The tennis racquet utilized by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to win the 2012 Australian Open bought for $540,000 (together with purchaser’s premium) at SCP Auctions on Saturday, breaking the document for the best promoting worth for a tennis racquet and tennis memorabilia.
The 2012 Australian Open remaining between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal stays the longest Grand Slam remaining at 5 hours and 53 minutes, and is broadly thought of one of many biggest matches in tennis historical past. Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday for his eleventh Australian Open title. If he wins, he’ll grow to be the one participant in tennis historical past to win 25 Grand Slams.
The earlier document for a tennis racket or tennis memorabilia was $173,066 for the racket Alcaraz used to defeat Djokovic in 2023 to win his first Wimbledon title.
Picture-matching firm Decision Photomatching not solely secured the racket for championship factors (in keeping with SCP Auctions, Djokovic handed the racket over to the consignor instantly after his victory), but in addition secured it for his quarter-final and semi-final wins. Public sale home vp Brendan Wells advised ESPN that the California-based public sale home is happy to have “tripled its earlier document for tennis-related gadgets.”
“This proves as soon as once more that collectors with the deepest pockets need the perfect,” Wells mentioned. “$500,000 for the racket of the best male participant within the longest Grand Slam remaining, towards his largest rival in championship factors? Once you put all of it collectively, why not? One other well-deserved document for the Joker.”
