Carlos Alcaraz’s 2023 Wimbledon racquet just became the most expensive ever sold

Carlos Alcaraz has broken another record—but this time, he didn’t even have to hit the court. His racquet did all the work.

The Babolat racquet he used in the 2023 Wimbledon final sold at auction for $173,000 through Prestige Memorabilia, making it the most expensive tennis racquet ever sold at auction.

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz’s 2023 Wimbledon winning racquet poised to break auction record

The previous record was held by a racquet Rafael Nadal used at 2017 Roland Garros—the “La Decima” year, when he won a record-extending 10th Roland Garros title—which sold for $157,300 in June 2025, also through a Prestige Memorabilia auction.

“We’re really excited to have brought such an incredible piece to market and are proud to have broken the record,” says Matt Cashin, founder of Prestige Memorabilia, a tennis-only auction house.

Read More: Rafael Nadal’s 2017 Roland Garros winning racquet sells for record-breaking $157,000

In 2023, a 20-year-old Alcaraz captured his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon with a win over Novak Djokovic, the four-time defending champion, in an epic five-set thriller—marking a changing of the guard in men’s tennis.

Bidding for his customized pro stock Babolat racquet—photomatched by Resolution to 10 dates, including the July 16 final, and still bearing a stringing sticker from the 2023 Championships—sat at $74,008 until closing day on Sunday, October 19. A flurry of bids in the final hours drove the price up to the winning bid of $173,066.

Even with that record figure, it wasn’t the only eye-catching Alcaraz racquet in the auction.

A racquet used by the Spaniard at a 2019 ATP Challenger event—the earliest known Alcaraz-used frame to surface publicly—sold for $6,670. According to the lot description, it was sourced from ‘a coach who worked with Alcaraz in his developmental years.’

“Carlos Alcaraz is bringing so much attention to this sport and that’s also being reflected with his collectible sales,” Cashin tells Tennis.com. “Tennis is witnessing the rise of a generational champion and collectors recognize that.

“The tennis memorabilia space has been growing quickly over the last few years and Alcaraz’s rise has definitely accelerated that.”

Other highlights from Prestige Memorabilia’s 2025 Fall Tennis Auction include a Babolat racquet used by Rafael Nadal during his run to the 2011 Monte Carlo title, which sold for $8,784, the second-highest ticket item.

Also featured were a Wilson racquet used by Pete Sampras at the 1994 ATP Finals, which sold for $6,064, and Roger Federer’s 2011 Miami Open match-used and signed Nike shoes, which sold for $3,764.