Rafael Nadal’s “La Decima” Racquet from 2017 French Open Heads To Auction
When it comes to professional tennis, there are very few athletes that have been as impressive at a single venue as Rafael Nadal has been across the clay courts at Roland Garros. With that said, Prestige Memorabilia (via the tennisauction.com) is hosting an auction featuring one of the most sought-after pieces of match-used memorabilia in tennis history. If you haven’t already guessed, we’re talking about the exact Babolet racquet used by Nadal in the 2017 French Open Final, where he secured his historic 10th French Open victory, or better known across the tennis world as “La Decima”.
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The 2017 French Open Final, saw Nadal defeat 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in straight sets by a score of 6–2, 6–3, 6–1. Not only was his straight set victory awesome to see, but so was his play throughout the entire 2017 French Open and that’s because he won all seven matches without losing a set. Additionally, Nadal hadn’t surrendered more than four games in any single set across all seven matches, and his total of just 35 games lost ranks as the second most dominant French Open run in history, behind only legendary tennis superstar Bjorn Borg’s who’s 1978 run is still one of the most iconic in tennis history.
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One of the key characteristics for this specific racquet is its extensive photo-matching. Photo-matching is one of the many ways in which we can validate its use in a specific match or series of matches. For the purposes of enhancing this specific racquet’s historic value, it’s been confirmed, through the practice of photomatching, to have been used by Nadal in a total of 24 official matches across the 2017 season, which includes matches on hardcourt, clay, and even in Grand Slam play.
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Some of the more noteworthy matches that have been photomatched to this racquet include but are not limited to the Miami Open final against Roger Federer, Nadal’s Madrid Open championship run, and each of his seven matches en route to winning the French Open. Some experts have even utilized Resolution Photomatching which would subsequently suggest likely usage in five 2017 Australian Open matches, including the epic final against Federer.
With a little over 4 days left for collectors to bid on this racquet and the current bid at the time of publication sitting at $14,641, this racquet is sure to capture the eye of high-end collectors who have a penchant for all things professional tennis. The custom-made Babolet includes a number of key features such as Nadal’s “Rafa” emblem on the throat of the racquet, as well as a stringing label marked “RG 2017 Nadal” and the date of the final which reads as June 11, 2017. The racquet also has heavy wear on the grip and clay residue throughout its frame.
In summary, the racquets that are match-used in Grand Slam events and even more so those used in Grand Slam finals, are rarely made available to the public. As one of the most extensively photomatched Rafael Nadal racquets ever brought to an auction, this one is much more than an ordinary tennis collectible, it’s literally the sword which Nadal’s relied on during his reign as the King of Clay, and a grail-worthy piece that I’m sure will act as a cornerstone for any serious memorabilia collection.
Passionate sports card collector and writer based in Queens, NY. Lifelong fan of the New York Mets, Jets, and Rangers. Covering sports cards and collectibles with deep industry knowledge and enthusiasm, while bringing a fresh perspective to the ever-evolving hobby world on http://SI.com/collectibles.
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