19-year-old Rafael Jodar has proven to be one of the stories of the clay court season so far. Since making a name for himself in the Next Gen Finals, with a five-set win over Learner Tien, he has taken this momentum right into 2026.
Rafael Jodar wins in front of jubilent home crowd
Great start to the Season
He lifted his first Tour trophy in Marrakech before reaching the semifinal in front of a home Barcelona crowd. There, he was one of two players to take a set off a high flying Arthur Fils.
So, coming into the Mutua Madrid Open, with Carlos Alcaraz’s injury, all eyes were on Jodar. Of course, there isn’t an expectation to win the tournament, but for the more casual fans, they will be looking to see what this up and coming youngster is all about.
So, you could forgive him for feeling the weight of expectation when he walked out on Caja Mágica, an arena just 12 kilometres from his hometown.
And despite his recent success, there remain some raw elements of his game to iron out. While the forehand wing is a shot he can dominate with, it can also escape him at times, proving erratic under pressure. In contrast, his backhand is much more reliable and particularly effective at changing direction on the clay.
A Hard Fought Win
It proved a nervy start for Jodar. After winning the opening three points, he lost five in a row to hand De Jong the opening game. The Dutchman used the drop shot to great aplomb throughout the first set and overall played a more controlled and effective brand of tennis. Jodar, in comparison, made 12 unforced errors and soon after found himself a set down with just two games on the board.
Come the second set, he began to find his way into the match and grow in confidence. While the Spaniard was dominated in the first set, he was able to make it more of a contest. Through his increase in depth and width, he pushed De Jong further behind the baseline, establishing the upper hand in rallies. The Madrid home crowd responded, increasingly excited at what they were seeing. Set point down on serve in the 12th game, De Jong seemingly misjudged Jodar’s return as going long. Instead, it flew past him, bouncing before the baseline and a deciding set was on the cards.
The impetus has switched. Jodar was swinging, his forehand excelling and soon after forced an early break of serve. Yet, De Jong immediately replied and a tense finish was assured. Once again, set and match point up, the 19-year-old stepped in on return and flashed a forehand winner against his counterpart. At once, he dropped his racket, put both hands in the air, posing a relieved figure to get through.
Jude Bellingham Gets A Mention
And in many ways, that is what makes this win more impressive. It’s easy to get wins as an underdog or when you are in the flow of winning. Yet, in front of a highly expectant Spanish crowd and not playing near his best, the ability to put all that to the side and find a way to win is mightily impressive and will stand him in good stead for the future.
After the match, the Real Madrid fan spoke about in-attendance Galactico star Jude Bellingham, and wrote “hey Jude” on the match camera,
“I talked to him after the match, asked him if he had liked it. I didn’t know that he was going to be here, it meant a lot to me. He’s a great person. I’m very grateful that he came. He’s an example for me, he’s my favourite soccer player.”
He now faces Alex de Minaur in the Round of 64. As with most of his matchups for the foreseeable future, it’s an unknown quantity, with the pair never having met before. The Aussie doesn’t have a good record in the Madrid Open, having never reached the quarterfinal. Yet, due to a number of absentees, he takes the fifth seed spot and will be eyeing up a career-best run.
Overall, it’ll be a whole different task for Jodar, with slightly less pressure on his shoulders. It’ll be fascinating to see how it pans out. Moreover, if he does manage a win, it sets up a potentially mouth-watering clash with Joao Fonseca in the Round of 32.
Main Photo Credit: Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]
