Roger Federer needs a little help picking out his shoes for the Australian Open in Melbourne this month.
Federer took to his Facebook Fan Page and the Nike Tennis page asking for fans to vote on their favorite version of the brand-new Nike Zoom Vapor 9 Tour he’ll use during the first grand slam tennis event of the year. Using Nike iD, Federer created four colorways of his shoe. Fans can choose between the yellow/black, dark blue/light blue, orange/black and light blue/yellow.
Federer plans to wear the shoe during a daytime match. Traditionally the night matches offer tennis players the opportunity to show off new looks under the primetime lights.
Federer’s personal plug isn’t the only new shoe release Nike has planned for the Australian Open, which stars Jan. 14. In January, the new Air Max Cage also debuts, a shoe worn by Juan Martin Del Potro.
With the goal of improving durability for a style of shoe that takes a constant beating on a hard court, the new look features an Air Max Cage upper pattern that uses holes—with a touch of design—to enhance flexibility and allow the mesh underneath to breathe.
The full-length extra-durable rubber outsole and thick “wear shelf” at the toe and ball of the foot lend itself to a more rugged look on the bottom half of the shoe, but with the performance aspect that tennis players need.
The combination of the durable portions with the flexibility added in the midsole and upper create what Nike is calling a Drag-On Cage. The shoe weighs 13.2 ounces.
