Style Points

Iga Swiatek says On is “really, really close” to creating her “perfect” custom shoe

The Pole was signed to a head-to-toe deal with the Swiss sportswear company back in March, but has continued to wear Asics shoes with her On match kits.

ByStephanie Livaudais

Published Aug 14, 2023

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Blink and you’ll miss them: For about a day last week in Montreal, tennis fans got their first glimpse of Iga Swiatek’s new On Running shoes—but after one pre-tournament practice session, the world No. 1 was soon back in her familiar Asics sneakers.

That’s because her custom shoe is still “really, really close” to being developed, according to Swiatek. The Pole has been working closely with her sponsor to hammer out the final details in order to create the “perfect” model for her unique game.

“So with On, we're basically doing the shoe that is going to be kind of perfect for my movements and my style of running,” she told press in Cincinnati. “So I'm kind of testing them and giving them feedback about what we can improve.

“We are really, really close, but there are still some things that I would like to change.”

Swiatek signed a head-to-toe deal with Swiss sportswear On, but has continued to wear Asics shoes during competition.

Swiatek signed a massive head-to-toe deal with the Swiss sportswear company back in March, swapping her old Asics kit for some new On clothing. She became the first female athlete to join On, and one of the first tennis players to endorse them alongside rising American Ben Shelton.

But her footwear has been slower to make the switch: Swiatek lifted the Roland Garros trophy wearing Asics shoes, and continued to compete in her former sponsor’s gear through the clay and grass-court seasons. Shelton, by contrast, immediately swapped out his old gear for On’s signature “The Roger” tennis shoes, and he’s been competing in them since the start of the clay-court season.

“We're working together to make the perfect shoe, and that's why I switched the shoe that I was playing with before,” Swiatek explained. “During the matches and tournaments I want to be 100% confident, and soon I'm positive that I'm going to be playing in On shoes.”

Back in her usual Asics kicks again in Cincinnati, top seed Swiatek awaits the winner of Danielle Collins and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round after a bye.

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