"It was obvious on the court…that both of us, physically, we took the last drop of energy that we had from our bodies. We made history tonight and unfortunately there couldn’t be two winners.” – Novak Djokovic

     On the evening of Sunday, January 29, 2012, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – the two top-ranked players in the world in their athletic primes – made tennis history with a grueling five hour and 53-minute match for the 2012 Australian Open title. It remains the longest Grand Slam Final ever played. At 1:37 a.m. local time in Melbourne, Djoker finally prevailed in five exhilarating sets: 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), and 7-5.

     The Serbian legend famously celebrated by ripping off his shirt and roaring to the packed crowd inside Rod Laver Arena, an unforgettable moment capturing the raw emotion and sense of relief running through Novak’s veins upon beating his fiercest rival after six hours of intense competition.

     SCP Auctions is honored to offer the racquet Novak used in this epic final that many consider the greatest match in tennis history. The HEAD player-exclusive model has been conclusively photo-matched to championship point as well as Djokovic’s quarterfinal and semifinal victories that advanced him to the final. Perhaps the most compelling photo-match is the moment Novak handed his racquet to our consignor shortly after match point.

     Collectors cannot ask for a better scenario: the racquet from Djoker’s final three matches at the 2012 Aussie Open culminating with the longest – and arguably the greatest – championship match ever, photo-matched all the way through its procurement.

The Tournament and Final Match

     The paths for #1 seed Novak Djokovic and #2 seed Rafael Nadal to reach the 2012 Australian Open Final were anything but easy, each met with familiar foes along the way. After straight-set wins in the early rounds, Novak had a challenging four-set victory in the fourth round over Lleyton Hewitt with the home crowd rooting heavily for their Aussie. He then beat David Ferrer in straight sets in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal clash against Andy Murray. In a rematch of the 2011 Aussie Final that Djokovic had won in straight sets, this one lasted nearly five hours with Novak taking the final two sets to win in five. Nadal’s biggest test leading up to the final came in his semifinal against third-seeded Roger Federer in which the Spaniard ended Roger’s 24-match win streak in a four-set classic.

     The stage was set for the third consecutive Grand Slam Final between Djokovic and Nadal. After losing to Novak in the previous two major finals, Rafa played with the heart of a lion to avoid a third straight defeat to his rival. The two warriors went back and forth all night with incredible returns from the baseline, insane gets on drop shots, and never-ending rallies that defied what the human body is capable of. The most memorable rally took 31 shots, ending with Djokovic flat on his back and Nadal stumbling to the sidelines for reprieve. Djokovic eloquently described that 31-shot point after the match.

     “I was just thinking of getting some air and trying to recover…Thousand thoughts going through the mind. Trying to separate the right from wrong. Trying to prioritize the next point. I'm playing against one of the best players ever – the player that is so mentally strong. He was going for everything or nothing."

     After taking the first set, Nadal dropped the next two to Novak before battling back to take the fourth set in a tiebreaker, falling to his knees like he had won the match. His momentum carried into the fifth set as he broke Djoker to take a commanding 4-2 lead. Up 30-15 on serve with a chance for the kill shot, Nadal pushed an open backhand pass wide. Giving Djoker that sliver of hope turned out to be a death trap for Rafa. The momentum quickly swung back to Djokovic, who won five of the last six games to take the match and hoist the Norman Brookes trophy.

     For Djokovic, the victory marked his third Australian Open championship and fifth major overall. It was also his third consecutive grand slam title after winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2011. After losing three straight major finals to Djoker, Rafa would get his revenge by beating the Serb at the 2012 French Open a few months later. Even after such a devastating loss, the Spaniard was able to find solace in that he pushed himself further than he ever thought possible.

     “Good morning, everybody,” joked Nadal post-match to the crowd at 2 a.m. locat time. “This one was very special. I really understand that was a really special match, and probably a match that’s going to be in my mind not because I lost, no, but because the way that we played.”

Legacy Shift

     The significance of the 2012 Australian Open in the pantheon of men’s tennis cannot be understated. Roger Federer entered the tournament having won three straight ATP events. With 16 grand slam titles, the 30-year-old had already passed Pete Sampras (14) for the most by any men’s player. After losing to either Nadal or Djokovic in three straight major semifinals, however, it became clear that Fed’s dominant years were behind him. (He would win just four more grand slams.)

     Djokovic and Nadal – ages 24 and 25, respectively – had taken the torch. Within a decade, each would catch the Swiss maestro’s final tally of 20 majors. Nadal got there first at the 2020 French Open, and when Novak won Wimbledon in 2021 there was a three-way tie. Rafa got two more and retired with 22 majors, while Djoker has now separated himself with 24 and counting. At 38 years old, Novak continues to push his body to the limit in pursuit of #25 with a level of perseverance and self-discipline that perhaps only Tom Brady can identify with.

     “How much discipline?” recalled Novak after the 2012 Aussie Open. “After I won, I sat in the locker room in Melbourne. I wanted one thing: to taste chocolate. I hadn’t tasted it since the summer of 2010. [My wife] Miljan brought me a candy bar. I broke off one square – one tiny square – and popped it into my mouth, let it melt on my tongue. That was all I would allow myself. That is what it has taken to get to number one.”

