The exorbitant price of the golden racket that Nadal received in Riyadh

Even though it was not an official tournament, last week’s Six Kings Slam was a momentous event as it allowed us to witness Rafa Nadal competing for the penultimate time in his career.

The Spaniard, winner of 22 Grand Slams, will retire next month after playing in the Davis Cup Final 8 with Spain. He was one of six players invited to take part in this year’s Six Kings Slam in Riyadh - an exhibition event and as such, not an ATP-sanctioned event, so players do not earn any ranking points. He was joined by Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Yannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.

Nadal’s playing days nearing an end

It was Rafa’s return to the court for his first games since he was eliminated at the Paris Olympic Games. In Riyadh, he lost his opener to Carlos Alcaraz (6-3 6-3) as well as the game for third place to Novak Djokovic (6-2 7-6 [7-5]).

After losing in two sets to the Serbian, Rafa was honoured by the Six Kings Slam organizers, a tournament that is being held in a country where Nadal is highly regarded as an ambassador for its Tennis Federation.

Turki Al Sheikh, advisor to the Saudi Royal Court, promoter of sporting events such as this tennis exhibition and president of Spanish soccer club Almería, took to the court to lead the tribute to the Mallorca-born star, now in the final stretch of his career.

There, Nadal received a very striking gift: a gold-plated tennis racket to thank him for all the successes he had achieved throughout his career. Later, it was revealed that the gift weighs about three kilograms and, above all, its price: approximately $270,000.

An exorbitant sum that adds to the two million dollars that Rafa pocketed for participating in the Six Kings Slam (Sinner, the winner, took home six million). And a well-deserved reward for a career as brilliant as the gold of his new racket.