Rafael Nadal Match Used Racket | 2006 French Open and 2006 Wimbledon Championships

Nicknamed the “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal holds 22 Grand Slam titles to date, and 14 French Open Championships. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

This racket was used in Rafa’s 2006 French Open, where he defeated Roger Federer in the final, for his second overall Grand Slam title and second consecutive championship at Roland Garros. The racket was also used during multiple matches at his 2006 Wimbledon run, where Nadal lost in the final to Federer.

The racket was photo matched to the following dates:

May 27, 2006 French Open practice session.

June 3, 2006 third round match against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu at the French Open (W 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4).

June 9, 2006 semifinal match against Serbian Ivan Ljubcic at the French Open (W 6–4, 6–2, 7–6^(9–7)).

July 3, 2006 fourth round match against Georgian Irakli Labadze at Wimbledon (W 6–3, 7–6^(7–4), 6–3).

July 7, 2006 semifinal match against Greek Marcos Baghdatis at Wimbledon (W 6–1, 7–5, 6–3).

The racket features a Babolat manufacturing label on the throat of the racket, which shows Nadal’s name, and the racket number. 

The racket is accompanied by a photo matching certificate from Sports Investors Authentication and MeiGray.

Going Deeper | Rafael Nadal

Born in Manacor, Rafa began playing tennis at the age of four and was coached by his uncle and former professional tennis player, Toni Nadal. 

Rafa turned professional at 15, and at 17 he became the youngest male since Boris Becker to reach the third round of Wimbledon. In 2005, Rafa stepped onto the clay courts of the French Open for the first time. He would go on to defeat Mariano Puerta and claim his first Grand Slam victory, at 19 years old. The victory catapulted him to the ranking of third best men’s tennis player in the world.

Rafa went on to win every French Open for the next three years, marking four consecutive French Open titles (2005-2008). He was subsequently referred to as the “King of Clay”. In 2008, he won both the French Open and Wimbledon against world number one, Roger Federer. That year he also took home the Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympics, earning the coveted number one ranking. Over his career, he has spent 209 total weeks at world number one and a staggering 912 consecutive weeks in the world Top 10.

Aside from his 14 French Open titles, Nadal has won the US Open four times, Wimbledon twice, and the Australian Open twice.