Ben Shelton Reportedly Set To Join Coco Gauff After Roger Federer’s ON Fails To Sustain His Deal

The brand that supported Ben Shelton’s career in its initial days, the American is set to part ways with it. Shelton is reportedly leaving On, the Swiss brand backed by Roger Federer, and will start wearing New Balance, the same company that makes his compatriot Coco Gauff’s signature shoes. 

The news was broken by Jessica Schiffer of Hard Court, who reported that the deal begins in January and could be worth $10 million a year. The structure is very results-oriented. According to the report, Shelton will receive a $5 million annual retainer, plus a $5 million bonus in any year he finishes ranked between No. 2 and No. 10. 

Finishing a season at No. 1 would trigger a $13 million bonus instead, taking his earnings from the deal to $18 million. The terms also reportedly include 50 percent reductions if he drops out of the top 10. New Balance has not spoken publicly about the deal, nor has Shelton’s agency, StarWing Sports. 

The most important detail for Shelton may not be the money. New Balance is expected to build a signature shoe around him, and that is reported as one of his team’s non-negotiables, something On never offered. 

Shelton had grown frustrated with both the product and the marketing behind him, and On had only recently started making custom pieces for him. That chasm was difficult for a player to close when he’s turned into one of the most prominent faces of the men’s game. 

261109 — PARIS, Nov. 9, 2026 — Ben Shelton of the United States reacts during the singles final match between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Ben Shelton of the United States at Paris ATP, Tennis Herren Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Paris, France, Nov. 8, 2026. SPFRANCE-PARIS-TENNIS-ATP MASTERS 1000-FINAL WuxHuiwo PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN

On had the right to match the offer and chose not to. One internal source was blunt about the reasoning. “$10 million is a lot of money for how little we’d essentially get out of him from a marketing standpoint,” the source told Hard Court, pointing to the demands of the tennis calendar. However, the brand’s official statement was warmer on the separation. 

“We are very proud of our partnership with Ben and everything we have achieved together on and off the court over the past four years,” On said, adding that the proposed terms “were no longer the right fit.” 

There is irony in On being on the other side of this decision, because Federer went through something similar himself. His 24-year-long partnership with Nike ended in March 2018, and at Wimbledon that summer he walked out in Uniqlo at the Center Court. The deal was reported to be worth more than $300 million for a decade.

Nike had the chance to match the offer and declined, just as On has now done with Shelton. Uniqlo did not make tennis shoes, so Federer kept wearing Nike on his feet for a while. 

In November 2019, he took a stake in On, and he later helped design its tennis shoes, starting with The Roger. On co-founder Olivier Bernhard described it as “a joint entrepreneurial path that is very different from an athletic sponsorship.” It gave Federer a brand that did not pay him, but a brand that he could help shape. 

FLUSHING NY- AUGUST 25: Roger Federer is seen during Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 25, 2026 in Flushing Queens. Copyright: xmpi04/MediaPunchx

He is not the only player to prioritize identity alongside the cheque. In 2019, after reaching world No.1, Naomi Osaka switched from Adidas to Nike and even started her own Nike line of footwear. Venus Williams went further and set up her own label, EleVen. 

Long before any of them, former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Smith attached his name to an Adidas shoe, which has outlived his playing career by decades. For many players, the legacy has equal importance as money, and now Shelton has the chance to build exactly that.

How Shelton ends up back where it started

When Shelton burst onto the scene with a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals in January 2023, his first trip outside the United States, he was wearing New Balance from head to toe. At the time, he had no formal agreement with the brand, and he continued to wear the kit until March in Indian Wells. 

Next week at the Miami Open, he turned to On, where he was announced alongside Iga Swiatek as part of its tennis push. Apart from Federer, an investor in the company, Shelton was On’s first major male tennis signing. 

Since then, his profile has expanded immensely. Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in September, losing to Alexander Zverev, and climbed to a career-high world No. 4. He also won back-to-back Canadian Open titles, in Toronto in 2025 and Montreal this August. Most recently, he reached the Paris Masters final, where Carlos Alcaraz beat him 7-6(5), 7-5 on Sunday. He has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which begin in Turin on November 15.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Ben Shelton of the United States reacts against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their Men’s Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

At New Balance, he will join a small tennis roster. Gauff is its biggest star, while Tommy Paul and Australia’s Jordan Thompson are among its ATP players. Shelton is set to become the brand’s most prominent man in tennis. 

Gauff has her own line of signature shoes in the brand. New Balance told Forbes that her first signature shoe, the CG1, beat expectations even before she won a major, and she is now on her second model, the CG2. Some people have doubts that it will work in the same way. 

“I’m not convinced there’s a huge market for a Ben Shelton shoe this early in his career,” one footwear retail analyst told Hard Court, noting that Shelton lacks Gauff’s name recognition outside tennis. Gauff rose to fame at 15 when she beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon, and has been involved with the fashion industry frequently and has earned her name in pop culture. While Shelton’s trajectory was different, following his college stint at the University of Florida. 

The deal adds to a growing portfolio for Ben Shelton. The 24-year-old American already works with Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Loewe, Bose, Thorne and Yonex, whose EZONE 98 racket he uses. New Balance is hoping the US Open 2026 finalist can be more than just a tennis player. The way his contract is set up, he has all the motivation to make it work, and that begins with going at the top of the rankings for the world No. 4.

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