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Rafael Nadal’s jersey that he worn during the French Open win in 2005, got sold for more than $113K in an auction. The jersey that Nadal wore during the quarterfinal, semifinal and final at the Major clay tournament was made available through Prestige Memorabilia. The legendary green jersey of one of the big fours of tennis was expected to sell for $100K. However, it exceeded everyone’s expectations and got a bid of more than $113K.
The jersey is special for more than one reason, for it was worn by Nadal in his first Roland Garros appearance. Not only this, but it also marked the first showdown between Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who went on to become two of the greatest rivals in the history of the sport.
During the Roland Garros 2005, Nadal defeated Federer, who was ranked number 1 at that time, in the semifinal. The game also happened to be Nadal’s 19th birthday. In the final, he clashed against Mariano Puerta and took him down 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 to capture his first French Open. According to TMZ Sports, the Spaniard’s shirt was bid on 15 times, with the highest bid coming in at $113, 924.
Notably, in his 22-year-old career, Nadal has won 1,075 matches and won approximately $134 million as prize money across several tournaments. The Spaniard was only 19 years old when he won his first of 22 Grand Slams, out of which his latest Grand Slam win at the French Open came in June 2022. The auction also featured Carlos Alcaraz's 2022 Madrid and French Open racquet which was sold for more than $20K.
