Serve On SI

Babolat Honors Rafael Nadal With Custom Tennis Racket Bag

Rafael Nadal's accomplishments are celebrated on his custom Babolat tennis racket bag.

Pat Benson

Babolat honored Rafael Nadal with a custom tennis racket bag.
Babolat honored Rafael Nadal with a custom tennis racket bag. / Babolat

The tennis world is bracing itself emotionally for Rafael Nadal's final professional tennis tournament. As much as the 22-time Grand Slam champion insists the focus should be on his team, fans worldwide are using the event to celebrate him.

At 38 years old, Nadal has been in the spotlight for most of his life. It is challenging to highlight all of his many accomplishments on the court. However, his tennis racket sponsor took a crack at it in a meaningful gesture.

Babolat designed a custom tennis racket bag for Nadal to use at the Davis Cup. The black bag is contrasted by shades of bright blue, yellow, and pink. Nadal's myriad accomplishments adorn the bag.

Stats like "22 Grand Slams," "36 Masters 1000," "23 ATP 500," and "10 ATP 250" celebrate Nadal's many victories. Other details include his Grand Slam count for each Major tournament with an icon designating the host city.

In addition to achieving greatness on the court, Nadal is known for how he treated others and the sport he loved so much. That means conducting himself with sportsmanship and not giving in to moments of frustration.

Building on that theme, two of the best notes on the bag are "Rafa Nadal and Babolat since 1995," and "1250 Babolat racquets and 0 broken."

In addition to the bag, Babolat shared a touching video on its social media channels. The video captured important moments from Nadal's legendary career. The caption included a lengthy letter:

"Enjoy Every Point. More than just a partner, Rafa is a member of our #BabolatFamily. Time flies when you’ve shared and enjoyed so much on the courts! Thank you for inspiring us all these years with your talent and unwavering determination to continually improve!"

The letter concluded, "You are, and will always be, a vital member of the #BabolatFamily. We eagerly look forward to discovering what’s next, whether it’s through your academy, your foundation, or future projects."

Spain's first opponent will be the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, November 19. The Knockout Stage of the 2024 Davis Cup will run from November 19-24. The international event takes place in Martin Carpena Arena in Málaga, Spain. Fans in the United States can watch the tournament on the Tennis Channel and its streaming app.

Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

More Tennis News

Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

Home/Style