Babolat Premura 3: the construction behind its support claim

Babolat's Premura 3 puts the emphasis on how a padel shoe holds the forefoot and bends through changes of direction. The 2026 collection combines a redesigned upper, lateral reinforcement and a Michelin-developed outsole, with the brand claiming a 7% improvement in support over the previous generation.

The construction details are more useful than the percentage alone when assessing what has changed. They describe where Babolat has placed material and flexibility; they do not establish how the shoe will fit a particular foot or perform on every court.

What Babolat changed

The U.S. Premura 3 Men specification describes a Matryx Micro woven upper developed with textile specialist Chamatex, ventilation openings in the sole and a lighter tongue. Babolat retains the forefoot reinforcement it calls teeth and combines lateral support with EVA foam in its Blast Pad system.

The outsole is described as padel-specific and redesigned with Michelin. Its 360° Flex feature uses grooves intended to let the sole flex during padel movements. The listed fit is standard and the heel-to-toe drop is 10 millimeters.

Those specifications concern different parts of the shoe. The upper surrounds the foot, the reinforcement helps contain it laterally, the foam sits within the cushioning system, and the outsole is the contact layer against the surface. A change to one does not, by itself, answer questions about the others.

What the 7% claim measures

Babolat attributes the support comparison to real-game-condition testing by Human Fab. The public product page does not set out enough detail about the protocol, sample or measurement to translate that figure into a predicted improvement in match play.

It is a manufacturer-reported comparison with the previous generation, rather than an independent rating against competing shoes. It also concerns support: it should not be converted into a claim that a player moves 7% faster, wins more points or faces a quantified reduction in injury risk.

The 2026 Premura collection page places the shoe within Babolat's padel-specific footwear range and highlights its Michelin collaboration. It also notes that professional players may use customized or different equipment from the products pictured. A tour association is therefore not proof that every retail shoe is identical to a professional's pair.

Compare the fit under controlled movement

For a practical fitting check, use the socks you normally play in and lace both shoes. Start with a comfortable stance, then make small lateral steps and a gentle forward stop in a space where the retailer permits it. Look for heel movement, toe contact against the front and pressure from the upper. These are observations about your fit, not a laboratory performance score.