The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) now has Rafael Nadal’s and Ashleigh Barty’s kits they both wore during the first Grand Slam of the year, where the Spaniard won his historic 21st Grand Slam title and the Australian played her final match.
Nadal and Barty donated pieces, in which they created milestones, to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “The two kits, worn during the Australian Open competition, have arrived in Newport, Rhode Island,” reported the official site tennisfame.com. The site further stated that the kits are now displayed as a part of the museum’s and ITHF’s “permanent collection”.
Barty, who announced her sudden retirement this month became the first woman from Australia to clinch the major on home soil since Chris O’Neil in 1978 meanwhile Nadal’s triumph gave him a record of the most Grand Slams in men’s singles history surpassing Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with 20 each.
The 2021 Wimbledon champion asked to remove her name from the WTA rankings after which, Iga Swiatek from Poland will be crowned the new World No. 1 after the Miami Open ends. On the other hand, Nadal is sidelined for 3-4 weeks following a foot injury and is anticipated to be back for French Open.
