New Balance Coco CG1 Review

During the US Open 2022, the young American Coco Gauff released her first signature shoe with New Balance. This shoe is built to provide you with the best high-performing features on the court whiles at the same time expressing how Coco is unique.

The question that you are probably asking is how did this shoe perform and whether it is good enough for the price. If you are curious to find out the answer then read further.

Design

Right out of the box, the New Balance Coco CG1 is one of the best-looking tennis shoes I have seen. It’s colourful, bright and attractive to wear both on and off the court. Personally, I love the white and black design because it makes you unique and gives you some confidence when you walk onto the court.

Now let’s look at some of the design aspects that make this shoe amazing. Firstly, when you look at the tongue you would see Gauff’s signature which is super cool.

Secondly, the upper material also has her signature and the laces have her brother’s name attached to them. And lastly, the New Balance logo is written in a big format with a golden colour to make it stand out.

Overall, the design, colour combination and cosmetics of the shoe are spot on. It’s attractive and fun to play in it.

Upper

The next part of the shoe to take a look at is the upper material. It comes with a fit weave lite woven materials which does a really good job at providing you with support when moving up and down the court.

Not only that but it does really well at locking your feet down so that it can give you a better grip when sliding on the court.

Moreover, the use of the saddle gore band does well at providing you with stability on lateral cuts.

This is a nice feature to have because it reduces your chances of getting any serious injury on the court.

And lastly with the upper is the breathability. You are going to enjoy how the moisture leaves the shoe quickly whiles allowing fresh air to come in. This can be very useful when you are playing long hours of matches.

Toe Box, Ankle Support and Heel Area

In terms of the toe box, you are going to get a nice fit if you choose the right fit size. This is great because it leaves no extra room.

This doesn’t mean that it’s going to make your toes very tight when you play in them. It’s going to give you comfort just like the Wilson Rush 4.0 which also recently came out on the market.

In terms of the durability of the toe box, I wouldn’t say is the best on the market or the worst either. I would say it’s fairly decent. However, if you are someone who is a toe dragger then I would suggest that you try different shoes on the market.

When you look at the shoe for the first time, you notice that it looks different from how most tennis shoes are designed. It looks similar to basketball shoes because of how the ankle and heel area are shaped.

The ankle area is going to provide you with nice comfort and cushioning when you wear it. This makes it fun to play in it.

Also, how the heel area is shaped would keep your heels in perfect position as you move around the court. This makes sliding and moving on the court easier.

Insole and Midsole

The insole of the shoe is like most tennis shoes. It comes with a removable layer which you can replace anytime with your prefered choice.

In addition, when you wash the shoe, you can take the insole out for it to dry quickly.

In terms of the midsole, it comes with a unique energy arc carbon fibre plate for energy return.

While the FuelCell keeps your feet well-cushioned, stable and comfortable when moving on the court.

These features from the midsole make the shoe built for players who want to be powerful, speedy and comfortable on the court. If that is your game style then you would love playing in this shoe.

Weight

The Coco CG1 is not the most lightweight shoe on the market and is not the heaviest either. The weight of the shoe is manageable.

If you are a player that loves lightweight tennis shoes then I would recommend that you check out other tennis shoes such as Adidas CourtFlash.

Playing in the Courtflash would help you to increase your speed and at the same time enjoy some of the great features such as breathability.

Lacing System and Tongue

Both the lacing system and tongue are completed in a simple format but are very effective. First and foremost, the shoe comes with two different laces. One is rounded and the other is flatter. This is great to have because you can select which one suits you and gives you the most grip.

Next, the structure of the lacing system makes it easy to lace the shoe and provides you with good support, and stability.

On top of that, it has extra lacing holes for you to use in case you want more grip.

The tongue on the other hand is going to provide you with nice cushioning and comfort when you put the shoe on.

This allows you to play comfortably without putting too much pressure on your forefoot.

Fit

The fit of the New Balance Coco CG1 can be a little tricky because it comes in unisex sizing. It’s important to find the correct size so that you get the perfect fit. Although, we would recommend that you go up a size and a half to get the right size.

Outsole

Next up is the outsole material. It comes with multi-surface features which offer versatile performance and is great for all different players.

Moreover, the multi-surface feature is going to provide you with good traction on all court surfaces.

This is a great advantage because it would allow you to move better and more effective on the court.

Another thing that makes the outsole stand out from a lot of tennis shoes is the design. The way New Balance has designed its logo with the colour scheme they have selected is eye-catching.

However, the downside of the outsole material is the lack of durability. If you are a player that wears their outsole quickly then I wouldn’t recommend this shoe. If you want a durable outsole then I would recommend Asics Court FF 2.

Colour Options

As of now, the New Balance Coco CG1 comes in only two colours. It has white/black and red/lapis. Both designs are colourful and attractive. However, it would be nice to see different colours on the market as the season comes to an end.

Price

The last important point to discuss is the price of the New Balance Coco CG1. It’s close to $170 which is a little expensive compared to most tennis shoes that come around $120 to $150. Despite how expensive this shoe is, it comes with amazing features such as stability to elevate your game to the next level.

Final Thoughts!

It’s pretty clear that the collaboration between Coco Gauff and New Balance has done an excellent job at providing a shoe that represents Coco’s style of play and who she is as a person.

The New Balance Coco CG1 comes with amazing features such as comfort, stability and excellent support. If you are looking for these features then this is the shoe to go for.

However, there are some areas of the shoe that needs improvement such as the outsole and toe box durability. Also, it does require some break-in period for you to get used to the shoe.

Overall, it’s a fantastic first edition from Coco to help players take their game to the next level.