The 17-year-old Basel native becomes the first active Swiss player on the sportswear brand’s tennis roster
Melbourne, Australia, January 18, 2025 – Swiss sportswear brand On continues expanding its presence on the tennis court by signing promising Swiss talent Henry Bernet.
The addition of Bernet marks the next step in On’s commitment to leaving its mark on the world of tennis and supporting the next generation of tennis stars. At On, the soon-to-be 18-year-old joins an impressive line-up of big names like Iga Świątek, Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli and rising stars Joao Fonseca (BRA), Julia Stusek (GER), Reda Bennani (MAR) and Yeri Hong (KOR).
“It is an honor to join On, a brand that is synonymous with Swiss excellence and innovation,” says Bernet. “I am excited to be a part of such a talented roster of athletes and to have their support as I continue to grow and develop my game.”
Bernet’s path to professional tennis has drawn comparisons to On Co-entrepreneur Roger Federer. Both hail from Basel honed their skills at the Old Boys tennis club and possess the elegant one-handed backhand that has become synonymous with the Swiss Maestro. Having left home at the age of 15 to move to the National Tennis Performance Center in Biel, the Swiss is now poised to step further into the professional circuit after a breakthrough year in 2024.
In the spring, he advanced to the Junior Roland Garros quarterfinals as a qualifier and proceeded to make his debut on the ATP Challenger Tour at the Zug Open. There, he upset Juan Pablo Varillas in the second round, becoming the first player born in 2007 or later to reach the quarterfinals of a Challenger tournament. He also made his ATP Tour debut at the Swiss Indoors tournament in his hometown of Basel, where he beat Italian veteran and World No. 76 Fabio Fognini in the qualification. Partnering with Jérôme Kym, he entered the doubles main draw and advanced to the quarterfinals.
For the upcoming year, Bernet has targeted more tour-level tournaments while continuing to make a splash at important junior events. His first splash of the year came this past Wednesday at the J300 Traralgon tournament, where Bernet defeated Egor Pleshivtsev 6:2, 6:3 to claim his first title of the year.
Bernet will begin his Australian Open Junior campaign against Luis Guto Miguel of Brazil today.
“We are thrilled to welcome Henry to the On family,” says Feliciano Robayna, Head of Athlete Management for Tennis at On. “Henry is an incredibly talented young player with a bright future ahead and well on his way to making his way into professional tennis. He embodies the On spirit of striving for excellence and pushing boundaries, and we are excited to support him on his journey to the top.”