Ben Shelton’s Tennis Footwear Journey In Step With Roger Federer

BusinessSportsMoneyBen Shelton’s Tennis Footwear Journey In Step With Roger FedererByTim Newcomb,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tim Newcomb covers tennis gear/business, stadiums and shoe tech.Follow AuthorApr 21, 2026, 09:47am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Ben Shelton playing in the new On The Roger Pro 3 at the 2026 Australian Open. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe first time Ben Shelton played in the U.S. Open singles main draw he did so wearing a pair of Roger Federer’s custom-made Nikes. Federer shipped the shoes to New York from Switzerland just for Shelton. The American’s footwear has had a Federer-inspired twist ever since. The Shelton-Federer U.S. Open connection occurred in 2022—helped by the fact Shelton was signed to Federer’s agency at the time—and offered a foretaste of the lasting connection between the two players, as Shelton signed with Federer-backed On in March 2023, playing on the professional tour during his first full year wearing not only On’s original The Roger Pro, but also playing and testing The Roger Pro 2 prototypes, some of which Shelton still has. “I think, certainly, he still has his footprint in the shoe process, in the soul of the shoe, not literally but figuratively,” Shelton tells me about the On shoe bearing Federer’s name. “That is really cool. When I played the U.S. Open wearing a custom pair of his shoes, the shoes he actually wore, [I saw] we have a very similar foot size, shape, everything. Moving into the On shoe was a pretty easy transition for me.” Ben Shelton at the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Australia. (Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images)Getty ImagesShelton has spent much of his career in The Roger Pro 2—“I was there with the very first tests of the Pro 2 and I still have some of those models at home in my closet,” Shelton says—version made for him. A...