Rafael Nadal '17 French Open Winning Racket Sells for 157K, Breaks Record

Rafael Nadal just smashed another record -- and this time, it wasn't on the court -- it was on the auction block!

The tennis legend's match-used racket from his 2017 French Open championship win just sold at auction for $157K -- making it the most expensive tennis racket ever sold.

Bidding for the item closed on Sunday night ... with the sale price topping the previous record of $139,700, also held by Rafa, for his '22 Australian Open racket.

Nadal didn't only us the racket in the French Open. He also used it during other points of the 2017 season.

In fact, Prestige Memorabilia -- who hosted the auction -- photomatched the item to 24 different matches from that year.

Rafa, then 31 years old, used the Babolat racket during his 2017 Miami Final match against Roger Federer ... which he lost in straight sets.

He eventually used it when he beat Novak Djokovic during their Madrid Semifinal match ... on the way to winning the Madrid Open.

"To find a Grand Slam Final-used racket from Rafael Nadal is rare. To find one photo matched across an entire clay season (and more) -- capped by a French Open title -- is unprecedented," the auction house said.

"Nadal's 2017 run reaffirmed his place as the undisputed King of Clay, and this racket is a direct relic of that era-defining campaign."