Carlos Alcaraz racket from first Wimbledon title could set record
Carlos Alcaraz is unquestionably the face of tennis.
His six Grand Slam titles since 2022 lead all players. His record card sale of $ 237,907 ranks second in history only to Serena Williams, and the championship point ball from his 2025 U.S. Open victory over Jannik Sinner sold for $ 88,900 in September, nearly 10 times the previous record for a tennis ball.
Now, Alcaraz has a chance to tighten his stranglehold as the de-facto tennis titan in the hobby.
A match-used racket from Alcaraz's first Wimbledon title, a nearly-five-hour epic against Novak Djokovic in 2023, is hitting the block at tennis-only auction house Prestige Memorabilia.
In June, Prestige set what is the current record for a match-used racket. A Rafael Nadal racket used in 24 matches, including the entirety of his 2017 French Open title run, sold for $ 157.333.20. Prestige Memorabilia founder Matt Cashin expects this racket to topple Nadal's record by a significant margin, with a pre-sale estimate of $ 200,000.
"You've got the most accomplished Grand Slam player ever playing a guy who's probably got the highest expectations of any young player ever," Prestige founder Matt Cashin said.
Prior to this match, Djokovic hadn't lost on Centre Court at Wimbledon for 10 years, and he was bidding for five consecutive titles at the All-England Club. It also marked the first time since 2002 that a non-Big Four player (Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray) failed to win the title.
"The circumstance of that particular match makes it just such an unbelievable item," Cashin said. "It's kind of like a changing of the guard moment, honestly. If there was one, that would be it."
In addition to the Wimbledon final, the racket has been photo-matched by Resolution Photomatching to 10 different dates, including four other matches from Alcaraz's 2023 title run.
This pro stock Babolat racket was custom made for Alcaraz, and Carlitos even signed the grip.
At just 22 years old, Alcaraz is on pace to equal, if not pass, the records set by the Djokovic, Nadal and Federer on the court. But far, far sooner, he could stand alone as the king of tennis in the hobby.
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.
