A tennis racquet used by Rafael Nadal to win the 2017 French Open has sold for over $150,000 to set a new record for a tennis racquet.
Nadal wielded the Babolat gear as he battered a (probably injured) Stan Wawrinka into submission 3 – 0.
There’s no doubt that the Spanish player had a standout tournament though, toppling records and adding firsts. It was his 10th French Open title, adding to his record and a first 10th singles win for a man at any major. It was his 15th major title. He lost just 35 games throughout the tournament and no sets. The win made him the third ever man to win majors in his teens, twenties and thirties.
Such records attract collectors. One of them paid $157,333 for the racquet at an online sale by Prestige Memorabilia.
Many details, like this sticker, definitively link the racquet to the player and his triumphant 2017 season. Image courtesy of Prestige Memorabilia.
The most valuable tennis racquet before this sale was another Rafa piece that sold for just under $140,000 in 2023. He had won the 2022 Australian Open with it.
In 2021 Roger Federer’s kit and and racket worn in the 2007 Wimbledon final made £187,500 at Christie’s.
Nadal is closely associated with the Paris tournament, where he notched up a record 14 titles, the most dominant record in the men’s game.
The racquet was photomatched to contemporary shots from 24 matches through the 2017 season.
“To find a Grand Slam Final-used racket from Rafael Nadal is rare,” said Prestige Memorabilia. “To find one photomatched across an entire clay season (and more) — capped by a French Open title — is unprecedented.”
This is no off-the-shelf model, and is dedicated with the “Rafa” emblem and retains a record of the racquet’s stringing for that fateful Roland Garros final in the shape of a sticker.
The racquet was sold at Prestige’s Tennis Legends auction that closed on June 8. Prestige described the racquet as “by far the most extensively photomatched Rafael Nadal racket to come to auction, and one of the most significant pieces of tennis memorabilia to ever surface.”
It took 31 bids for the price to rocket from an opening $10,000 to the record-setting closing price.
