India, June 9 -- The Babolat racquet that Rafael Nadal used to complete La Decima at the Roland Garros eight years ago was sold at a Prestige Memorabilia auction on Sunday for a record price of $157,333.20 (INR 49.12 lakh), which included buyer's premium.

It became the most expensive racquet sold at an auction, surpassing his previous record of $139,700 (INR 11.96 lakh), which he acquired at Sotheby's in 2023 by selling the racquet he used during the 2022 Australian Open, where he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.

In 2017, Nadal defeated Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 to complete an unprecedented 10th French Open win. The win was all the more significant as he did not drop a single set en route to the title, which he won...