Breakdown

Comfort: 7.9

Having just wrapped a playtest of the ON The Roger Pro 2s, our team was ready to see what sets the ON The Roger Advantage Pros apart. Zsofi described, "When I first put the Advantage Pro shoes on, I immediately noticed a difference in comfort levels compared to the ON The Roger Pro 2s. I constantly felt some pain on the lateral side of my foot when I wore the The Roger Pro 2s, but that wasn’t an issue with the Advantage Pros. The fit was perfect for me. I didn't really need any break-in time at all; I felt like the shoes were good to go right away."

Meanwhile, the rest of the team struggled a little with the fit of these ON shoes. Similar to the ON The Roger Pro 2s, Brittany found the Advantage Pros to run a little short. She explained, "My shoes weren’t short enough to go up a half size, and at the end of the playtest I was happy I chose to stay in my normal size. I found the medium width to be just fine for my narrow feet, and I didn't have any extra room anywhere. The arch was low, but that didn't cause any issues. Overall, I found these shoes to be comfortable, but not necessarily cushioned. I also did not have a break-in period thanks to the soft and flexible uppers. The cushioning under the heel was adequate, but the cushioning under the forefoot was lacking. The ventilation, even as we playtested in late spring, was great."

Out of the box, Tiffani loved the clean styling and attention to detail of these Advantage Pros. She said, "Accents like having 'Try Me' with the ON logo on the lace tips are a great touch. Once I slipped these shoes on my feet I found they ran noticeably short, much like the ON The Roger Pro 2s do. I decided to stay in size since I had just the tiniest bit of wiggle room left at my toes. The width of these shoes fit like a medium, but the uppers are forgiving enough to let my feet relax, and there are no hard support pieces on the sides of the forefoot either. The cushioning in the heels felt nice, but I would have liked just a bit more padding in the forefoot for longer sessions on the court. As far as ventilation and arch support go, I was pleased with both and never had issues with either feature."

"From first try on, I thought the ON The Roger Advantage Pros offered slightly better step-in comfort than the ON The Roger Pro 2s," Michelle added. "The cushioning felt a little more significant under the heels and the length was better, but the fit was still snug and my toes were a bit crunched in the toe box. I'm not sure sizing up would have made a huge difference, and I was hoping the uppers would open up a bit as the playtest progressed. I noticed some numbness in my toes that just never seemed to dissipate, which makes me wonder if ON's shoes just don't fit my higher arches the best. Normally, this numbness goes away with time, but it seemed to be happening on the back end of my tennis, after 30 to 45 minutes of wear. Breathability was solid, and I never felt overheated in these shoes. I preferred the uppers on these The Roger Advantage Pros compared to the The Roger Pro 2s because they felt like they fit my feet better, and the material was a bit softer and had a little more give."

Foot Support / Stability: 7.9

Our team gave high marks to the stability of the ON The Roger Advantage Pros, but some playtesters were craving more support from these shoes. While the fit wasn't perfect for her, Michelle had no issues with the support and stability of these Advantage Pros. She said, "The uppers were supportive and had a bit more give than the The Roger Pro 2s, in my opinion. Stability-wise, they were really great and helped me feel confident in my movement."

The ON The Roger Advantage Pros matched up with Brittany's expectations for this category. She explained, "As far as stability, I was able to cinch the laces nicely around my ankles, and I felt that my feet sat deep within the shoes. Since the cushioning is more minimal, I wasn't sitting too high off the ground, so I wasn’t worried about rolling an ankle. The support within the shoes was OK. At the very beginning of the playtest, and then sprinkled throughout the playtest, there were times I would come to a quick stop when moving forward and my feet would jam into the front of the shoes. I didn't notice any support issues with my side-to-side movement."

Like with most shoes she wears, Tiffani opted to tie into the final eyelet for maximum ankle stability. She said, "The Advantage Pros felt solid as I moved laterally. I did have some issues in the support department, though, and from time to time I experienced toe jamming. I'm not sure if going up a half size would have helped prevent this. It wasn't consistent, and I noticed it only on hard stops, like chasing down a drop shot (I'm not a hard court slider)."

