Djokovic Racket From 2016 French Open Final Goes Up For Auction & Could Fetch $100K
Novak Djokovic's match-winning racket from the 2016 Roland Garros final is finally going on sale, and it is reported that it could cost upwards of $100,000.
Djokovic famously defeated Andy Murray to achieve one of his lifelong dreams of completing the career Grand Slam. The French Open had been the one title that eluded him in preceding years, losing three finals between 2012 and 2015.
But the Serb's Parisian tormentor, Rafael Nadal, was out of the picture in the 2016 tournament due to injury. He also avoided a rematch against Stan Wawrinka, who caused him heartache just 12 months earlier, thanks to Andy Murray, who eliminated him in the semifinal.
Djokovic was the overwhelming favorite to win his first French Open after clearing a big hurdle in the last four, where he trounced Dominic Thiem in straight sets. In the final, he sauntered to a four-set win over Murray and lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires at last.
Shortly in the aftermath of his win over the Briton, Djokovic pulled off an iconic reprise of Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten's celebration at the same tournament by drawing a love sign on the court with his Head Speed frame before dumping it to the crowd.
It was luckily caught by Abby Doherty who has decided to auction it on California-based SCP Auctions, seven years on. The maximum bid as of November 28, 2023 is $19,489. Experts believe that it could fetch at least $100,000.
Doherty, who posed with it at the stadium, was a student at the time and has called it a "tough decision" to put it on sale. The racket was photo-matched to ensure its authenticity that it belonged to Djokovic and was indeed from the 2016 final.
"It was a really tough decision. You've got this really cool piece of sports memorabilia but it's been sitting in my closet for like, six years.
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