157,000 Dollars: Nadal Sets a New Record with His Racquet
Retired since 2024, Rafael Nadal has once again made headlines, but this time off the court. Indeed, during an auction, the Spaniard sold one of his match-used racquets for the astronomical sum of $157,000, officially entering history as the most expensive racquet ever sold and surpassing his own previous record (set at $139,700 for his racquet from the 2022 Australian Open).
This racquet was used by the Mallorcan in 2017 during the Miami final against Federer, the Madrid Open semifinal against Djokovic, and the Roland-Garros final against Wawrinka. The auction closed on June 8.
"Finding a Rafael Nadal racquet used in a Grand Slam final is rare. Nadal’s 2017 campaign reaffirmed his status as the undisputed king of clay, and this racquet is a direct relic of that era-defining run," explained the auction house. These remarks were reported by Tennis Up To Date.
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