The racquet used by Novak Djokovic during the 2016 Roland Garros final was recently sold at auction for $107,482.
The Serbian player had competed against his long-standing rival Andy Murray in the title match in Paris. Both were the top two seeds in the tournament. While Murray claimed the first set, Djokovic orchestrated an impressive comeback, triumphing over Murray with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to secure his inaugural Roland Garros title.
This victory marked several significant milestones in the career of the World No 1, notably achieving the Career Grand Slam by winning all four Major titles. Additionally, Djokovic became the first male player since Rod Laver in 1969 to simultaneously hold all four Grand Slam titles. He had previously won the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open in 2015, along with the 2016 Australian Open.
Following his win against Murray in Paris, an elated Djokovic drew a large heart on the clay court using the racquet before tossing it into the stands. A fortunate fan named Abby Doherty caught the racquet. Six years later, this fan decided to auction off the racquet.
The recently concluded auction, organised by California-based SCP Auctions, successfully sold the racket—a 27-inch Head Speed Graphene Touch PT113B—for a staggering $107,482. This marks the highest-ever amount paid for a tennis racket at any auction. The item had a minimum bid of $10,000 and received a total of 23 bids.
Who did Novak Djokovic defeat en route to his 2016 Roland Garros title win?
The maverick from Belgrade was seeded No. 1 at the 2016 Roland Garros and arrived in Paris after securing five titles in seven tournaments that year. He emerged victorious at the Qatar Open, Australian Open, Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, and the Madrid Open.
Djokovic commenced his campaign in Paris with a straight-set victory over Yen-Hsun Lu from Chinese Taipei. The 36-year-old also clinched straight-set wins in his second-round match against Steve Darcis and repeated the achievement in the third-round contest against Aljaz Bedene. In the fourth round, No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut seized the first set off the Serb, who rallied to win the following three sets and secure his spot in the quarter-finals.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion swiftly defeated the 7th seed Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter-finals. Djokovic's flawless form continued in the semi-final against the young Austrian and No. 13 seed Dominic Thiem, whom he defeated 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. Djokovic faced off against Andy Murray in the final and triumphed over the Brit 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
Since then, Novak Djokovic has gone on to claim two more Roland Garros titles. He emerged victorious against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 final, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, and Casper Ruud in the 2023 final, 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5.