Andre Agassi’s Nike Air Tech Challenge II (2025) tennis shoes
Back in the 90s when Andre Agassi rocked on court with his wild highlighted mullet and rebellious outfits. The 8 time Grand Slam champion from Las Vegas duly sent shockwaves across the world wearing his unique Nike Air Tech Challenge II’s kicks lauded as one the most iconic tennis shoes of all-time.
Originally designed by Tinker Hatfield who created the Air Jordan’s 3 through to 15 (plus many more) the ATC II showcases audacious styling with it’s distinctive mid top cut, neon hues, explosive graphics and visible ‘Air’ bubble, the sneaker made a fiery statement on the tennis court and street alike.
35 years on and multiple iterations, the Air Tech Challenge II still commands a vibrant and ever popular following for die hard tennis fans and sneaker heads.
Nike’s most recent ‘Hot Lava’ re-release at the back end of 2024 unsurprisingly sold out in minutes via Nike’s SNKS app and now can be found on re sell sites like Stock X at vastly inflated prices, cementing the shoe’s status as a hot ticket collectors item.
For the masses (and me) who missed out on snapping them up at face value, a lush and rare ‘Racer Pink’ colour way is set to be unleashed at the end of January. If that is not enough, aficionado’s will be delighted to hear a ‘Tart Sone Blue’ last seen in 2014 returns this Summer.
The latest line has all the OG features you would wish for, but this time comes with an aged discoloured yellow midsole, to match up with the original version. This is the nearest and best incarnation since the silhouette first hit the shelves.
In fact, Agassi still wears them to this day … mostly as leisure wear.
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British No.1 Jack Draper, as well as, Carlos Alcaraz were also spotted slipping on a pair during last season’s US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz debuting the Air Tech Challenge retro at the US Open post-match 🔥 @NickDePaula @MatthewJWelty pic.twitter.com/cql8siVAHu
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) August 28, 2024
For those of you who believe trainers are there to be worn (rather than kept boxed fresh in mint condition) the Air Tech Challenge II looks just as good, if not even better, a bit beaten up.
Either way, consider yourself very fortunate if you have or manage to purchase a pair.
The Nike Air Tech Challenge II ‘Racer Pink‘ retails at £134.99 available via Nike SNKRS from 31 January 2025
Reviewer profile
Gareth Richman is a tennis nut! For a day job he’s a freelance journalist for The London Standard specialising in tennis products and a PTR qualified coach who also represents his local club. He is an avid supporter of The Elena Baltacha Foundation. Follow Gareth on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok as he lives his tennis dream!
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