Djokovic’s First Wimbledon Winning Racket Hits Auction Block

Novak Djokovic's historic tennis racket, caught by a fan in 2011, expected to fetch £10,000-15,000

July 11, 2023 2 min read

Djokovic’s First Wimbledon Winning Racket Hits Auction Block

Serbia's Novak Djokovic raises his racket to celebrate after defeating Switzerland's Roger Federer (out of camera range) during his final game at the Swiss Indoors ATP tennis tournament on November 8, 2009 in Basel. PHOTO BY FABRICE COFFRINI/GETTY IMAGES

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Novak Djokovic’s tennis racket he used in his first ever Wimbledon final in July 2011.

The tennis racket Novak Djokovic used to win his first Wimbledon title is on sale after it was caught by a woman in the crowd.

Djokovic, 36, won at SW19 on July 3, 2011 beating Rafael Nadal.

He then threw the racket into the crowd in celebration and it was caught by mother of two Cordelia McKechnie, from Hertfordshire, England.

After twelve years, the racket will go up for sale on Sept. 5-6, potentially just days after Djokovic features in his eighth Wimbledon final.

The racket is expected to fetch around £10,000-15,000 ($12,908 – $19,363).

McKechnie, an NHS Ophthalmologist who watched Djokovic’s first win, recalled the day.

She said: “I had already been lucky enough to win tickets through the ballot for Wimbledon, so to walk away with the racket that Djokovic used to make the winning shot was unbelievable.

TORONTO, ON- JULY 29 – Novak Djokovic flips his racquet after missing a point as beats Tomas Berdych at centre court at the Rogers Cup ATP 1000 tournament semi-final action at the Aviva Centre in Toronto. July 29, 2016.Novak Djokovic’s tennis racket he used in his first ever Wimbledon final in July 2011. The tennis racket Novak Djokovic used to win his first Wimbledon title is on sale after it was caught by a woman in the crowd. PHOTO BY STEVE RUSSELL/GETTY IMAGES

“I was overwhelmed with excitement for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from someone whose commitment and discipline to the sport I admire so much.”

The item will feature as part of a broader sale by Northampton-based Graham Budd Auctions, featuring over 1,000 lots.

Other items up for grabs include Jonny Wilkinson’s final shirt that he wore during the first half of the 2003 Rugby World Cup- estimated £40,000-60,000 ($51,635 – $77,452)- and Sandy Carmichael’s Try of the Century match’ shirt – where Barbarians faced All Blacks in 1973.

David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at Graham Budd Auctions, said: “This match-winning tennis racket is truly a great piece of memorabilia for any Djokovic fan or collector.

“The interior is stamped with Novak’s name, the grip is personalized for Djokovic and the racket is in an overall good condition 12 years after his first Wimbledon win.

“It’s strange to think that Djokovic was once a person only true tennis fans knew well. This tennis racket represents a crucial moment in Djokovic’s rise to become one of the best players of all time.”

For more information, visit Graham Budd Auctions website.

Produced in association with SWNS Talker