Are they for real? Ben Shelton getting a limited edition shirt by On-running before

The Roger Federer-backed shoe brand ‘On-running’ signed Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek as their ambassadors in early 2023. The company reportedly envisions that these two young stars will shape the foundation pillars of On’s ambition to become a successful tennis brand.

The company, which was founded in 2010 and is pretty well known for its running shoes, wanted to extend its market to the realm of tennis even before Roger Federer joined them as an investor and creative partner in 2019. 

They recently rolled out a limited-edition merchandise for Ben Shelton, which has the words ‘Dialed in’ written on it. It’s a throwback to the youngster’s famous celebration that he had after defeating Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinal of the 2023 Australian Open.

It was later copied by Novak Djokovic to mock him after the Serb beat him in the semifinal of the US Open. Shelton repeated the celebration at the 2023 Laver Cup and many players across the globe followed suit, which made it pretty famous in the tennis world. 

While the company surely rolled out the merchandise with good intentions, it did not go down well with some tennis fans, as they are of the opinion that On is giving preference to Shelton over Iga Swiatek. The fact that Shelton got his own limited-edition merchandise before the WTA No. 1 has enraged them and many are demanding a special ‘Jazda’ merchandise for the Pole. Needless to say, the fans did not hold back on social media. 

Netizens react to Ben Shelton’s limited edition shirt by On-running

Swiatek is without a doubt a much bigger name than Shelton in the world of tennis. She has 4-Grand Slam titles to her name and is currently ranked No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

However, the fact that Ben Shelton is American and has more popularity in the States might be one of the reasons why the brand has taken this decision. It’s really difficult to justify that to the Pole’s fans, who have almost started a negative campaign on social media.

“No way. No way. Are they for real? He already has his shirt while Iga nothing? I start to wonder what was the purpose of signing with ON. I thought we are getting custom,cute kits in nice colours,” a fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Both Iga Swiatek and Ben Shelton have custom-made their shoes with On-running. However, Shelton revealed a while back that the company does not pressure them to be in On Shoes or On Clothing if they aren’t comfortable competing in them yet. While the American mostly wears his On shoes to court, Iga Swiatek was seen wearing the Asics Gel Resolution 9 sneakers at the US Open. 

The fact that the American is already more in tune with On’s products might be a reason why he got his own limited-edition merchandise first. This was also pointed out by a fan, who mentioned that maybe it’s Iga who doesn’t want to rush things yet. 

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