History sold: Iga Swiatek's third Roland Garros winning racquet sold for over $60,000 at recent auction

The racquet with which Iga Swiatek clinched the 2023 French Open title has been auctioned for charitable purposes, fetching a total of $60,000.

The 22-year-old Polish tennis sensation has been actively involved in various social causes throughout her career. While her particular interest lies in mental health awareness, she has also lent her support to initiatives such as aid for Ukraine and the promotion of tennis among children.

Swiatek recently decided to donate the racquet she used to win the 2023 French Open to a charitable cause focusing on children involved in traffic accidents. In 2022 alone, there were 1794 such cases in Poland, resulting in 54 fatalities.

Swiatek's contribution aims to support efforts addressing this issue, and she received additional support from fellow Polish motorsport stars in a collective effort to raise awareness about road accidents.

Swiatek entered the tournament as the world No. 1 and the defending champion in a challenging moment. Despite leading the rankings, Swiatek had recently faced setbacks in the finals of the Madrid Open and Dubai Open. Even more concerning was her exit in the quarterfinals of the Rome Open against Elena Rybakina, where they were locked in a tight third set.

At Roland Garros, Swiatek demonstrated her desire to win from the very first match. The initial rounds were nearly a formality for Swiatek as she defeated Cristina Bucsa (6-4, 6-0), Claire Liu (6-4, 6-0), Wang Xinyu (6-0, 6-0), and Lesia Tsurenko in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, she faced Coco Gauff, the 2022 finalist, but it was not too much trouble for the Polish player (6-4, 6-2).

In the semifinals, she had to fight to overcome Beatriz Haddad Maia (6-2, 7-6), and in the final, it was the only match where she found herself in difficulties. Nevertheless, she ultimately defeated Karolina Muchova (6.2, 5-7, 6-4) and secured her 4th Grand Slam, the third on the clay of Roland Garros.