Novak Djokovic's racket not the most expensive racket ever, Billie Jean King's racket was sold for more, says tennis analyst

A few days ago, Novak Djokovic's 2016 French Open-winning racket was sold at an auction for $107,482, leading the tennis universe to believe it was the most expensive tennis racket ever. A leading tennis analyst, however, debunked the news on Tuesday (December 5).

Djokovic's Head Speed Graphene Touch PT113B, using which he won the elusive Career Grand Slam, was recently sold by a fan through SCP Auctions — a sports memorabilia company based in California, USA. The news of the racket being the most expensive racket ever subsequently began doing rounds on social media.

Tennis analyst Matthew Willis soon joined the discourse, expressing his bewilderment at Eurosport pushing a story regarding the 24-time Major winner's previous racket. The American seemingly undermined the importance of the Serb's Head racket, inferring that its price would be justifiable had he won a Calendar Grand Slam with it.

Willis then claimed that it was Billie Jean King's racket from her famed 'Battle of the Sexes' encounter against Bobby Riggs that is the most expensive ever, having been sold at a whopping $125,000 in 2017.

"Weird how stuff like this makes it all the way to Eurosport. It wasn’t a Calendar Grand Slam and it’s not the most expensive racquet ever sold at Auction. Billie Jean King’s racquet from her match vs Bobby Riggs sold for $125k in 2017," Willis wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Billie Jean King, meanwhile, beat her male counterpart Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in an internationally televised match in 1973, marking a big milestone for women's tennis. The 39-Majors titlist's Wilson racket was sold more than four decades later at the Bonhams auction house in New York.

Novak Djokovic has been playing with Head rackets since 2009

Novak Djokovic hits a forehand in 2006

Novak Djokovic has become the face of Head rackets over his illustrious career. The Serb's racket equipment allows him to play an accurate style of tennis, where he relies on redirecting the pace of his opponent's shots to dominate exchanges from the baseline.

Having said that, the 24-time Major winner didn't always play with a Head racket. Although he played with the above-mentioned racket for some time in 2006, he soon turned to Wilson. The Serb eventually won his maiden Major title at the 2008 Australian Open with the Wilson K Factor Blade.

Djokovic's contract with the American company, however, came to an end in 2008. Head pounced at this opportunity, offering the then-21-year-old enough incentive to sign with them. Head's catalog of players has only improved since then, as Major winners like Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, and Marin Cilic have also endorsed their rackets.