‘It’s Terrible’ – Roger Federer’s ON Running Catches Strays for Ben Shelton’s Latest French Open Apparel

Roger Federer may be a beloved entity in the tennis world but his favored apparel manufacturer ON keeps receiving flak. This time, the reaction came after watching Ben Shelton wear the ON-Running kit in his first round at Roland Garros. Shelton, who also has a partnership deal with the Swiss brand, is not new to wearing their kits at games. But as usual, the latest kit has become the target of fan ridicule.

Ben Shelton’s first-round match in the French Open had a disappointing halt due to the weather conditions at Roland Garros. However, the gripping match, which was suspended with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 3-3, was not the only source of dismay on-court. Instead, it was Shelton’s outfit. 

One tennis fan posted a picture of Ben Shelton wearing the ON-Running kit and captioned it, “Insanely cool kit to wear at the French Open.” The footwear that Shelton is seen wearing is completely white, with a tinge of pink around the toes. His t-shirt and pants had a mix of three colors, blending at the center of it, although not quite tie-dye. And the ‘insanely cool’ comment seemed to be of the minority opinion.

Roger Federer joined hands with ON back in 2019, right after leaving Nike a year ago. The Swiss Maestro, who holds a 3% share of the brand, has since then gifted fans with various new editions of ON-Running. Federer himself represented the brand at the US Open in 2019 as well. 

He has always been vocal about how he works closely with the brand and comes up with strategies to push the brand to greater heights. However, after almost five years of that partnership, some fans are now questioning the design of the kit. And sadly, it is not the first time.

Fans react to the “terrible” On-Kit of Ben Shelton at Roland Garros

Ben Shelton was among the first tennis players to grace the court with an ON outfit. It happened in March 2023, when Shelton made a deal with the Swiss running shoe and apparel brand. However, it seems like the charm is gone now. As pointed out by one fan, “It’s terribile.” However, it is not the first time he received such a reaction.

Earlier this year in January in the Australian Open, the American player debuted his new kit for the season. But fans were not impressed after seeing his black t-shirt with pink lines all over it. Much like then, this time the French Open outfit received equal backlash. One fan pointed to it and said, “Looks like an old iOS update.” The mix of colors in both his Australian Open match outfit and French Open outfit failed to earn compliments.

Another fan pointed out, “Elegance is dead.”Apart from Shelton, the WTA player, Iga Swiatek also represented the brand since March 2023. But sadly, even then, it became a point of trolling when Swiatek wore the same outfit as Fonseca in a match earlier this year.

One fan asked sarcastically, “Is the cool in the room with us?” Not only Shelton but when Joao Fonseca wore a white t-shirt with pink lines over it along with a pink hat, fans did not find it cool and rejected the whole design of the unique outfit.

Another fan simply wrote, “Well, it can’t be any worse, that’s for sure.” Although the three tennis players Swiatek, Fonseca, and Shelton, have represented the ON-Running kit since 2023, fans have yet to find the one they like. 

However, as Ben Shelton proceeds in his match, hopefully, the tennis world will find an ON Running kit that will make them forget the ones they don’t like.