Novak Djokovic has made sliding on hard courts a ‘NORM’ claims ASICS shoes creator

ASICS's creator, Rene Zandbergen, sat for an interview with media outlet Tennis365 giving an insight about his relationship with Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic has made sliding on hard courts a ‘NORM’ claims ASICS shoes creator

Novak Djokovic during a ASICS shoot event. (credits: SportsMint Media)

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is one of the stars who believes in the long term, be it his training methods or his sporting gear. Djokovic has been associated with sports brand ASICS for quite a long time, wearing their shoes while he marches on for more greatness ahead. ASICS’s creator, Rene Zandbergen, recently sat for an interview with media outlet Tennis365, giving an insight into his relationship with the Serbian and how hard it has been to create the perfect shoes for him.

For a player like Djokovic, it’s always hard to meet his expectations for they are so high claimed Rene. Way back in the past, Nole even praised Rene for being an integral part of his off-court team and how he has made the perfect gear for him.

And on Wednesday, Zandbergen answered how much effort he put into creating the shoes that could help 10-time Australian Open winner slide over all types of court surfaces.

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Zandbergen said, 

Sliding on a hard court is an interesting discussion. We are looking more and more into this now as the current generation of players coming through all do it. Novak was one of the first players to slide on a hard court and now it is becoming the norm. We have to make a product that allows them to do this and help to ensure they don't twist their ankle.

Rene talked about how Djokovic has made a change in the playing styles, becoming one of the very first to choose to slide on the courts, making it challenging for the shoemakers to create the perfect sole around them. While more of the current stars are now relying more on sliding, he has to ensure that their ankles don’t lead to any sort of twisting whatsoever.

Novak Djokovic’s history with ASICS shoes

Djokovic switched to ASICS in the year 2018 trying to put his trust in the Japanese brand. Since then the Serbian has never really looked back while wearing the shoes.

Novak Djokovic during a training session.
Novak Djokovic during a training session. (credits: Forbes)

During one of the events Djokovic had said, 

At this point in my career, it’s essential that the shoes I choose to wear give me confidence on the court and suit my playing style. And that’s exactly what I get from Asics.

He has been working side by side with the company to launch new technologies that would benefit the sport and also the company. The 3-time French Open winner also revealed his willingness to continue to work with the brand saying that they understand him like no other and are truly committed to improving, taking a note of even the smallest detail.

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