ADDENDUM: This shirt, photo-matched to arguably the most important victory in Nadal's career, is estimated at $40,000 and up. SIA paperwork now uploaded.

     After skipping Wimbledon to focus on the Paris Olympics, 38-year-old Rafael Nadal continues to battle his body for one last hurrah. As difficult as it may be for fans to watch this all-time great struggle to stay healthy late in his career, it’s completely on brand for the hard-nosed Spaniard to keep fighting until the very end. Who will ever equal Rafa’s athleticism, perseverance, intensity, and desire to compete on the tennis court? We know one thing. No player will come close to achieving Nadal’s level of dominance on clay with 14 French Open titles. His 22 Grand Slams overall are second only to Novak Djokovic on the men’s all-time list.

     We are honored to feature a special piece of tennis history recently photo-matched and fresh to the hobby: Rafael Nadal’s 2010 U.S. Open Final match worn Nike shirt from his first title at Flushing Meadows. In an epic final against 3rd seed Djokovic, top seed Nadal defeated his longtime nemesis in four sets (6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2) to complete the coveted Career Grand Slam and win his ninth major overall. It was Rafa’s third consecutive major title (after winning at Roland Garros and Wimbledon) in a dominant 2010 season during which he held the world #1 ranking all year and finished with a 72-10 record.

     The black Nike player-exclusive shirt has a fluorescent yellow accented V-neck with a large Swoosh logo on the left chest in matching colors. Many tennis polos and athletic shirts are nondescript and, thus, nearly impossible to photo-match. Fortunately, this style has a unique gray mesh pattern on the shoulders that allowed Sports Investors Authentication to make a conclusive match to the U.S. Open Final. It was procured by our consignor from a member of Nadal’s inner circle shortly after the U.S. Open (along with his Nike jacket in Lot 410). No size is listed on the internal tagging. Under the wash instructions is a “FA101204G88 CUSTM” coded manufacturer’s flag tag from Nike. The shirt exhibits obvious evidence of wear with sweat staining and an authentic odor.

     This is the first Nadal photo-matched item we have listed and one of the few to be offered in the market. For Nadal, the 2010 U.S. Open was perhaps his most significant major championship. It cemented his legacy at just 24 years old as an all-time great in the sport. To this day, only eight men have ever won all four majors. Includes full authentication paperwork from Sports Investors.