Over $100,000: Djokovic’s legendary racket finds a new owner

The racket with which Novak Djokovic won the French Open final in 2016, was recently auctioned, confirming its status as one of the most valuable pieces of tennis memory. Djokovic needed this victory to complete the career Grand Slam and cement his legend as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

His win over Great Britain’s Andy Murray in the Paris final is often cited as one of the most significant victories of his career. But the racket that secured him a place among tennis legends did not remain in his possession.

Fred Perry, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the only players up to that point to have won a career Grand Slam with all four major titles until Djokovic got the missing piece of his Puzzles added in 2016.

From audience happiness to auction record

Instead of keeping the racket, Djokovic threw it into the Roland Garros crowd, where it was caught by lucky spectator Abby Doherty. “It was like slow motion.

He just threw it into the crowd,” Doherty said. “I had an ‘Oh my God’ moment because he was coming right at us.” After owning the racket for a few years, Doherty decided to sell her prized piece.

The bat was listed on the SCP auction website with the expectation that it would sell for more than $50,000. Ultimately, it turned out that this estimate greatly underestimated the bat’s value, as the final selling price of $107,500 ensured that the fans who caught it on that famous day in Paris would have a very special Christmas.

The final total is believed to be the second-highest amount ever spent on a single tennis racquet, surpassed only by the $125,000 paid for Billie Jean King’s wooden racquet from her famous ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against Bobby Riggs in 1973 .

The most lucrative sale of tennis memorabilia came when Roger Federer auctioned off a large collection of his rackets and clothing in 2021 to raise money for his foundation. At this auction at Christie’s in London, estimates were far exceeded for lots containing the great Swiss idol’s rackets and clothing from some of his Grand Slam victories.