New Balance Fresh Foam X CT-Rally v2

What it is

Third set, two hours into a grinding rally day. Your feet still feel fresh because there’s a thick slab of foam under the heel, and the shoe still holds when you plant wide. That’s the New Balance Fresh Foam X CT-Rally v2 (Tennis Warehouse sells it as CT Rally 2). It’s NB’s flagship stability shoe and the fourth generation of the line that started as the Lav and Lav v2, then became the CT-Rally.

US retail (Oct 2026): Tennis Warehouse lists new men’s colorways at $149.95 in D (medium) and 2E (wide). Example: Navy/Enoki D, TW stock MRAL1ZJD. Older colorways are marked down to about $80–$130. Specialty retailers list New Balance’s style codes at $149.99: MCHRALC2 (white, sold in 2E) and MCHRALA2 (Blue/Purple). TW also carries a clay version (Medusa Green, $149.99). Construction per TW: NDure upper with drag-zone protection, FantomFit midfoot, external heel frame, full-length Fresh Foam X midsole, and NDurance rubber in a modified herringbone pattern. TW’s fit card says true to size, medium arch, needs a break-in, about 15.8 oz in a men’s 10.5, hard/all-court. TW backs the outsole with a one-time six-month guarantee.

What club players actually buy: the hard-court D or 2E at $150, or a marked-down colorway around $115 if your size is in stock. Pick the width deliberately. The 2E is the reason NB beats a sized-up medium shoe for wide feet.

Who it’s for

Serious recreational and club players (roughly 3.5–4.5) who grind from the baseline on hard courts and care more about how their feet feel in hour three than how quick their first step is. It’s a strong fit for wider forefeet (2E), for players coming off the Lav v2 or first-gen CT-Rally, and for anyone who finds Gel-Resolution or Barricade too firm underfoot. One TW tester said it fits and feels more like the Gel-Resolution 9 than the Resolution X, but with plusher foam.

Skip it if you’re a light, fast mover who wants the shoe to disappear. At about 15.8 oz it’s one of the heavier shoes in its class, and Solution Speed FF 3 (~11.8 oz) is already on Court List for that. Skip it too if you slide a lot on hard courts and want give from day one, since TW testers called the outsole sticky until it broke in. If you’re a hard toe-dragger, read the durability notes below and keep the receipt.

Standout details

• Specs that matter (NB / TW): hard/all-court (clay version sold separately) · ~15.8 oz (TW fit card, men’s 10.5; one tester’s size 11 weighed 15.6 oz) · true to size · medium arch · needs a break-in · D and 2E widths · Fresh Foam X midsole · NDure + FantomFit upper · NDurance herringbone outsole · TW six-month outsole guarantee · US street $149.95 new, markdowns around $80–$130
• Push-off / quickness (our “Power” axis for shoes): This is the cost. It’s a heavy, cushioned stability shoe. TW testers said it’s “not slow” once broken in, but every one of them noticed the heft. Expect a 2.
• Stability / lockdown (Control): TW Foot Support / Stability 8.7, with praise for lateral cuts and quick stops. One long-time CT-Rally tester felt the softer, more breathable upper locks the foot down slightly less than the first gen did. Expect a 4.
• Traction (Spin, which doesn’t mean ball spin here; read it as grip on court): TW Traction 8.0. It’s very grippy at first, and several testers wanted more give for pivots until the rubber broke in. That’s good for planting, less good for sliders. Expect a 3.
• Cushion / comfort (Comfort): TW Comfort 8.7 and Arch Support 8.6. Testers called the Fresh Foam X midsole “some of the best in the game” for underfoot cushioning and said they finished matches feeling less beat up. This is the franchise strength. Expect a 5.
• Tradeoffs: Durability is split. TW’s average outsole score is 8.1, but one tester scored it 6.5. TW customer reviews on the Navy/Enoki page average 3.2 / 5, with several reports of outsoles going bald in 6 to 8 weeks and one report of a sole separating at the heel. The six-month guarantee covers worn-through outsoles only, not uppers or toe guards. There’s a 2–3 hour break-in, and one tester’s round laces kept coming untied.

Who’s hitting it

Club bags, not tour logos. Court List couldn’t verify any current ATP or WTA player wearing a retail CT-Rally v2, so we’re not naming one. The Lav/CT-Rally line has built its following among league and senior players and baseline grinders who want comfort and durability. TW’s own long-term testers (some of whom wore the first-gen CT-Rally as their regular shoe) tested it alongside the Yonex Eclipsion 5, HEAD Revolt Pro 4.5, and K-Swiss Ultrashot 4 as the shoes it plays most like.

Retail ≠ tour setup. Treat the CT-Rally v2 as the cushion-first stability shoe club players actually buy in wide sizes, not a pro signature model.

Honest verdict

Court List already covers the firm stability lane (Gel-Resolution 9, Barricade 14), speed (Solution Speed FF 3, Vapor Pro 3), Nike’s cushioned ride (Zoom GP Challenge 1.5), and clay (Gel-Challenger 15 Clay). The CT-Rally v2 fills the empty New Balance slot with cushion-first stability in a true 2E, the most comfortable stability ride on the site, plus an outsole guarantee to cover the shoe’s weakest point. Demo it if your feet are wide or sore after long hard-court days. Skip it if speed matters more than cushioning, or if your last three pairs died at the big toe in two months, because the customer reviews suggest it may not be the shoe that breaks that pattern. It’s a solid 3: excellent at comfort, average or worse at speed, and uncertain on durability.

Updated 2026-10-08