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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Genie Bouchard knows the value of on-court quickness. \u201CSpeed is very important,\u201D she says. \u201CIf you can\u2019t even get to the ball, you can\u2019t hit it. So you definitely need speed and every little bit helps.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sure, training plays a massive role in developing that speed, but Bouchard says her on-court gear can also prove a contributing factor. As Nike unveils a brand-new tennis footwear line, the NikeCourt Air Zoom Ultrafly, they do so having worked with professional athletes for the last three years, especially in relation to off-court training.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nike found that many tennis athletes spend time on the track\u2014in track spikes\u2014as a way to improve speed. \u201CAs a designer,\u201D says Michael Hui, Nike\u2019s tennis footwear senior designer, \u201Cyou think visually. Putting the two together\u2014a tennis shoe and a track spike\u2014was the ignition point for what the [Ultrafly] was to become.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nike borrowed insights from track and soccer to give Bouchard\u2019s planned footwear for Indian Wells a different sort of silhouette from the traditional tennis shoe. \u201CIf you were to ask someone what a tennis shoe looks like, they would say that it\u2019s usually made out of leather and pretty wide and boxy on the toe,\u201D Hui says. \u201C[The Ultrafly] really shatters a lot of those myths.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To get there, Nike used a track-tested Pebax propulsion plate, hexagonal Zoom Air units underfoot, asymmetrical lacing and a Flyknit\u2014engineered yarn for lightweight strength\u2014ankle cuff.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CIt looks less like a traditional tennis shoe and more like a soccer cleat, which is incredibly cool,\u201D Bouchard says. \u201CIt\u2019s like nothing we\u2019ve seen in tennis before.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bouchard isn\u2019t the only athlete planning to don the Ultrafly at Indian Wells. American Jack Sock has made the switch too, saying that footwork and speed are two of his biggest strengths on the court, \u201Cso when I got into the shoe, I felt like my quickness improved, which was a big confidence booster for me.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The asymmetrical design allows Bouchard and Sock optimal support when on the move. \u201CThe asymmetry of the shoe comes from this idea of being able to quickly move and push off,\u201D Hui says. \u201CTennis is played on the edges of the shoes; you\u2019re moving so quickly that you barely have time to really stand flat. The shoe is designed to provide maximum contact when you\u2019re on the corners.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lightness of the shoe, Bouchard says, helps with her on-court speed and the addition of a Flyknit collar on the ankle gives her peace of mind. \u201CI love the extra sense of support I get with it around my ankle,\u201D she says. \u201CI just feel super confident when I\u2019m moving in it.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sock says the Flyknit addition gives him a better feel for the court and a feeling of stability. \u201CEveryone\u2019s different, but I think the snug feel is definitely popular on tour,\u201D he says. \u201CA lot of guys like to feel like they are held tightly in their shoe. That feeling helps you move around the court quicker. Obviously, court coverage is a bit part of today\u2019s game, so feeling tight and snug in the shoe is big for me.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both the 22-year-old from Montreal and the 23-year-old from Kansas also enjoy the fact they will have a different on-court aesthetic than the sport\u2019s tradition. \u201CI love the look. I love the Flyknit collar,\u201D Bouchard says. \u201CIt\u2019s so different and it\u2019s just going to stand out in tennis so much.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sock says he always likes to be different, to be a trendsetter. \u201CIt\u2019s definitely something we\u2019ve never seen before in tennis,\u201D he says. \u201CIt\u2019s going to be an eye-looker, a head-turner. People are definitely going to look at it and be doing double takes.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And while the Ultrafly will stand out aesthetically, the real value comes for Bouchard and Sock if it helps their speed to shine. Even just a little bit.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tim Newcomb covers stadiums, sneakers and design for Sports Illustrated. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/tennis/2016/03/04/eugenie-bouchard-jack-sock-speed-nike-ultrafly>