My Holy Grail of Modern Tennis Collectibles!

[shafrancollectibles.com]

So proud to have just obtained this:

Roger Federer Match Used Tennis Racket from 2011 French Open Finals against Rafael Nadal.

It is signed 3 times by Federer and is accompanied by an LOA signed directly by Federer's agent at IMG.

He doesn't allow many of his match used rackets to circulate but this was donated to a charity auction and I was glad to purchase it.

[mbrieve]

Awesome!

[yankees506]

Not big on tennis but I have to admit, this is pretty cool, congrats!

[AutographAddiction]

I'll be attending the early rounds of Wimbledon this summer. I'm hoping to talk my way into some match-worn items!

[gingi79]

I always wonder about sports not normally discussed in this hobby. Roger is the best player in the game now, is he the most desirable racket?

Is there a market for say Sampras or Agassi? The Williams sisters? How about throwbacks like Monica Sales or Chris Evert or Martina Navratalova?

Lastly, every sport has the sexy woman who will never come out from under the "sexy" tag no matter how successful they are (See all swimmers, gynasts, softball players and Danica Patrick) So Anna Kournekova? Do people collect her rackets?

[shafrancollectibles.com]

I can’t speak for the whole tennis hobby but I believe Federer is the most desirable player simply because of his status as arguably the greatest player ever and the scarcity of his items. He keeps his items close at hand and very infrequently makes them available.

As for other players, especially slightly older names, there is certainly a market for them but some of the older rackets are hard to authenticate as players did not customize rackets as much back then, as they do now, so they were using rackets quite similar to store models. Lots of current players keep their rackets close as many rackets are not what they appear to be as racket models are painted to look like others, for marketing purposes.

In my view, Federer is one of the most well-known and respected athletes worldwide and while, for example, a Derek Jeter game used bat is readily accessible and easy to find if you want to pay the price, it’s not the same with Federer. However, the market of buyers/sellers in baseball compared to tennis is comparing apples to oranges. Most people would cringe if they knew what this racket cost me (or if they knew what I feel it’s worth!) but within tennis circles, it’s the “best of the best.”

As for the “sex appeal” aspect, I think that can be found in the autograph market of tennis as opposed to match used. Kournikova still sells while top current players have little to no market.

[mbrieve]

I'll be attending the early rounds of Wimbledon this summer. I'm hoping to talk my way into some match-worn items!

I went to Wimbledon about 10 years ago and had daily grounds passes. An absolutely amazing experience. Have fun!

[project 4]

Very nice. My wife would be all over that. I got into tennis when I met my wife and we've been to NY for the U.S. Open a couple times. Didn't get to see Federer though. I'm sure his rackets are hard to come by sort of like Tom Brady jerseys. He's def an elite talent and hope he can win some more but it has been tough seeing him lose to Nadal lately.

[cliffjmp33]

Awesome piece Brad! Thanks for the knowledge on tennis memorabilia too.

Congrats on the alma mater winning the conference title and NCAA berth as well!

[BIGSTIG]

Very cool indeed. I always wondered how to go about getting tennis game used. I like to watch, especially if it is Nadal vs Federer. Was like Sampras vs Agassi back in the day.

If anyone knows good outlets for a Nadal or Federer match worn shirt let me know.


-BIGSTIG