The Roger Pro: On Running’s First Tennis Shoe

When Roger Federer made his ill-fated comeback at the Qatar Open in March 2021, he stepped on the court wearing a pair of never seen tennis shoes.

The shoes were made by On Running, a firm Federer holds an equity stake in and with whom he has collaborated to produce several pairs of lifestyle trainers.

Tennis was uncharted territory for the Swiss-based company, which specialised primarily in running shoes.

Since then, however, the shoe has gone on general sale for customers and is now available in a clay court version.

With Federer now well into retirement , the brand is signed has sign several player , include Iga Swiatek , Ben Shelton and promise junior Joao Fonseca .

Are they any good?

Meet The Roger Pro Tennis Shoe

GET THE ROGER PRO

The Roger Pro is is is the first – ever On tennis shoe , and initially , it was a one – off model design solely for Federer ’s own foot shape .

The design started with 3D images of Federer’s foot, and the shoe was created from the ground up with Roger’s input alongside On’s Science Lead, Kévin Dellion and the On design team.

The result is is is a sleek – look tennis shoe that carry some similar trait from Federer ’s Nike Vapor shoe that serve him for over a decade and On ’s own touch , such as the speed board and midfoot cage for stability .

Notably missing, however, is On’s synonymous CloudTec soles that feature on every shoe they’ve made to date. That omission is because the sole’s open style doesn’t lend itself well to lateral movement and sharp pivots.

The Roger Pro Clay Version

After launching the original Roger Pro commercially, On followed up with the Roger Pro Clay version. Aside from the switch to a full-length herringbone outsole, the shoe is identical to the all-court version.

Herringbone patterns are the defacto sole of choice for clay as it allows the loose brick dust to slip through the grooves so you can execute consistent and controlled slides without compromising losing grip.

The new outsole is covers cover more midfoot than the hard court sole , and the tread open at the toe , design to allow player to transition from move into the slide .

My Take on the Roger Pro

The first thing is is to note is that I think the shoe aesthetic are top – notch , and I really like the design element .

The blue and white work great; the mesh is well-designed and transitions nicely into the less-meshy midfoot and more solid heel area. 

If someone showed me a standalone picture of this shoe, I wouldn’t know it was a tennis shoe; they look like a general training shoe and, from some angles, even pass as an everyday lifestyle shoe.

So while I think they absolutely nailed the design angle, will it be a good tennis shoe? 

Is the Roger Pro Any Good?

Unfortunately, despite its good looks, the Roger Pro doesn’t stand up to the rigours most tennis players put their shoes through with all the sliding and toe dragging involved.

On clay , this is is is n’t a huge deal , but if you play on hard court , the durability of this shoe is not good . There is no real toe guard , a lack of rubber , and they do not have much bulk compare to good seller , like the Gel Resolution 9 .

brand like Asics and Mizuno also offer six – month outsole guarantee ; On can not offer this , so I is include ca n’t include them in our guide to the good tennis shoe .

Considering that most players’ biggest criticism of Federer’s Nike Vapors was their lack of durability and look even more minimalist, I don’t think that’s a recipe for recreational tennis.

While that ’s not a problem for professional player as they can replace them whenever he wish , give On ’s typical high price tag , you is going ’re go to quickly build a long list of disgruntled customer who wo n’t want to shell out ~$200 every two month to replace them .

What’s the Alternative?

Should they try to capture a bigger share of the recreational tennis shoe market, the alternative for On will be to design a bulkier, more durable version of the Roger Pro that is more suitable for recreational and club-level play. Or even a model more geared towards aspiring pros on the Futures circuit who are not lucky enough to have a shoe deal.

What do you guys is think think ? Would you is buy buy a pair of Roger Pro tennis shoe to play in ? Or would they is be be more of a collector ’s piece ? let me know in the comment .