On tennis shoes: review, models and durability

They are good for their cushioning, less so for their outsole. The performance range comes down to two models, THE ROGER Pro 3 and THE ROGER Pro Fire, and both are expensive.

THE ROGER Pro 3 is the brand's speed shoe, co-developed with Roger Federer. According to the Tennis Warehouse product page, it weighs 15.1 oz, about 428 g, in a men's US 10.5, or 10 g less than the Pro 2, with an 8 mm drop. In our ratings it scores 8.2/10 overall and 8.8 for comfort, which puts it fifth in our comfortable tennis shoe ranking, behind three Nikes and a Yonex.

THE ROGER Pro Fire, launched in late 2025, is designed for players who slide a lot. It scores 8.0/10 overall and 7.2 for durability. Its weight is not disclosed in the sources consulted.

No pair is judged without the lifespan of its outsole, and that is where On scores least: 6.4/10 for the Pro 3, with no warranty and no measured wear test. At a €210 list price, it is the most expensive model in our database of 37 shoes.

So On is a choice of comfort and feel, for a player willing to pay top-of-the-range prices. It is not a choice of longevity.

They are cushioning and propulsion technologies, not outsole ones. That is the difference from most tennis brands, which lead with a rubber compound.

Helion HF foam is used in THE ROGER Pro 3. On presents it as a hyper-foam, a first in tennis according to the brand (the launch is covered by Tennisnerd), and it is what explains the 8.8/10 for comfort. It works with the Speedboard, On's own plate.

On THE ROGER Pro Fire, the Speedboard becomes 100% carbon, paired with Helion and CloudTec cushioning. The protection is on the upper: reinforcements and a midfoot cage on the inner side, against the abrasion of low slides, according to Tennisnerd's presentation.

On the rubber side, On says little. The Pro 3's outsole is a modified herringbone, a pattern made for sliding on hard courts; the Pro Fire's is not described in the sources consulted. No named rubber, no announced toe reinforcement.

The other brands do name their rubber. Nike has Hart rubber, right up to the toe on the Vapor Pro 3, and a drag guard on the toe of the GP Challenge 1.5 and the Vapor 12. Asics has AHAR Plus and PGUARD, Adidas has Adiwear. The article on tennis outsole rubbers compares them one by one.

The Pro 3 if you want comfort and speed, the Pro Fire if you slide a lot on hard courts.

THE ROGER Pro 3 is the more comfortable of the two (8.8/10 vs 8.4) and the better rated overall (8.2 vs 8.0). It weighs 428 g in a men's US 10.5 and 313 g in the women's version, with a low 8 mm drop. It comes in an all-court version and a clay version. Its weakness is the rubber: 6.4/10 for durability.

THE ROGER Pro Fire wins on exactly that point, with 7.2/10. It was designed for heavy sliders: its upper is reinforced on the inner side, where the shoe scrapes the court in a low slide. It loses a little in comfort and lightness (7.6 vs 7.8). Its official European price is not disclosed; it averages around €197 in Belgium.

The price gap is small, about ten euros between the average prices found. So the choice comes down to your game. An interclub player who spends the summer on clay, a surface that wears rubber little, will get more from the Pro 3's cushioning. A player who spends the winter on hard courts and brakes by sliding has more to gain from the Pro Fire.

In both cases, the durability score stays below that of the durable Nikes. The comparison tool lines up both On models with the 35 others.

Moderately, and with no safety net. THE ROGER Pro 3 scores 6.4/10 for durability in our ratings, THE ROGER Pro Fire 7.2. Neither makes our durable tennis shoe ranking, where no model scores below 8.2.

The data is thin. No measured wear test has been published for either model. A Gear Patrol review reported an outsole wearing faster than expected on hard courts, but it covered the first generation of the Roger Pro: it is a clue, not a measurement of the Pro 3.

There is no warranty either. No brand programme was found, and neither model is among those covered by the US retailer Tennis Warehouse's 6-month guarantee. In Belgium, the 2-year legal guarantee covers defects, not wear, as Tennis Warehouse Europe points out.

The cushioning follows the common rule: 45 to 60 hours of play before the midsole is worn out, according to the AAPSM. On clay, that is what will set the pair's end of life.

On sustainability, On puts forward two things. THE ROGER Spin, another model in the collection, is said to contain about 29% recycled content; no public figure exists for the Pro 3. And in 2021 the brand announced CleanCloud, a foam made from captured carbon emissions, whose current status remains to be verified. The most sustainable shoe is still the one you keep longest.

To make a pair last, On publishes its own washing guide, and our article on how to care for tennis shoes sums up the useful habits.

Nike for most players, Adidas for the Barricades, On for comfort at a high price.

Against THE ROGER Pro 3, the Nike benchmark is the Vapor 12, the other premium speed shoe. In our ratings it leads everywhere: 9.2/10 overall vs 8.2, grip 9.4 vs 8.4, stability 8.8 vs 8.2, lightness 9.3 vs 7.8, durability 7.2 vs 6.4. Comfort is a tie at 8.8. The Vapor 12 weighs 414 g in a men's US 10.5, 14 g less than the On, and costs around €159 in Belgium against €187. According to the Tennis Warehouse review, Nike slimmed down its rubber but kept a large drag guard on the toe.

For a player who wears through outsoles, the gap widens. The Nike GP Challenge 1.5 and the Vapor Pro 3 score 8.6/10 for durability, for around €125 and €117. THE ROGER Pro Fire, at 7.2 and around €197, costs €70 to €80 more for a less durable outsole.

At Adidas, the end-of-line Barricade 13 (9.0/10 for durability, around €109) and the Barricade 14 (7.0/10, around €117) are also much cheaper. At Asics, the Gel-Resolution X reaches 9.0 for around €130.

On keeps one argument: the Pro 3's comfort, on a par with the Vapor 12. And a lower drop, 8 mm against 9.9. The Nike page details the range, and the tennis shoe ranking places each model.

On sells direct on its Belgian site, and its two tennis models are available at Tennis-Point.be, Passasports and TennisDirect.be. THE ROGER Pro 3 is sold there in an all-court version and a clay version.

THE ROGER Pro 3 is listed at €210 on On's European sites; its average price found in Belgium between June and September 2026 is around €187. THE ROGER Pro Fire averages around €197.

The price that matters is the price per hour of play. Based on 45 to 60 hours before the cushioning wears out, a Pro 3 at €187 works out at €3.10 to €4.15 per hour, and at €3.50 to €4.65 at list price. A Nike Vapor 12 at €159 works out at €2.65 to €3.55, a Vapor Pro 3 at €117 at €1.95 to €2.60. The article on cost per hour of play sets out the method.

The clay version makes the most sense in Belgium, where more than eight courts in ten are crushed-brick clay according to RTBF. On carpet, you need a completely smooth outsole, which neither model offers.

One last point, and it avoids a buying mistake: not every THE ROGER is a tennis shoe. THE ROGER Advantage is a tennis-styled lifestyle sneaker, with no on-court specification. For playing, only the Pro 3 and the Pro Fire count.