Tennis Gear: Where Does It Go After the Match?
Serena Williams’ iconic black catsuit and Coco Gauff’s US Open kit may have found their way into museums, but what happens to the countless other tennis outfits and equipment that players accumulate throughout their careers?
For some players, like Emma Navarro, donating to charities is a way to give back. She recently donated 40-50 pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls, a nonprofit that distributes clothing and footwear to those in need. Jessica Pegula, on the other hand, keeps her favorite practice gear but donates her match outfits and most practice clothes to her foundation, Serving Up Hope.
Elise Mertens sends boxes of her kits to Africa, while Lindsay Davenport, Caroline Dolehide, and others donate their gear to Goodwill. Dolehide also gives items to fans who ask, especially visors and jerseys.
Taylor Townsend, who doesn’t have a sponsor, keeps her kits because she purchases them with her own money. However, she does donate rackets and equipment.
Some player clothing ends up in the fundraising pipeline. Players donate signed items and rackets to their own foundations or ones they support. Dealers often buy these items to resell to collectors. Prestige Memorabilia, a company that deals exclusively in tennis relics, has auctioned off Roger Federer’s signed match shirt from the 2018 Australian Open for $33,000 and Rafael Nadal’s racket from the 2007 French Open final for $118,000.
However, according to Prestige Memorabilia owner Matt Cashin, only a minority of player clothing ends up at auction. “There have been very few of Serena’s clothes or rackets on the collector market,” he said.
