BABOLAT

Graphite

2011

Gifted by Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach.

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.

From Rafa’s 2011 French Open run, this match used racket has been photomatched to the Final, where Nadal defeated his longtime rival Roger Federer in 4 sets 7–5, 7–6(3), 5–7, 6–1, to claim his sixth French Open title and tenth Grand Slam overall, further establishing his dominance on clay. The match lasted 3 hours and 39 minutes.

Nadal used multiple rackets throughout the match. This racket was believed to be used after 3rd set.

The first two sets were closely fought, with Nadal proving stronger in key moments, particularly in the second-set tiebreak. Federer responded by taking the third set with more aggressive shot-making, but Nadal quickly reasserted control in the fourth, raising the pace and consistency to pull away comfortably.

The win reaffirmed Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros and came during a season heavily shaped by the rivalry among Nadal, Federer, and Novak Djokovic. At the time, Nadal was coached by his longtime mentor and uncle, Toni Nadal, who had guided him throughout his development and all of his major clay-court successes.

This final further solidified Nadal’s reputation as the defining clay-court player of his generation and reinforced Roland Garros as the centerpiece of his career legacy.

The racket has also been matched to the 2011 Wimbledon Semifinals where Nadal defeated Andy Murray in 4 sets, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Nadal would lose in the Final to Novak Djokovic in 4 sets.

The racket is signed on the handle by Nadal and inscribed "Para Siro con Afecto", which translates to "For Siro with affection".

The racket is accompanied by a photomatch letter from Sports Investors Authentication and from James Spence in regard to the signature.

Going Deeper | Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal turned professional in 2001 and built one of the most decorated and clearly defined careers in tennis history. He finished with 22 Grand Slam titles, including an unmatched 14 French Open championships, and completed the career Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least twice. Nadal also held the world No. 1 ranking for 209 total weeks, finished five seasons as year-end No. 1 (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019), and won 92 ATP singles titles overall. His game was built around extreme topspin, physical endurance, and tactical discipline, allowing him to dominate clay while still winning multiple majors on hard courts and grass.

Several key moments define his career arc: his breakthrough win over Roger Federer in the 2005 French Open final, his landmark 2008 Wimbledon victory often regarded as one of the greatest matches ever played, and his late-career resurgence at the 2022 Australian Open, where he captured his 21st and 22nd majors after significant injury setbacks. Nadal also claimed Olympic gold in singles at Beijing 2008 and in doubles at Rio 2016, further reinforcing his success beyond the Grand Slams.

Coached for most of his career by his uncle Toni Nadal (through 2017) and later by Carlos Moyá, Nadal continually adjusted his game to manage recurring knee, foot, and hip issues. His rivalries with Federer and Novak Djokovic defined an era in which all three dominated the sport, but Nadal’s record at Roland Garros and his consistency over nearly two decades remain singular benchmarks in tennis history.