These custom Nike shoes were made for Rafael Nadal to wear during the 2020 French Open. Twelve-time champion Nadal entered the tournament as three-time defending champion, however was coming off an extended break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 French Open was unlike any other, held in vastly different conditions during October instead of June due to the pandemic. Nadal ultimately defeated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in the final, for one of the most impressive wins of his career. Nadal won the tournament without dropping a single set, an incredibly rare feat which Nadal accomplished four times. 

The lot comes with documentation from Resolution Photomatching. The shoes are custom tailored by Nike for Nadal, and were never available for retail sale. They feature a clay court outsole, as well as a blue flaming tennis balls on the left shoe; this signifies Nadal’s 12 previous French Open titles. Nadal’s bull logo is displayed on the back heel, and “Rafa” emblems are present under the tongue. Nadal's shoes are still covered in the remnants of the red clay of Roland Garros. 

This pair worn by Nadal is in the rare Nike Air Zoom Vapor Cage 4 custom model, which he has only worn in a select few matches during his career. When Nike released the update to Rafa's retail signature model in 2020, the Nike Zoom Vapor Cage 4, Nadal was expected to wear his custom version of the shoe. He ultimately has decided to remain wearing his custom Nike Cage 3 shoes. The 2020 French Open and the 2020 Australian Open are the ONLY times Nadal wore the custom Cage 4 during Grand Slam play, making this an incredibly special pair.

This special edition sneaker cosmetic is said to be inspired by the Mario video game series, which can be seen throughout the design and particularly with the "Rafa" emblems on the tongue in the Super Mario fashion. Interestingly, it was originally supposed to be a special cosmetic for Nadal to promote at the 2020 US Open, which Nadal didn't end up competing in. The labels inside the tongue read "AIR ZM CAGE 4 HC RN" and "USO-DAY--FA20."