     Objectively, the greatest men’s player of all time is no longer an argument. Subjectively, the G.O.A.T. among the “Big Three” is more of a popularity contest. Fed did it with style and grace. Rafa did it with strength, endurance and sheer will. Djoker has done it with all the above plus unconscionable sacrifice. If it came down to one match, one set, one game, one point…would you not take the guy who deprives himself of every possible pleasure for the sake of winning?

Racquet Details

     Since 2009, Djokovic has endorsed and used HEAD Speed racquets on tour. He played with this HEAD YouTek Speed MP 315 model from the middle of 2011 until the end of the 2012 calendar year. It has an 18x20 (vertical by horizontal) string pattern and a 27-inch frame painted black and white with orange accents. “Novak” is labeled within the throat across from a manually affixed “SUN 27.0” white sticker, which corresponds to the day of the week the racquet was strung and its frame length. Adjacent is a smaller “BO70701” serial numbered decal. The butt underneath the handle is properly sized at 4-3/8 inches.

     Djokovic is very particular about his racquets, placing two gray strips of lead tape along the inner frame beam to achieve his desired weight on the racquet head. His custom grip on the handle is double wrapped over Calfskin leather, creating side bevels to make it more rectangular. In addition, he uses natural animal gut material (from sheep or cow intestines) for his vertical strings. His racquet is strung at such high tension that the vertical gut strings tend to break on their own just a few months after use.

     The racquet displays evidence of significant use with scratches and marks from the Australian Open hardcourt on the outer beam – ideal matching points that allowed for multiple photo-matches. The white grip has yellowed a bit from perspiration and storage. Eight of the vertical strings have naturally snapped from their grommet attachment points (as animal gut is prone to do). Other than that, all elements are as-issued and problem-free.

Provenance

     The consignor, who wishes to remain anonymous, is from France and attended the 2012 Australian Open Men’s Final with his future wife and two close friends. They sat in Row A, directly behind Novak’s player bench, and cheered for him throughout the six-hour marathon, even getting several appreciative glances from Djoker for their vocal support. After his memorable celebration at center court, an exhausted and shirtless Novak briefly returned to sit on his bench before the trophy presentation. Upon standing up, he walked right over to his French cheering section and said, “Merci Beaucoup,” handing over his racquet as a token of gratitude. One of them snapped an iPhone photo at that exact moment. The foursome could not believe their luck. They took more pictures together holding Djoker’s racquet under the stadium lights to memorialize the magical night. A signed letter of provenance from the consignor provides a full account of the experience. Also included are four high-resolution 8x10 photos from the event, two of which show the moment just before Novak gifted the racquet. (Read the full story from Sports Collectors Daily HERE.)

Photomatch Details

     Authentication paperwork from Resolution Photomatching has conclusively identified this racquet as having been used by Djokovic in three 2012 Australian Open matches: his straight-set (6-4, 7-6, 6-1) victory over David Ferrer in the Quarterfinals; his five-set (6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5) victory over Andy Murray in the Semifinals; and his epic five-set victory over Nadal in the Finals. There are five conclusive ResMatches in all: three from the Finals (two from championship point); one from the Semifinals and one from the Quarterfinals (also from winning point). A large blue mark on the beam's outer bumper guard was a key photo-matching point. The most telling image provided by the consignor of Novak handing over his racquet was also used as a photo-match source.

Racquet Records Rising

     In 2025, three auction records were set in tennis. In October, Carlos Alcaraz’s 2023 Wimbledon Final racquet from his victory over Djokovic sold for $173,066 – the current record for any tennis item. In June, Rafael Nadal’s 2017 French Open Final racquet sold for $157,300. That victory over Stan Wawrinka marked Rafa’s 10th career title at Roland Garros. Last February, Roger Federer’s 2004 Wimbledon Final racquet (defeated Andy Roddick) sold for $118,206. Billie Jean King’s “Battle of the Sexes” racquet used to defeat Bobby Riggs in 1973 auctioned for $125,000 in 2017, yet that sale was largely driven by the Americana and pop culture market.

     To date, the record price for a Novak Djokovic racquet is $107,482 (SCP Auctions, November 2023) for the one he used to defeat Andy Murray in the 2016 French Open Final. The victory was certainly significant as Djoker completed the career grand slam by finally winning at Roland Garros (thanks largely to Nadal dropping out in the third round due to injury). However, that final match was rather dull from an entertainment standpoint. Novak lost the first set to Murray before rolling 6-1, 6-2, and 6-4 over the next three to clinch the title in just over three hours.

     The 2012 Australian Open Final, featuring the two most decorated men's champions of all time, was the longest major championship in history at nearly six hours and is widely regarded as the greatest tennis match of all time. A new documentary (released Jan. 15 and airing on TNT Sports and Discovery) about it is literally titled The Match That Changed Tennis. On the men’s side, only Federer vs. Nadal at 2008 Wimbledon can even be in the conversation. Photo-matched with impeccable provenance, this is the most significant tennis racquet ever offered. And come January 31, it should become the most valuable tennis item extant.

No Reserve

Estimate $200,000+