A tennis racket wielded by Rafael Nadal during his victorious 2017 French Open final was recently sold at a Prestige Memorabilia auction. The final price, including the buyer`s premium, reached $157,333.20, establishing a new record for the highest amount ever paid for a tennis racket at auction.
This sale eclipses the previous record, which was held by another racket belonging to Nadal. That one was used during his 2022 Australian Open triumph – his last Grand Slam title achieved by defeating Daniil Medvedev – and fetched $139,700 at a Sotheby`s auction in 2023.
In 2017, Nadal claimed his historic 10th French Open title by defeating Stan Wawrinka in a dominant straight-sets victory (6-2, 6-3, 6-1). He remarkable didn`t concede a single set throughout the entire tournament that year. Nadal went on to secure four more titles at Roland Garros after this, bringing his total to a record 14 – significantly more than the next highest tally of eight titles won by any other male player.
Through high-resolution photomatching, experts were able to verify that Nadal`s 2017 French Open racket was used in a total of 24 different matches across his 2017 season. This extensive list includes appearances in the finals of the Madrid Open, the Miami Open, and likely the 2017 Australian Open final. Nadal lost the latter two finals to his long-time rival, Roger Federer.
According to the item description provided by Prestige Memorabilia, finding a racket used by Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam final is considered rare. However, discovering one that has been photomatched to multiple matches, spanning an entire clay court season and beyond, and culminating in a French Open championship, is described as “unprecedented.”
This custom-made Babolat racket features Nadal`s distinctive `Rafa` emblem located on the throat of the frame. It also still bears a stringing sticker from the 2017 French Open, marked with the inscription `RG 2017 Nadal`.
