Roger Federer Will Debut a New On Tennis Shoe at the 2021 Qatar Open

After more than a year away from the sport, Roger Federer will take the court today for the 2021 Qatar Open. And when the tennis icon returns, he’ll have a new shoe from On laced up.

Federer will be wearing The Roger Pro, which marks the debut of On in performance tennis footwear. (The colorway he will wear for the Qatar Open is predominantly white with hits of blue throughout.)

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The Swiss company explained that it had to adapt its key technologies for the sport when creating The Roger Pro, to running’s forward movement, tennis requires developing them for agility and directional changes rather than the forward movement of running.

“Tennis players put up to three times their body weight through a shoe during lateral movements,” On co-founder and innovation leader Olivier Bernhard said in a statement. “These high forces demand extreme agility and stability. That’s what we worked with Roger to create.”

To make a shoe made for tennis, On added a stable midsole featuring high-performing foam to The Roger Pro as well as its signature carbon-fiber Speedboard plate between the midsole and upper for energy return, a rounded sole to help offer smooth transitions and a midfoot cage foot placement.

“After so many years at the top of world sport, Roger has his sense of what performance should feel like completely dialed in,” Bernhard said in a statement. “He can sense every small adjustment. This insight guided the whole project.”

Although Federer will be wearing The Roger Pro, sneaker fans won’t be able to buy this shoe: On confirmed it was made for his on-court demands and it will not make its way to retail.

However, there are fans bearing the tennis star’s name from On — The Roger Centre Court ($190), The Roger Clubhouse ($150) and The Roger Advantage ($140) — that are available for purchase now via On-running.com.

Roger Federer in the On The Roger Pro.

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