Rafael Nadal's 2005 French Open Shirt Hits Auction, Could Fetch $100k

A piece of tennis history is up for auction -- the shirt worn by Rafael Nadal en route to his first-ever Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open ... and it's expected to fetch a pretty penny!!

TMZ Sports is told the match-worn shirt -- which Nadal wore during the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final at Roland Garros -- is being made available via Prestige Memorabilia.

We're told the legendary green sleeveless tee had a starting bid of $25,000 ... but is expected to sell for $100k -- and that's understandable given its history. Besides being the first time Nadal competed in the French Open, it marked the first showdown between the man who would become a longtime rival of his -- Roger Federer.

"The King of Clay" was only 19 years old when he won his first of 22 Grand Slam titles during his dominant run on the court. In poetic fashion, his most recent Grand Slam title came at the French Open in June 2022 -- 17 years to the date.

Over the course of his 22-year career, Nadal has won 1,075 matches while taking home a whopping $134 million in prize money across singles and doubles competitions combined.