In his long-awaited return to tennis, Roger Federer had a surprise for his fans. Federer took the court with new tennis shoes, The Roger Pro, designed by Swiss shoemaker On, where Federer is an investor. In 2019, Federer reportedly invested $50 million in the company.
Federer was away from the tour for 13 months after two knee surgeries. During this time, Federer worked with On Lab to come up with the design for The Roger Pro.
Confirmed: Roger Federer will be wearing a new pair of On shoes, «THE ROGER Pro». Federer said: «It feels perfect to me. I put a lot of passion into the development of the shoe.» #Federer https://t.co/yU3OeudrO0 pic.twitter.com/vCCIaargo8
— Simon Häring (@_shaering) March 10, 2021
The design process started with 3D scans of Federer’s feet. The midsole is made from high-density and high-performance foam. The shoe cage around the midfoot keeps the foot firmly in place while taking quick cuts on the court. The design team also worked to keep the shoe weight low, similar to Federer’s previous shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Vapor X.
The upper mesh is breathable and designed for durability. The shoe is also designed to reduce squeaking on the court.
Because these shoes are designed to suit Federer’s feet, they are not available for sale at this time. But given Federer’s influence, it is very likely that On will release a version of The Roger Pro that the public can buy at some point in the future.