers what.