Zsofi felt locked into her The Roger Advantage Pros throughout the entire playtest. She said, "Honestly, I have zero complaints when it comes to support or stability. The lacing system kept me feeling secure, and the shoes were built sturdy enough to keep me stable."

Overall Sole Durability: 8.0

Our playtesters had no major complaints when it came to the durability of the ON The Roger Advantage Pros. Brittany put in about 10 hours on court with them, and she didn't feel like she could test their limits as much as she would have liked to. She said, "I wasn't fully confident in the ON The Roger Advantage Pros, so I didn't push them on the durability side. However, all hours were spent on the Tennis Warehouse gritty indoor court, and I am seeing just a little bit of smoothing in my high-wear areas (the big toe specifically). I am seeing some scuffing on the toe bumper of my left shoe, but it seems to be just cosmetic. The uppers have also held up well throughout the playtest."

Zsofi was happy to see only minor cosmetic wear on her Advantage Pros at the end of the playtest. "After wearing the shoes for about 15 hours I did see very minimal wear on the outsole, but it was more cosmetic than anything. The outsole remained fairly sticky for me throughout the playtest, even after I noticed the wear."

After 10 to 12 hours of hard court use, Tiffani's The Roger Advantage Pros are still looking fresh. She described, "I'm not really seeing much wear at all on the outsoles. The toes cleaned up nicely too after I had smudged them with my toe dragging. I was able to wipe them clean, so my shoes look pretty new!"

"I didn't wear these Advantage Pros as much as some other shoes we've tested, mainly because of some discomfort issues," said Michelle. "But I am seeing some smoothing around the toe guard and under the big toes. These are OK in terms of durability, but they’re not the most durable shoes we've tested."

Traction: 7.5

After finding sticky outsoles on the ON The Roger Pro 2s, our team wasn't surprised to find that the ON The Roger Advantage Pros also gripped the court aggressively. Tiffani explained, "These Advantage Pros definitely feel more sticky than slick. Although I had no issues and could move well enough in these shoes, I wouldn't have minded a little bit more give from the rubber to help minimize the chances of toe jamming."

As she expected, Brittany found the traction to be very sticky, especially at the beginning of this playtest. She said, "There was too much grip, and I was very conscious of my footwork when pushing off in either direction. I almost had to take an extra step or two instead of planting my foot to be able to quickly change directions and not feel stuck. As the playtest wore on, the traction smoothed out slightly, but I still would have liked more give."

"The outsole was a bit too sticky for my liking," Zsofi added. "It didn't really improve during the playtest. I do wish the outsole had a bit more give, which is typically my preference. At times, I did feel a bit stuck while moving around and changing directions."

Michelle noted much of the same, but unlike the rest of the testers, sticky outsoles don't bother her. She described, "I didn't mind the traction. The ON The Roger Advantage Pros were more sticky than slick, which is what I like. I never felt like I was going to slip and never felt too stuck to the court. They also didn't feel as slappy as the The Roger Pro 2s. Because I didn't push the limits in these shoes, the traction worked for me when I wasn’t playing intensely."

Weight: 8.1

Our whole team was happy with the weight of the ON The Roger Advantage Pros, which never felt bulky or heavy to our testers. Michelle felt quick and nimble on court in her pair. She said, "I thought these shoes felt pretty light despite their weight on the scale. They weren’t too heavy, and I never felt like they slowed me down because of their weight."

Brittany played in these ON The Roger Advantage Pros before weighing them and thought they would fit in the lightweight category. She said, "On the scale, the Advantage Pros are actually around average weight, but they definitely felt lighter than the number on the scale indicated. Combined with a low-to-the-ground feel and a decently smooth heel-to-toe transition, I felt quick and speedy on court."

"I was very pleasantly surprised by how light these ON The Roger Advantage Pros felt on my feet," added Zsofi. "I know that on paper they wouldn't necessarily count as lightweight shoes, but while wearing them, this was not apparent at all. I never really felt dragged down or slow."

Tiffani also had no issues with the The Roger Advantage Pros' weight. She described, "Even though these shoes might technically be more middle of the road in terms of their actual weight, they felt plenty light around the court to me. They flex better than the The Roger Pro 2s, and I also found them to be stable, so I'm very pleased with the weight of these shoes."

Breakdown Summary