Rafael Nadal‘s match-worn shirt from the 2005 French Open final against Roger Federer exceeded expectations at auction … selling for over $113K!
The shirt is literally off Nadal’s back … a garment he wore for at least three matches during the major tennis tournament. One of those matches was a clash with fellow all-time great, Federer.
You might recall, Nadal defeated Federer — ranked No. 1 at that time — in the semifinal … one of only a handful of men to defeat RF. It also happened to be Nadal’s 19th birthday.
Now you can see why the piece was so desirable… even surpassing the $100K estimated auction price by the experts at Prestige Memorabilia.
All told, Rafa’s shirt was bid on 15 times, with the high mark coming in at $113,924!
Nadal is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players ever. He holds 14 French Open titles, 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, and two Olympic gold medals.
The 38-year-old was also named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2022.
Congrats to the winner!