Rafael Nadal 2019 US Open Quarterfinals Match Worn Sneakers

Nicknamed the “King of Clay,” Rafael Nadal holds 22 Grand Slam titles to date, the most by any male player in the history of tennis. He is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest tennis player of all time.

From Rafa’s 2019 US Open Championship run, these match worn sneakers were photomatched to Nadal’s 2019 US Open Quarterfinal match against Diego Schwartzman, which lasted just under three hours. The win advanced Rafa to the semifinals on his way to his 19th Grand Slam title and 4th US Open victory.

The sneakers feature Rafa’s signature bull logo (a reference to his nickname ‘raging bull’), which can be found on almost all of his tournament gear. The bull is made up of two mirrored lightning bolts creating a bull’s head. The sneakers' outer heels read ‘10, ‘13, ‘17, a reference to Nadal’s title tally at the US Open prior to his 2019 win. The back heels read ‘Rafa’ on the left and ‘Nadal’ on the right. 

The sneakers are accompanied by a photomatching certificate from Resolution Photomatching in regards to the match use.

Going Deeper | Rafael Nadal

Born in Manacor, a Spanish Island of Mallorca, Rafa began playing tennis at the age of three 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.

In 2019, after winning the French Open earlier in the year, Nadal defeated Diego Schwartzman (number 20 in the world) while wearing these sneakers in a nearly three hour match to advance to the 2019 US Open Semifinals. He closed out the tournament by securing his 19th Grand Slam title and 4th US Open victory.

Aside from his 14 French Open titles, Nadal has won the US Open four times, Wimbledon twice, the Australian Open twice, and also holds the record for most men's singles Grand Slams by a player in the Open era.