Key Players
Competitive Landscape
The tennis shoes market brings together global performance brands, mid-range crossover suppliers and smaller regional makers. Adidas Group and Nike Inc. compete on surface-specific range and endorsement reach, and New Balance and ASICS add performance court options. PUMA SE, Under Armour and Li Ning supply mid-range and training crossover models around the court shoe category. Rivalry through 2036 will turn on surface-specific traction, sizing range and specialty retail presence.
Brands kept reporting growth during 2025 even as price competition stayed intense. adidas reported currency-neutral brand sales growth of 12% in the third quarter of 2025, with gains across categories and regions. Rising participation, with United States players reaching 27.3 million in 2025, is adding buyers for brands across the performance and mid-range tiers. Brands setting investment priorities over the forecast period will weigh surface-specific technology, sizing range and specialty retail presence.
Company developments mapped to drivers, trends and opportunities (2026-2036)
| Development | Driver | Trend | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026: Somnigroup completed the combination with Leggett & Platt, owner of Spühl. | Mattress groups want secure supply of springs and machines. | Bed makers are taking ownership of upstream suppliers. | Independent builders can gain plants that prefer not to buy from a rival group. |
| February 2026: Leggett & Platt divested a small U.S. machinery business. | Weak bedding volumes push suppliers to cut costs. | Spring makers are narrowing machinery portfolios. | Specialist builders can pick up customers from exited product lines. |
| January 2026: Guangzhou Lianrou Machinery presented the LR-PS-UMS/UMD multi-function machine. | Brands want several spring types from one line. | Chinese builders are adding zoning and multi-format features. | Mid-sized plants can add premium spring formats without a second line. |
| August 2025: Dolphin Pack reported a Smart Hybrid system for packing mattresses in paper. | Plastic rules raise the cost of film-wrapped beds. | Mattress lines are moving toward lower-plastic packing. | End-of-line suppliers can sell retrofits to plants with older roll packers. |
Source: Future Market Insights, Tennis Shoes Market Report, 2026-2036.
Adidas Group and Nike Inc. both lead in performance court footwear, and endorsement reach, price level and regional presence set the two apart. New Balance and ASICS compete more on technical cushioning than on endorsement spend alone. PUMA SE and Under Armour serve the mid-range and training crossover tier, with Li Ning adding a strong regional base in Asia.
Who leads the tennis shoes market?
Leadership in tennis footwear is shared by brands with different strengths in endorsement reach, technical range and regional presence. Adidas Group reported strong brand sales growth in the third quarter of 2025, and Nike Inc. keeps the widest global endorsement roster among profiled players. New Balance and ASICS build share on technical cushioning and fit. Supplier rank is likely to follow participation growth, surface-specific technology and specialty retail reach over the coming decade.
Which companies have documented performance evidence?
Adidas Group has published quarterly brand sales growth figures for the third quarter of 2025. Buyers reviewing New Balance, ASICS, PUMA SE and Under Armour can compare published performance technology claims and endorsement rosters before choosing a pair. Published growth and participation figures help buyers compare brand momentum across companies.
What should buyers evaluate before choosing a brand?
Players should test traction on the usual court surface, cushioning fit and sizing range before choosing a tennis shoe brand. Specialty store fitting advice and surface-specific recommendations also matter, since the wrong traction pattern raises injury risk. Players tend to choose brands that offer trial fitting and surface-matched models before buying.
How is competition expected to change through 2036?
Competition is expected to tighten between global performance brands and regional challengers as participation keeps growing. Rising participation among women and first-time players may shift sizing and marketing investment toward broader buyer groups. Specialty retail presence and surface-specific technology are expected to reward established performance brands through 2036.
Representative Company Overview
| Company | Positioning | Recent Development |
|---|---|---|
| Spühl | Pocket coilers and assemblers | May 2025: FPC-120 coiler presented at interzum in Cologne. |
| Leggett & Platt | Spring and machinery group | February 2026: small U.S. machinery business divested within Bedding Products. |
| Somnigroup | Bedding group owning Spühl | August 2026: all-stock combination with Leggett & Platt completed. |
| Guangzhou Lianrou | Export spring line builder | January 2026: LR-PS-UMS/UMD multi-function machine presented. |
| Dolphin Pack | Mattress packing lines | August 2025: Smart Hybrid paper packing reported with plastic cuts of up to 96%. |
| Mert Makina | Mattress line automation | August 2025: United Mert Makina planned an equipment launch for ISPA EXPO 2026 in Orlando. |
Research Methodology
Tennis shoe brands profiled here represent the present supplier mix, grouped by role in performance court footwear, mid-range crossover models or regional and comfort-focused ranges. Primary research covers brand marketing teams, specialty retailers and club program coordinators. Desk research draws on brand earnings releases, participation survey data and sporting goods trade reporting. Estimates are tested against participation growth, replacement cycles and country-level player counts.
