Rafael Jodar’s rapid rise on the Tour could see the Spaniard set a new ATP record in the coming days.
The 19-year-old is currently playing at the Canadian Open, where he is through to the semi-finals of a Masters event for the first time. Becoming the first player born in 2006 or later to do so. Jodar, who is seeded 20th in the draw, defeated France’s Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3. He is currently 34-12 so far this season with one title to his name, which was won in Marrakeck.
Jodar has moved into 11th place in the PIF ATP Live rankings and will secure a top 10 debut on Monday should he win the Canadian Open. Should this be the case, the 19-year-old will have gone from breaking into the top 100 to breaking into the top 10 in just 140 days. A stunning rise, considering the current record is 210 days, set by Boris Becker in 1985.
“I know I’m doing things right, with my dad (as his coach) and with all the people that are close to me, and I’m just trying to follow my own path,” Jodar said of his breakthrough year.
“I think that’s the key and one of the most important things, to keep pushing and to keep improving, because there’s still a lot of things that I have to learn on and off the court.”
Jodar insists that rankings are not his top priority, despite the chance to set a new record. Since January, he has reached the quarter-finals of three out of five masters 1000 events, as well as the French Open. In Madrid, he claimed his first top 10 win, beating Alex de Minaur in straight sets. He had an opportunity to claim his second earlier this month at the Citi Open but lost to Taylor Fritz in the final.
“My goal is still the same, to improve, to discover all the tournaments in my first year on the tour and to play a lot of matches, if it’s possible because of the results.” He explains.
“That’s it. Not trying to go up in the rankings. I think that’s more secondary, and that’s something that it shouldn’t be your primary thing and your goal.
“My goal is to have fun on court and to enjoy all the tournaments that are new for me.”
The youngster featured in the Next Gen Finals last December before playing his first Tour-level match above 250 level at the Australian Open, where he reached the second round as a qualifier. Montreal is only the 14th ATP event above 250 he has played in his career.
“He’s a good friend of mine. So it’s been amazing to see his rise to the top and becoming one of the best players in the world right now,” Brandon Nakashima, who will next face Jodar, commented.
“It’s going to be a tough one for me for sure.”
Jodar has dropped only one set in four matches played so far at the Canadian Masters.
