K-Swiss surprised us with a blast from the past last week when they resurrected their popular Ultrascendor Tennis Shoe for a limited time. After having been replaced by the Hypercourt Express back in 2014/2015, many thought the longtime favorite had been permanently laid to rest. They were wrong. To celebrate the shoe's 20th anniversary, K-Swiss has allowed customers to experience the classic shoe yet again. Will you be among them? We were...

The K-Swiss Ultrascendor

K-Swiss Men's Ultrascendor Tennis Shoe

It was a day like any other: I got to work, started to go through my emails, and thought of bad puns to share with my coworkers that morning. That all changed, though, when I stumbled across the news that K-Swiss was bringing back the Ultrascendor. While I never personally played with the shoe, I knew quite a few others who had, and just needed to get my hands on a pair to test them out. K-Swiss Men's Ultrascendor Tennis Shoe

- Style: Right when I took the shoes out of the box, they screamed retro. This was true from the leather upper and striped shoelace closure all the way down to the old-school outsole. They felt a little bit heavier and bulkier than many modern shoes, which was confirmed when I weighed my size 10 at 14.7oz. - Fit: As I slipped on the shoes for the first time, I immediately noticed the extra space. I thought that it may be an issue, but they did a nice job of tightening up when needed. The arch was a little bit high for my liking, but not excessive. Inside, there was a moderate level of padding around the ankle and forefoot, and the wide tongue felt comfortable against the top of my foot (inside seen at right). - Performance: Overall, I thought the Ultrascendor was relatively stable with good cushioning. It doesn't compete with top-of-the-line shoes of today, but it has a really classic feel that I know a lot of players enjoy. This is especially true considering the leather construction. As expected, these shoes did not have the best breathability, but despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed testing them out.

As always, you can shop for these shoes and more at Tennis Express.

Play Tester: Chris Worman

Height: 5' 10" Weight: 190 lbs

USTA Ranking: N/A

Favorite ATP Player: Novak Djokovic Favorite WTA Player: Simona Halep

Background: I primarily participated in soccer and track & field at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. Some of my proudest accomplishments at that time were winning the conference title in soccer, and placing 6th in pole vault for Class AAA at the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Championship. In college, I took up weightlifting and nutrition more seriously. I Co-Founded, and was the President for, Redbird Bodybuilding at Illinois State University. We teamed up with exercise science and nutrition majors to help individuals learn about training techniques, program development, and overall health (among other topics). Now, I keep up with my own goals in regard to fitness and nutrition, and assist others who care to listen.