God’s Tennis Racquet

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth . . . Once upon a time, Prince created God’s Tennis Racquet!

Of all the relics I have displayed in my tennis shop, “God’s Racquet” seems to attract the most attention! People ask about it, and I usually say it was used in a TV commercial. Only God was good enough to play with that racquet. Mere mortals need a Prince racquet.

The other day I thought, “I should write an article about God’s Racquet and find out more about that TV commercial!”

Curious?

First, for all tennis geeks that must know, here are the racquet specifications.

• Length – 27in
• Weight – 8.6oz
• Head Size – 12in²
• Swingweight – 262
• Stiffness – 60
• Beam Width – 22mm

“God’s Racquet” was made by Prince as a promotional prop used in a commercial ad in 1995. The commercial aired during the US Open that year. The idea was that God could play with any racquet, but everyone else should use the Prince Extender Thunder racquet.

Interestingly, the CBS Network refused to run the commercial. They felt it was inappropriate to use God to promote and sell tennis racquets. They were worried that viewers and affiliates might be offended by the concept. CBS suggested to Prince that if they changed the character of God to an angel or a wizard, they’d run the ad. Prince responded that if they made that change, the tongue-in-cheek commercial would lose its humorous ability to engage viewers.

Luckily for Prince, the USA Network, which also televised the US Open, allowed the commercial to run. The network executives understood the concept of humor!

View the commercial HERE.

There’s not much information about this racquet, but we believe that Prince only made them that one year (1995) during the US Open. They manufactured a limited number of these racquets, often considered one of the rarest and most unusual racquets ever made. Racquet collectors seek it out due to its history and uniquely odd design.

Out of curiosity, when I searched for the monetary value of this racquet, it ranged from $200-900! Although I don’t plan on ever selling my “God’s Racquet,” if you visit my shop, I’ll be happy to let you swing it around and pretend you’re God!