{
  "id": 3506757,
  "title": "You cannot be serious! Smashed John McEnroe racket set to be sold at auction",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/you-cannot-be-serious-smashed-john-mcenroe-racket-set-to-be-sold-at",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-26T12:18:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/you-cannot-be-serious-smashed-john-mcenroe-racket-set-to-be-sold-at-auction/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A tennis racket, shattered by John McEnroe amid one of his infamous tantrums, is set to be auctioned next month. Originating from his peak years in the early 1980s, when the volatile American clinched numerous Wimbledon and US Open titles, the wooden-framed Dunlop Maxfly Fort is being sold by UK-based sports memorabilia seller Budds. Estimated to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000, Budds anticipates the sale to generate over half a million pounds in total. Other lots in the two-day live auction include an England cap awarded to Paul Gascoigne, a traditional \"This Is Anfield\" sign, a 1928 Olympic medal, Rafael Nadal's tennis racket, and shirts worn by former footballers Dave Beasant and Micky Thomas. David Convery of Budds expressed pride in offering the finest sporting memorabilia to collectors who appreciate every facet of their respective sports. The surge in sports memorabilia's popularity can be attributed to investors and collectors competing for legendary items, such as Diego Maradona and Pele's possessions. Gascoigne's England cap, a red velvet piece adorned with the number 1006, commemorates his status as the 1006th player to represent the national team. The Football Association initiated legacy numbers for England's 1,000th match in 2019 and began retroactively issuing them to former stars like Gazza last year. The \"This Is Anfield\" sign, initially erected during Bill Shankly's reign, symbolized Liverpool's dominance during the 1970s and 1980s, as well as their successive European championships. Beasant's shirt is the one he donned when he achieved the remarkable feat of saving a penalty in the FA Cup final, thwarting Liverpool in a 1988 match at Wembley.",
  "summary": "A tennis racket smashed by John McEnroe during one of his famous fits of rage is going under the hammer in an auction of sports memorabilia next month. The wooden-framed Dunlop Maxfly Fort mangled by McEnroe dates back to his heyday in the early 1980s, when the combustible American won multiple Wimbledon and US Open [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}