Roger Federer seems to be ditching his trademark Nike shoes for his upcoming clash against Rafael Nadal at Cape Town.

Federer posted a story on his instagram account revealing his kit for the Nadal match. Conspicuous by their absence were his Nike shoes. Instead of them, Swiss manufacturer On had their shoes in Federer’s kit.

On was the same brand that Federer had bought a stake in. Despite that, he continued to wear Nike shoes. In fact, he had even said that he will prefer Nike until the time he’s an active player.

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Why Was Roger Federer Wearing Nike Shoes?

Federer had stood by his Nike shoes even during adverse times. In March 2018, he had dropped his 24 year old partnership with Nike who sponsored his kit until that point. However, he continued his sponsorship with Nike shoes.

Even after he signed a sponsorship with Japanese maufacturer Uniqlo,he continued wearing Nike shoes.

While many thought that his relationship with On shoes will finally end his romance with Nike, it was not to be so. In fact, Federer explicitly clarified that this will not happen in the near future.

Currently I will continue to wear Nike shoes on the court. At some point, once, when I’m not an active player anymore, I will for sure wear an On shoe also on the court, but until then, we have enough time to develop such a model,” Roger Federer told FAZ Sport.

Given the context, the sudden departure from Nike seems more surprising. However, it is not yet clear whether this move is just for this event or on a more permanent basis.

Federer certainly seems to have long term plans with On. As per reports, Roger Federer is already working with On’s development team on s signature project for 2020. The partnership seems to be expanding from shoes to other products.

What do you feel about Roger Federer’s change in shoes?