World No. 1 Swiatek and Shelton Sign with On

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, March 20, 2023 

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and American standout Ben Shelton are stepping into Roger Federer’s shoes.

Reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion Swiatek and Australian Open quarterfinalist Shelton have both signed apparel and shoe sponsorship pacts with Swiss sportswear brand On.

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Both players will wear the brand’s newly developed on-court collection for pro players and custom editions of The Roger Pro.

The brand said in a statement the “On competition tennis shoe has been Swiss-engineered and designed individually for and in close collaboration with both players, Roger Federer and the Lightning innovation team at On Labs to meet the demands of their individual styles of game.”

Bearing the tagline “Swiss Engineering Meets the Swiss Maestro”, Roger Pro was formally launched last April featuring a small Swiss flag near the heel with its name “The Roger” embedded in gold type above the flag.

“Iga and Ben represent the next generation of world-class talent,” Federer said in a statement. “Both players demonstrate On’s competitive spirit and embody current and future champions of the sport. We are pleased to welcome them to the On family.”

Swiatek, who previously wore Asics shoes and apparel, said she’s pumped to join the brand co-owned by Swiss superstar Federer.

“I’m very excited to be the first female player to join with On, and truly thrilled how On’s Lightning innovation team works and adapts technologies to meet the demands of athletes, supporting their careers,” Swiatek said. “It has been very inspirational for me to develop my ideas and needs with them, working on my current and future gear.

“On’s core values are what connect me with the company. I look forward to growing with the brand and setting an example for other players who aim to be the best.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion is not averse to change. Swiatek previously played with a Prince racquet before switching to her now trademark Tecnifibre stick three years ago.

Explosive left-hander Shelton jolted the tennis world soaring into the Australian Open quarterfinals in his AO debut and his maiden trip outside of the United States back in January.

At the age of 20, Shelton has already risen to world No. 39 though he’s played on two Grand Slam tournaments.

The 2022 NCAA champion at Florida recently pushed defending Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz to three sets at the BNP Paribas Open. Shelton,…