[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
At the now infamous 2018 US Open finals, Serena Williams lost to Naomi Osaka after receiving two code violations, one for getting coaching(*) and another for smashing her racket. Williams was fined $17,000 for the violations.
That broken racket is now up for auction at Goldin Auctions. Bidding starts at $2,000, and it will likely sell for between $25,000 and $50,000, Ken Goldin, the founder of Goldin Auctions told the New York Times.
But before it was up for auction, the broken racket was in the closet of a 22-year-old ball boy who was working the 2018 match, the New York Times reports. Justin Arrington-Holmes, a pre-med student at Boston College, asked Williams to take a photo after the match, and the tennis champ gave him the racket to keep.
A friend convinced Holmes to sell the racket to make some money, and Brigandi Coins and Collectibles bought the broken racket for just $500, the New York Times reports. (The racket, a Wilson Blade SW 104, retails for just $249.00.) Holmes told the New York Times that he didn’t realize how much the racket would be worth.
“Looking back I wish I’d had someone help me with the process,” he told the New York Times. “I was not familiar with how any of this works. I just wanted to get rid of it.”
According to eBay’s sports memorabilia selling guide, tennis fans tend to look for original and reproduced memorabilia from players such as Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Steffi Graf, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Souvenirs from major events such as the US Open, French Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships also do well.
As far as other iconic rackets sold at auction go, in 2017, the tennis racket used by Billie Jean King against Bobby Riggs in 1973 (aka “The Battle of the Sexes”) went for $125,000. A portion of the proceeds went to the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization that helps young girls stay in sports.
To sell his Williams’ racket, Holmes had to verify its authenticity to Brigandi Coins and Collectibles by providing a letter about the incident, he told the New York Times. Brigandi Coins and Collectibles then sold it to another buyer but declined to tell CNBC Make It to whom or for how much it was sold.
For the current sale, Goldin Auctions used photo matching technology to confirm that the shape of the break in the racket matched the one in photos from the match.
The current seller of the racket is anonymous, and Holmes won’t make any money off the sale since he forfeited his rights.
“They could give a few thousand to a charity or a place like Harlem Junior Tennis,” Holmes told the New York Times. Harlem Junior Tennis is a nonprofit that provides tennis programs for kids and teens in high-risk, low-income neighborhoods.
Speaking about the seller, Holmes said: “I just hope they are looking out for the greater good.”
The auction closes on Dec. 7.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/19/serena-williams-broken-racket-2018-us-open-auction.html?__source=facebook%7Cmain&fbclid=IwAR0uCVD5jgtjOlonZqyM6iG7wmNB5wY_BaD9X5_PzU_nP2JjY7qBgIODtfA
WORD BANK:
infamous /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ (adj): khét tiếng
code /kəʊd/ [C1] (n): luật, quy định
violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/ (n): sự vi phạm
coach /kəʊtʃ/ [B1] (n): huấn luyện viên
smash /smæʃ/ [B2] (v): đập vỡ
racket /ˈræk.ɪt/ (n): vợt
auction /ˈɔːk.ʃən/ [C1] (v, n): bán đấu giá, buổi đấu giá
bid /bɪd/ [C2] (v): đấu thầu, trả giá trong một buổi đấu giá
closet /ˈklɒz.ɪt/ (n): tủ quần áo
ball boy /ˈbɔːl ˌbɔɪ/ (n): cậu bé nhặt bóng
pre-med /priːˈmed/ (n): dự bị đại học
get rid of (v): thoát khỏi
memorabilia /ˌmem.ər.əˈbɪl.i.ə/ (n): đồ kỷ vật
iconic /aɪˈkɒn.ɪk/ (adj): mang tính biểu tượng
portion /ˈpɔː.ʃən/ [C1] (n): phần
proceeds /ˈprəʊ.siːdz/ (n): số tiền thu được từ một sự kiện hoặc việc bán một cái gì đó
verify /ˈver.ɪ.faɪ/ [C1] (v): xác minh
authenticity /ˌɔː.θenˈtɪs.ə.ti/ (n): tính xác thực
incident /ˈɪn.sɪ.dənt/ [B2] (n): sự việc
anonymous /əˈnɒn.ɪ.məs/ [C2] (adj): ẩn danh
forfeit /ˈfɔː.fɪt/ (v): tước quyền
ỦNG HỘ READ TO LEAD!
Chào bạn! Có thể bạn chưa biết, Read to Lead là một trang giáo dục phi lợi nhuận với mục đích góp phần phát triển cộng đồng người học tiếng Anh tại Việt Nam. Chúng tôi không yêu cầu người đọc phải trả bất kỳ chi phí nào để sử dụng các sản phẩm chất lượng của mình để mọi người đều có cơ hội học tập tốt hơn. Tuy nhiên, nếu bạn có thể, chúng tôi mong nhận được sự hỗ trợ tài chính từ bạn để duy trì hoạt động của trang và phát triển các sản phẩm mới.
Bạn có thể ủng hộ chúng tôi qua 1 trong 2 cách dưới đây.
– Cách 1: Chuyển tiền qua tài khoản Momo.
Số điện thoại 0947.886.865 (Chủ tài khoản: Nguyễn Tiến Trung)
Nội dung chuyển tiền: Ủng hộ Read to Lead
hoặc
– Cách 2: Chuyển tiền qua tài khoản ngân hàng.
Ngân hàng VIB chi nhánh Hải Phòng
Số tài khoản: 012704060048394 (Chủ tài khoản: Nguyễn Tiến Trung)
Nội dung chuyển tiền: Ủng hộ Read to Lead
Võ Thành Luân +1