Roger Federer-Backed On Signs Deal With Rising Tennis Star ………….

Swiss sneaker maker On Holding AG has signed a sponsorship deal with 22-year-old tennis player Flavio Cobolli, adding the Italian to its select group of athletes.

Cobolli, who played soccer as a teenager for an AS Roma academy team before fully committing to tennis, has a world ranking of 57. He’ll begin wearing On apparel at the upcoming Roland Garros tournament, better known as the French Open, which begins May 26 in Paris.

The company, which counts Roger Federer as a partner, has focused on tennis since 2020, when it launched a shoe named after the Swiss right-hander. Last year it signed current women’s world No. 1 Iga Świątek; Ben Shelton, who proceeded to reach the men’s semifinals of last year’s US Open; and Brazilian teenager João Fonseca.

“The objective with our initial recruitment strategy last year was to make a major impact with our signings of Iga, Ben and João,” Feliciano Robayna, head of athlete management for tennis at On, said in an emailed statement. “The ambition moving forward is to continue with this strong momentum and establish sustainable, long-term success with fresh faces who will electrify tennis with their game and unwavering attitude.”

Cobolli had been sponsored by Lotto Sport Italia before the On deal.

Zurich-based On also revealed sponsorship deals with junior players: Morocco’s Reda Bennani, Germany’s Julia Stusek and South Korea’s Yeri Hong.

On Tuesday, the company’s shares surged 18% after it posted strong first-quarter revenue and nudged its sales forecast higher for the year. The company, founded in 2010, is hoping to build up its brand awareness at the Paris Olympics this summer, thanks in part to its sponsored athletes in track and field, triathlon and tennis.

–With assistance from Tim Loh.