Game On: In Doha return, Federer trades Nike shoes for "THE ROGER Pro"

The sartorial transformation of Roger Federer is complete, from head to—now—toe.

On Wednesday, in his first tour-level match since both the 2020 Australian Open and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Federer trotted around the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha not with Nike on his feet, but wearing On’s THE ROGER Pro.

The 39-year-old’s name already graces a collection of lifestyle shoes from On, a Zurich-based brand specializing in running. Now, for the first time, Federer boasts his own signature tennis shoe.

“In the wake of a successful sneaker franchise, Swiss partners Roger Federer and sportswear brand On unveil their magnum opus: a one-of-a-kind competition tennis shoe that served as the original technology inspiration behind THE ROGER collection,” announced On on Wednesday.

Images courtesy of On

Federer, who won all 20 of his Grand Slam singles titles clad in Nike, left the American athletic giant just before Wimbledon in 2018 for Japanese clothier Uniqlo. The Swoosh was as synonymous with Federer as his shots, the Swiss having worn Nike bandanas, shirts, shorts and shoes—and, depending on the day, a cardigan or sleeveless vest—for his entirety of his professional career. But his legions of fans have gotten used to the change.

“The response has been good,” Federer said of the move to Uniqlo three years ago. “People who know me, they trust me, that the judgment was the right one in this case.”

While Federer continued to wear Nike shoes after the switch, it seemed only matter of time that he would move on, particularly after a brand partnership with On was announced in late 2019. Speculation ramped up earlier this week after a series of social media posts showed Federer on the tennis court with an On training shoe, and later with sneaker a camouflaged with stripes, to conceal details.

With the black stripes stripped away, we can now see THE ROGER Pro, “a one-of-a-kind model Swiss-engineered to Roger's requirements and not available for purchase,” according to an On press release.

This is On’s first venture into tennis footwear, which demands more side-to-side support than forward-driven running shoes.

“Tennis players put up to three times their body weight through a shoe during lateral movements,” says Olivier Bernhard, On’s Co-Founder and Innovation Leader. “These high forces demand extreme agility and stability. That's what we worked with Roger to create.”

Like Federer’s lifestyle shoes—the Centre Court, the Clubhouse and the Advantage—an “R” is one of the few visible markings on THE ROGER Pro. It is possibly a substitute for the well-known “RF” logo, a fan favorite Federer has reacquired from Nike and is expected to reintroduce to the market at some point.

That return will have to wait. For now, the sight of R.F. playing tennis again—in something different than ever before—will more than do.