Rafael Jodar has burst onto the tour so quickly that he already seems to have split the tennis-watching world in two. Some are taking a closer look at the young Spaniard and giving him a chance to keep developing — progress that is already considerable. Others are shouting, “nothing special.” But if every player is measured by the Alcaraz and Sinner template, then 99% of the tour can be dismissed as “not quite there.” The strongest argument for the first camp is simple: age. He is 19.

Yesterday’s junior officially turned professional only this year, closing the chapter of playing for the University of Virginia in the national college league. The results did not keep anyone waiting: a title in Marrakech, a semi-final in Barcelona and now already a quarter-final at the Madrid Masters. At Spain’s home tournaments this year, the local crowd has someone to cheer for in the later rounds instead of the injured Alcaraz.

Jodar’s numbers at the start of his ATP career are impressive: he has won 17 of his first 25 tour matches. None of the top names managed that before him: Nadal and Fonseca had 15 wins each, Alcaraz had 14, Djokovic and Sinner 12 apiece, Federer 11. One can say this is only a temporary clay-court phenomenon — after all, a Spaniard with a legendary tennis name is supposed to perform like this on a slow surface. But then we remember that Rafael is the 2024 US Open junior champion, and the tournament listed as his favourite in his ATP profile is the Australian Open. Incidentally, this year in Melbourne he made his main-draw debut, coming through three rounds of qualifying and winning the first five-setter of his career against Sakamoto before losing to Mensik.

Physical conditioning and mentality are the two main ingredients in a tennis player’s success, and in long matches Rafa may currently have some issues with the former. Think back to Sinner at the start of his path: his endurance was not perfect either. One vivid example that comes to mind is the first round of the 2020 US Open, which Jannik lost to First&Red ambassador Karen Khachanov. As for the mental side, by contrast, what stands out is how easily and confidently Jodar looks in key moments, whether saving break points or converting his own. After losing the second set against Fonseca, it seemed his chances were slim, but he managed to use his opponent’s dip, quickly turning it into a final-set breadstick: 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–1. Against Vit Kopriva, who had earlier beaten Andrey Rublev, he won eight games in a row: 7–5, 6–0. He gave De Minaur no chance at all: 6–3, 6–1.

Rafael belongs to that pool of players who, despite being tall — 191 cm — show real variety on court. His spinning cross-court shots, pulling opponents off the court, are already becoming a kind of signature. On clay, his numbers in every component are already above the tour average.

So who is guiding Jodar toward success? Against the backdrop of the overflowing boxes of top players, the sight of his father, Rafael Jodar Sr., sitting alone looks rather touching. By the way, Rafa Jr. was not named after the legendary Nadal, even though by the time he was born the king of clay had already won two Roland Garros titles. Still, the name Rafa in the family points to a continuity of generations. His father is currently Jodar Jr.’s main and only coach — one of those cases where a simple physical education teacher, previously fond of basketball, expanded his interest to tennis and passed that love on to his son.

In Madrid, Jodar is receiving extraordinary support. Considering that Rafa supports Real Madrid, and that in 2024, after his success in New York, he was even honoured at the Santiago Bernabeu, players from the Royal club have been coming to his matches too — including Rafa’s favourite player, Jude Bellingham. Real Madrid players may well be there for the quarter-final against Sinner as well. But even more importantly, in the coming years, the famous cry may return to the biggest tennis stadiums: Vamos, Rafa!