Rafael Nadal's sleeveless top from his maiden Grand Slam success at the 2005 Roland Garros is up for sale and is expected to fetch almost six figures from the bidding.
As announced by Prestige Memorabilia on Wednesday, July 17th, tennis fans will have an opportunity to purchase one of the most iconic outfits in tennis history, which launched Nadal's legendary career.
The company houses authenticated tennis memorabilia of legendary tennis players, not only limited to rackets but also jerseys, photos, and equipment for the fans. And this outfit, as Prestige Memorabilia noted, is "the only photomatched shirt from a winning Grand Slam to be auctioned".
The outfit, which is now up for bidding until August 4th, has been forensically verified by Resolution Photomatching that Nadal donned the shirt during his quarterfinal, semifinal, and final match.
The semifinal and final matches are particularly relevant. Nadal met his former rival Roger Federer for the first time in a Grand Slam and defeated him in four sets.
It was the first of 14 matches in a major tournament between Nadal and the Swiss. In the championship match, three days after his 19th birthday, he downed Argentina's Mariano Puerta to lift the first of his 22 Grand Slams.
Nadal is synonymously known as the greatest clay-court player of all time, and tennis fans can turn back time and relive the day when it all started. In as much as the Spaniard dazzled and turned heads with his elegance and charisma on the court, he also had an eye for fashion.
This explains why his 2005 Roland Garros is not just as memorable for his world-beating tennis but also for his signature look. Nadal's Nike lime-green top features the company's logo on his right shoulder.
The design is what made the outfit unique. It is sleeveless, has an aesthetic and sporty feel, and is presumably made from a breathable fabric. It is accentuated with diagonal white lines, giving it a flashy look. The neckline and the armhole are dark-colored.
Nadal completed his swag by wearing three-quarter pants (some call them clam diggers), saying at the time that they were "extremely comfortable" and that his clothing sponsor, Nike, decided he should wear them.
The bold fashion choice became a symbol of Nadal's dominance early in his career, winning four consecutive titles between 2005 and 2008. Despite losing for the first time at the tournament in 2009, the 38-year-old tallied an unmatched 112 wins on the Parisian clay.
His last title there was a mind-boggling 14th crown, which he lifted in 2022 by beating Casper Ruud. It is a record in a single Grand Slam tournament and probably one that won't be matched anytime soon.
This year, Prestige Memorabilia facilitated the auction of Nadal's match-winning racket from the 2007 French Open, which attracted a $118,206 fee.
Other pieces of tennis memorabilia that have sold for massive figures very recently include Novak Djokovic's racket from the 2016 French Open final and Iga Switek's racket from her third Roland Garros win.
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