This Carlos Alcaraz Card Set An All-Time Record
Men's tennis is having a moment. Fresh off one of the greatest Grand Slam matches in tennis history, in which Carlos Alcaraz came back from two sets down to defeat Jannik Sinner in a five-set instant classic, the sport is riding high heading into Wimbledon, with the first round set to begin on July 1. Now, there's even more news, this time in The Hobby. Carlos Alcaraz now has the most expensive men's tennis card of all-time.
JUST SOLD: Carlos Alcaraz has set the record for most expensive men’s tennis card in HISTORY.
— Topps (@Topps) June 27, 2025
His 1/1 Topps Royalty tennis card featuring his match-used racket knob has sold for $222,000 on @fanaticscollect last night… pic.twitter.com/av4sLt3Irb
The card itself is a phenomenal relic that is part of an ambitious new set, 2024 Topps Royalty Tennis. Within the set, are a series of racket-knob autographed relic cards, that give collectors a fantastic piece of memorabilia in addition to an autograph of one of the stars of the game. These cards have fared well on the secondary market so far, but Alcaraz just sent them supernova. His 1-of-1 Royalty Tennis Racket Knob auto relic sold for $222,000 through Fanatics Collect. The youngster may be a ways away from the grand slam numbers of the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, but he's already setting records.
The unprecedented auction received 54 bids, and the winning bid of $222,000 is a new record in the men's tennis Hobby.
To give a sense of just how earth-shattering this is for Alcaraz in The Hobby, Card Ladder registers the next highest sale of an Alcaraz card at only $33,665 for his 2022 Netpro International Series Court Authentic Match Worn Apparel Autograph card numbered to 50. The top sale of a Jannik Sinner card, his main rival and current World Number 1, is $7,250.
While Alcraraz chases the legacies of the Big Three on the court, they're now chasing him at the very top of The Hobby. All-time Grand Slam titles leader Novak Djokovic will compete along with Alcaraz in this year's Wimbledon, and a matchup would be an incredible third straight Wimbledon final matchup between the superstars.
The two highest Djokovic sales per Card Ladder are for this card, which sold for $34,225 and $30,000. While Djokovic cards are available in 2024 Topps Royalty Tennis, he does not have a racket knob relic. It stands to reason that it would have been the most valuable card of the legend. Federer's five highest card sales per Card Ladder are for his famous 2003 Netpro International Series Patch Auto numbered to 25. The sales range from $55,350 - $118,200.
14-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal's top sale, per Card Ladder, comes in at only $25,000, also a 2003 Netpro offering. The card was a PSA of a Netpro Elite Glossy Tennis Nadal.
While Alcaraz now stands at the top when it comes to men's tennis cards, Serena Williams is still on top when it comes to the sport. In May of 2022, a PSA 10 2003 NetPro International Series Authentic Apparel Serena Williams Signed Patch Rookie Card numbered to 100 sold for $266,400 at auction through Goldin.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
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