Rafael Nadal is wielding a happy face.
It turned heads throughout Roland Garros last fall, especially when the king of clay celebrated his 20th Grand Slam victory by waving it in the air, and now the Babolat Pure Aero Rafa, Nadal’s very first signature racquet, and its matching bag are on sale.
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The Pure Aero Rafa racquet was developed in collaboration with the 13-time Roland Garros champion by Babolat, his sponsor since the start of his tennis career. Its exclusive new graphic design matches the player’s personality and distinctive gameplay. Nadal chose a combination of bright, “happy” colors with dominant tones of yellow, purple and orange. The name of the player, RAFA, in capitals, and the model, Pure Aero, stand out in purple letters on the throat.
“For me it’s part of my hand, it’s just an extension of my arm,” Nadal said of his racquet. “When you see a racquet with these colors you feel confident. You feel with the right motivation to just go on court and play.
“I just like the bright colors. It’s important to be happy when you are on court. So I like powerful and strong colors like this one. We worked together with Babolat to make this happen and I’m super happy about the results. So I hope you enjoy it guys. I think it’s a happy racquet with the great colors.”
The 20-time Grand Slam champion reflected on his favorite tennis memory as well.
“Well my best memory is Roland Garros 2020,” Nadal said. “I enjoyed an amazing tournament, an unexpected victory in my opinion because the conditions haven’t been the perfect ones for me.”
Photo credit: Babolat