Rafael Nadal could not win the Six Kings Slam title in Saudi Arabia recently but secured perhaps something much more valuable than that. He was gifted a special golden racket by the Saudi tennis officials on the occasion of his retirement. The momento, if ever sold in an auction-like event, could fetch millions easily.
According to Marca, this Nadal golden racket is worth $270,000 and weighs three kgs with pure gold in it. Additionally, Nadal pocketed $1.5 million for finishing fourth at the event, even as he lost both his matches to Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, respectively. Take his appearance fees into consideration, and easily, the 22-time Grand Slam champion would have earned around $2 million from just this one event.
Even in his final tournament outside Spain, Nadal turned back the clock in some of the points he played and even won, showing that at 38, he still has it in him. The Spaniard was easily the biggest star attraction who got the most support and the loudest cheers in Riyadh.
Riyadh will be one place Nadal is likely to visit more often after retiring, as he is growing his academy there. The former World No.1 is also Saudi Arabian tennis’ official brand ambassador, who reportedly signed a $750 million deal for the next five years with their government earlier in 2024.
While many would think that Nadal is money-hungry, the same logic would then apply to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar among soccer superstars who are playing in the Middle East. Whether Rafa participated in the ‘sportswashing’ of Saudia or not, there is this sense of humility and work ethic in him, which makes him command so much money apart from his tennis skills and business acumen.
Uncle Toni, in a recent interview, indirectly spoke about instilling the mentality within Rafa of never overestimating himself. It not only made him humble and modest about his abilities but also gave him more opportunities to never give up and keep trying to be the best even in adversity.
Toni Nadal:
” ”
Love or hate him, there’s maybe never been a better mental coach in tennis
One of the biggest reasons Rafa became the greatest fighter in sportspic.twitter.com/EoyVpCcnR1
— Swish Tennis (@Zwxsh) October 23, 2024
Because of his ability to produce iconic moments in the sport, Nadal’s memorabilia has always attracted a lot of interest. And yet, this golden racket may not be the most expensive piece of tennis gear if it ever goes up for auction.
Nadal’s golden racket is less valued as compared to Amelie Mauresmo’s Proximus Diamond Game Prize
The current generation cannot be blamed for thinking Nadal has been gifted the most expensive tennis possession in the form of the golden racket. Actually, though, that honor remains with Amelie Mauresmo, who is a former World No.1 and now the tournament director of the French Open.
In 2007, Mauresmo was awarded the Proximus Diamond Game Prize in Belgium, which at the time was worth $1.3 million. It had 1.7 kilograms of gold and 4,200 diamonds since the Frenchman won the Diamond Games that year. It was her third championship win in five years. The Diamond Games are no longer held in tennis, making this a rare gift to any player.
Apart from that, Nadal was able to trump Billie Jean King, whose Wilson Autograph racket is said to be valued at $125,000. Amongst the men, the Spaniard is far ahead of his rivals like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, as well as his predecessors like John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
