Babolat Tennis Shoes Thrive With Innovative Michelin Partnership

The two French brands have been working together since 2003, creating a new tennis shoe sole meant to withstand racquet sport intensity on court.

Babolat and Michelin have partnered to create footwear for over 20 years. | Courtesy of Babolat

It's a partnership that most might question at first. After all, what do one of the world's oldest racquet sports companies and one of the biggest tire manufacturers in the world have in common? A lot apparently.

For 22 years, French brands Babolat and Michelin have partnered to create unique pieces of footwear focused on bringing a stronger level of traction to Babolat tennis shoes. These two iconic brands trace their roots back to the late 19th century – Babolat in 1875, Michelin in 1889 – with one experimenting with musical instrument strings and the other manufacturing vehicle tires.

Babolat and Michelin formed a partnership in 2003 after Babolat looked to incorporate footwear into its already growing portfolio of tennis gear.

"Since footwork is a decisive factor in a player's performance, we set out to create a tennis shoe designed from the ground up for the unique demands of the sport, one that supports quick changes of direction and powerful lateral movements," Marion Cornu, Babolat's tennis business leader, told Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI.

"To make it happen, we partnered with Michelin, a leader in innovation and composite material technologies."

The friction caused by the skidding, sliding, and abrupt pivoting of tennis players' shoes is similar to the contact car tires have with the ground. Understanding that similarity led Babolat to determine the need for an entirely new shoe, one that could keep up with a player's lateral movements without compromising the shoe's durability on court.

Bablot reached out to Michelin for their expertise in rubber contact with the ground after decades of tire production. For over 20 years, teams at Michelin's Research and Development Center in Clermont-Ferrand, France, have worked "to find the best formulas for soles perfectly suited to the demands of any court," said Shivam Saxena, managing director of Michelin
Lifestyle Limited.

Michelin's extensive background in manufacturing rubber and producing tires has led the company to master mixtures that achieve the best composition and balance between grip and durability. Michelin's anti-abrasion performance for tires is particularly relevant for Babolat, who were looking to create a shoe built to withstand prolonged play and extended court traction across different surfaces.

"Both formula and sculpture are crucial to ensuring that composition and design play their roles in achieving grip and durability," Saxena said. "It is this know-how of grip and durability that helps design and develop the most efficient soles for all racquet sports." 

According to Babolat, a shoe's lug, deep indentations in a pattern such as on a shoe sole, determines the best possible outcome for a shoe's movement.

Babolat works to determine the shape of the lug to provide a shoe with the best movement and grip possible for the necessary footing needed for traction across several surfaces. Michelin’s knowledge of performance criteria for tire-like grip is incorporated into Babolat footwear like the Jet Mach III.

Sustainability is another key factor driving Babolat's collaboration with Michelin. Cornu says that the company research and development teams are currently exploring new materials and innovative manufacturing processes to combine sustainability and durability.

"For example, [we are] integrating bio-based or recycled components into rubber compounds without compromising grip and abrasion resistance," Cornu said. "We have also been working on improving durability to ensure a longer lifespan."

Babolat's partnership with Michelin has produced three versions of the Jet March, the collaboration's iconic shoe with a Michelin sole, constantly upgrading to keep up with every sudden start and stop while ensuring prime durability. The new sustainability measures have led the two brands to prepare a new generation of their iconic racquet sport shoes.

"In the coming months, we will unveil the next generation of our iconic performance models in tennis and padel," Cornu said. "The Jet Mach IV in tennis, engineered to get you to the ball faster than ever with explosive responsiveness, ultra-lightweight feel, and superior grip, and the Premura 3 in padel, proudly endorsed by Juan Lebron."

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