Rafael Nadal was presented with a gold racket at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, and the approximate value of the racket has been disclosed.
Nadal joined Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune at last week's Six Kings Slam. The lucrative event guaranteed all men $1.5 million just for appearing.
Despite losing to Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in straight sets, Nadal's level in Saudi Arabia was quite good, considering all his physical problems in recent years. This raises the possibility of him playing singles in his final appearance at the Davis Cup Finals next month.
The contest with Djokovic also marked the end of their legendary rivalry. They played some of the best matches in tennis history, including the 2012 Australian Open final, which remains the longest Grand Slam final ever at five hours and 53 minutes.
Djokovic seemed sincerely sad after playing the person he has called his greatest rival for the final time. The Serbian paid an emotional tribute to Nadal, calling him an incredible person and a great ambassador for tennis.
Nadal considers Roger Federer his greatest rival, not Djokovic, but his respect for the 24-time Grand Slam champion was also evident. He thanked him for everything and admitted he would not have become such a great player without Djokovic.
Although all six men who played at the Six Kings Slam said many great things about Saudi Arabia while there, unsurprisingly, considering what they were being paid, Nadal's ties to the country are stronger than the others.
The 14-time French Open champion became an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation in January of this year. That was a controversial move because the country's government, which funds the tennis federation, has committed numerous human rights abuses.
Nadal recently responded to those concerns, saying he understood why people had concerns, but argues that engaging with the country is the right approach, even though the government is paying the 38-year-old a significant amount of money.
Nadal's closeness to the Saudi regime was demonstrated after his match against Djokovic when Turki Al Sheikh, the advisor to the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia, gave him a racket completely plated in gold.
The racket is meant to symbolize his legacy as one of the greatest players in tennis history. It is estimated to weigh three kilos and also has incredible financial worth.
As reported by Marca, Nadal's golden racket should be valued at around €250,000. The Spaniard's status and the racket being covered in gold make it special, but that is still a scarcely believable sum for a racket.
That gift will likely encourage Nadal even more to continue working with Saudi Arabia. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is expected to open an academy in the country in the future.
However, he will focus before that on getting himself ready for his final appearance at the Davis Cup finals next month. Nadal did not ask for a wild card at the Paris Masters, confirming that the Six Kings Slam was his penultimate appearance before retirement.
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