An ace piece of Carlos Alcaraz’s tennis legacy is up for grabs.
The racket that the Spanish tennis pro used to defeat Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final is up for auction on Prestige Memorabilia until October 19. The auction house expects the custom Babolat to fetch $200,000, potentially making it the most expensive tennis racket ever sold at auction. (That title currently belongs to Rafael Nadal’s 2017 French Open-winning racket, which hammered down for just over $157,000 at Prestige Memorabilia in June.)
The epic men’s singles final on July 16, 2023, marked a turning point in men’s tennis. Newcomer Alcaraz defeated veteran Djokovic in five thrilling sets, preventing the four-time defending champion from notching his fifth Wimbledon title and putting an end to his 34-match winning streak. It was also a pivotal moment in Alcaraz’s career, with the then-20-year-old securing his first Wimbledon championship and his second Grand Slam title. (He accepted the championship trophy wearing a Rolex Daytona, no less.)
Carlos Alcaraz wearing a Rolex Daytona to accept the championship trophy at Wimbledon in 2023.
Rolex/Getty
The match itself spanned 4 hours and 42 minutes, making it the third-longest Wimbledon Final in history. Alcaraz bested Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, giving him his first loss on Center Court in a decade. (It was also Djokovic’s only Grand Slam loss in 2023.) His racket, of course, helped secure that victory. The 22-year-old now has six Grand Slam titles to his name, making him one of the best tennis players in history.
Made especially for Alcaraz, the Babolat features a sticker reading “C. Alcaraz 2022-3 4,” as well as a stringing sticker from Wimbledon denoting a string tension of 25 kg in the mains and 23 kg in the crosses. It also bears Alcaraz’s signature on the grip.
The racket has been photomatched by Resolution to 10 separate dates, including the final, four of his earlier Wimbledon matches, and practice sessions from the grass court season. The racket is sold with a Photomatching certificate, confirming its use across Alcaraz’s breakthrough run at the All England Club.
“For collectors and fans of Carlos Alcaraz and tennis history, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire an item directly tied to one of the greatest early achievements of a legend of sport,” the auction house said in a statement.
The lot has currently attracted 10 bids, with the latest bid $21,437 at the time of writing.
Authors
Rachel Cormack
Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…