The pair of sneakers worn during the victory at the US Open in 2005, the white cardigan and the racket used during the victory at Wimbledon in 2012 or the outfit and the racket for the coronation at Roland Garros in 2009 … As long as you have a full bank account, these Roger Federer objects could soon be yours.
A few days before the start of the Wimbledon tournament (from June 28 to July 11), the Swiss are already creating the event in London. This Wednesday, the first player to afford 20 Grand Slam titles is indeed selling part of his private collection at Christie’s in London. “The Roger Federer collection represents the largest sale of sports memorabilia to take place with 320 lots, often consisting of more than one object,” says Dominic Thurlow-Wood, co-sales manager. With the approach of his 40 years – he will celebrate them on August 8 -, Federer has still not announced his retirement but will offer a beautiful nostalgic streak to his admirers.
This sale will take place in two stages. One live, and reserved for the wealthiest fans and collectors, takes place this Wednesday with 20 lots dedicated to his career during the four Grand Slam tournaments. There are therefore shoes, outfits, rackets belonging to the master during his various victories such as that of his only coronation in Paris in 2009 (estimated between € 58,000 and € 81,000) or all during his last title. at Wimbledon in 2017 (estimated between € 35,000 and € 57,000). Prices could soar for some lots …
“The record price for a tennis racket at auction is $ 55,000,” says Dominic Thurlow-Wood. This is a racket used by Federer during the Roland-Garros final in 2011… Signed documents accompanied by authentication documents are highly sought after. Roger Federer took the time to sign the items for sale and each will be sold with an authentication document. “
The other sale will take place from June 23 to July 14 with, this time, 300 lots representing the entire career of the former world number 1 since his first participation in the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, at the age of 19. … The starting price, much more affordable, is estimated at around 115 euros. Whatever… Lot 29 offers Roger Federer’s shirt, sneakers, bandana, bracelets and racket when he won the Davis Cup in 2014. To leave with this lot marking Switzerland’s only victory in this event you should not hesitate to spend € 35,000. Lot 135 offers the Air Jordans worn at the US Open, in 2014 in front of… Michael Jordan invited in the Federer box.
The goal is to reach a total of one million pounds (around 1.2 million euros). All the profits will be donated to the Roger Federer foundation, which works to support children in difficulty with access to education. “Each piece in these auctions represents a moment in my tennis career and allows me to share a part of my personal archive with my fans around the world,” said Federer. Most importantly, the proceeds will support the Roger Federer Foundation to help us continue to provide educational resources to children in Africa and Switzerland. “
More and more objects that have belonged to athletes and linked to important moments in their careers are offered at auctions. Earlier this year a pair of Nike Air Jordan sneakers, worn by the American Michael Jordan during his first season in the NBA, was sold for 152,500 dollars (approximately 126,000 euros). “Quite recently we sold the football boots worn by Lionel Messi (Editor’s note: nearly € 145,000), with which he scored his 644th goal for the same club (Barcelona), continues Thurlow-Wood. The previous record was set by Pelé in 1974! Football, cricket, tennis, golf and basketball are therefore the most attractive sports for souvenir lovers. Like Messi’s sale, Federer’s sale is a charity sale and that’s one of the main reasons we have these sales. They generate a lot of interest from existing customers, as well as new customers, who may not be traditional collectors. “
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