The tennis racket that 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic used to win the 2012 Australian Open sold at SCP Auctions on Saturday for $540,000 (including buyer’s premium), breaking the records for a tennis racket and tennis memorabilia.
The 2012 Australian Open final between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is still the longest Grand Slam final at 5 hours and 53 minutes and is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis matches ever played. Djokovic will play for his eleventh Australian Open title against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday; a win will make him the only player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slams titles.
The previous record paid for a tennis racket or tennis memorabilia was $173,066 for the racket with which Alcaraz defeated Djokovic for his first Wimbledon title in 2023.
Photo matching company Resolution Photomatching linked the racket not only to the championship point — Djokovic then handed the racket to the consignor shortly after the win, according to SCP Auctions — but also to his quarterfinal and semifinal victories. The auction house’s vice president, Brendan Wells, told ESPN that the California-based auction house was pleased to have “tripled the previous record for any tennis item.”
“It proves once again that collectors with the deepest pockets want the best of the best,” Wells said. “Half a million for the best racket of the men’s player, from the longest Grand Slam final, against his biggest rival, matched in the photo to championship point? Why not when you add it all up? Another well-deserved record for the Djoker.”
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