Roger Federer might be out of tennis action with due to COVID-19 pandemic and surgery, but his ‘boots’ will continue to make a mark on the tennis court even when he is not around. Literally.
Swiss performance running brand On, in which Federer had made a strategic investment, has revealed THE ROGER Centre Court 0-Series sneakers.
The release of the tennis-inspired sneaker follows the announcement late last year of the tennis great joining the On team. The tennis sneakers are the first product rolled out of the On and Federer association.
Federer and On set out to re-invent the classic tennis sneaker with latest comfort technology. It is a radical departure from how most tennis sneakers are still built with heavy rubber soles, stated the media release to announce the launch of the product.
“The minimalist design and easy comfort of On’s shoes had me hooked years ago. I wanted to infuse the tennis sneaker with the same lightness, comfort and agility for every day,” comments Federer.
THE ROGER sneaker features On’s award-winning CloudTec sole that feels exceptionally light and adds On’s hidden secret – the Speedboard – for agile movement. An ultra-soft sock-construction delivers distraction free comfort and ventilation.
“I love working with the On team, using my knowledge of performance footwear and personal interest in fashion to contribute to product development. I’m proud to be a part of the creation of THE ROGER, which is the most comfortable tennis-inspired sneaker you will ever wear,” said the tennis legend.
On and Roger have their home and heart in the Swiss mountains. “We love to explore and aspire to protect the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us, hence this new generation of tennis-inspired sneakers has been created with sustainability in mind,” said On co-founder David Allemann.
“THE ROGER is crafted from vegan leather and has been designed for lightness to reduce material consumption. The result is a significantly smaller environmental footprint for this tennis-inspired sneaker. The vegan leather has approximately 30% of the footprint of animal leather.”
The 0-Series of THE ROGER Centre Court is an individually numbered edition that is limited to 1’000 pairs. It features black stitches and a black Speedboard® and comes with a personal message from Roger Federer. “We’re super excited to be releasing THE ROGER Centre Court today, ” says On co-founder David Allemann.
“Combining On’s years of performance design with our new teammate’s contribution has produced an awesome shoe – and we’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”
THE ROGER Centre Court sneaker was unveiled on Tuesday by Federer to coincide with the first time he won Wimbledon 17 years ago and kicking off Roger Live – a virtual event that consisted of 3 sets and 2 tie-breakers where Federer will be hanging out with some of his friends talking tennis, life, everything really.