In 2024, Rafael Nadal retired from tennis after a G.O.A.T.-worthy career that lasted 23 years. At age 38, the beloved Spaniard was done dealing with two decades of pain in his foot from the incurable Mueller-Weiss syndrome. It was truly the end of an era. Who will ever match Rafa’s athleticism, perseverance, intensity, and desire to compete on the court? We know one thing. No player will come close to equaling his 14 French Open titles and dominance on clay. His 22 Grand Slams overall are second only to Novak Djokovic on the men’s all-time list.

Featured here is a Nadal match worn and autographed shirt from the 2005 ATP Madrid Masters (then known as the Mutua Madrileña Masters). Played on hard court at Madrid Arena from October 17-24, Nadal was the top seed and went on to win the tournament after beating Ivan Ljubičić of Croatia in the final. A conclusive photo-match could not be made to a particular match, but previous provenance links this shirt to Nadal’s Round 2 victory over Victor Hanescu of Romania. Rafa’s 2005 season was perhaps the greatest ever by a teenager. The 18-year-old began the year ranked 51st in the world. After going 79-10 and winning a career-best 11 singles titles, including his maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros, he finished the year ranked #2 in the world behind only Roger Federer.

The bright orange Nike player-exclusive shirt was designed with cut-off sleeves – perfect for young Rafa to show off his guns. Tagged within the inner collar, it comes in size Medium with wash instructions inside the left front tail. Nadal has autographed the front next to the white Swoosh logo in bold black marker. The shirt displays solid evidence of wear with an aroma of perspiration still present. Unfortunately, many tennis shirts like this are nondescript and incredibly difficult to photo-match. Comes with COAs from the Australian Memorabilia Association (AMA-33766) and Sports Online, an Australian dealer based in New South Wales. Full LOA from PSA/DNA for the autograph.