How a free Nadal tribute T-shirt turned into a $500 resale frenzy

PARIS (AP) — A day after the French Open honored Rafael Nadal, dozens of spectators began selling the clay-colored “Merci Rafa” T-shirts handed out at Sunday’s tribute — with some listings reaching up to 500 euros ($540).

The shirts, marked with the French phrase for “Thank You Rafa” and the date “25.05.2025,” were given to fans attending the ceremony on Court Philippe-Chatrier to celebrate the 14-time French Open champion.

Distributed in varying shades of clay, the T-shirts were part of a coordinated tribute. Fans were asked to wear them, creating a giant mosaic in the stands that spelled out “RG14,” a nod to Nadal's 14 titles in Paris.

Within minutes of the event, listings began appearing on resale platforms, including the clothing marketplace Vinted, which had 30 shirts listed as of Monday.

One seller, Maxime Berthuis, listed his shirt for 500 euros, shipping fees excluded.

“I’m not going to wear the T-shirt anyway,” Berthuis told The Associated Press, adding he bought a ticket to the ceremony for less than 40 euros ($43). “Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll spend the money yet.”

He said he had received several offers since posting the listing on Sunday, along with a slew of angry messages from Nadal devotees.

Another user who listed a 2XL size T-shirt for 150 euros ($170) said it was simply much too big for her.

French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said he was stunned by how much the T-shirts were being sold for.

“Some of the prices I saw scared me,” he said on Monday. “It’s a bit sad to see people profit off the ‘Merci Rafa’ shirts. We weren’t going to collect them after the ceremony. We created something unique — and maybe that uniqueness explains why this is happening.”

Moretton said he did not receive a shirt himself, despite standing near Nadal during the tribute.

“I’m also looking for a T-shirt, but I’m not about to go on Vinted,” he said.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis