Earning the respect of the ATP Tour locker room is no mean feat. In such a competitive environment, where years of work are at stake in every match, receiving praise is not commonplace. To hear it unanimously and directed towards a newcomer is truly out of the ordinary. Yet, at just 19 years of age, Rafael J\u00f3dar is already growing accustomed to the recognition. The senior players respect him, value him, and, perhaps most importantly, expect great things from him in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n
The Spanish #NextGenATP star has managed to catch everyone\u2019s eye at the Mutua Madrid Open, becoming the centre of attention in the city where he was born. Although his career has only just begun (he left university tennis behind in December) the Madrid native is already being tipped as one to watch for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s a great talent\u201d, Stefanos Tsitsipas said on Monday, having kept a close eye on the Spaniard\u2019s rapid rise. \u201cHe\u2019s got a different style from Carlos [Alcaraz]; I think he\u2019s a bit taller. I\u2019d say he\u2019s a mix between [Alexander] Zverev and Carlos. He\u2019s got a bit more reach with his serve than Carlos. He could have a very interesting game in the future if he keeps his head. I can see him achieving fantastic results\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Greek player’s prediction was far from baseless. At a two-week tournament like the one in Madrid, big enough to attract the sport\u2019s elite, the competitors are surrounded by fans and media alike at every turn. Any training session is a chance to glimpse what\u2019s coming, spark a revealing conversation or, in this case, realise that the future is already here. The present is being written by kids who are yet to turn 20.<\/p>\n
Even the reigning champion has had his say.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t practised with him yet, but he seems like a very nice and humble kid\u201d, admitted Casper Ruud, who is keeping a close watch on the up-and-coming players while trying to hold onto his trophy. \u201cI can see he behaves well. His playing style is quite explosive. I also managed to catch a few of his matches in Barcelona and Marrakech. He\u2019s having a solid clay season and also has potential for hard courts\u201d, he explained. \u201cI know he won the US Open junior, that he\u2019s played university tennis\u2026 He\u2019s got a pretty complete game, aggressive shots from both sides. He looks like he\u2019ll be competing at the highest level for years to come\u201d.<\/p>\n
On his way to the top, J\u00f3dar is keeping things simple and close to home. During his match on Sunday against Joao Fonseca, there was a scene that stood out against the usual bustle of the elite. In a packed Manolo Santana Stadium, where cheers echoed in every corner, the Madrid player\u2019s box was a picture of calm. There, his father Rafael sat alone. He has been by his son\u2019s side since the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw that and I loved it. It shows he has humility, and that\u2019s something I really appreciate\u201d, acknowledged Tsitsipas, who was also coached by his father from childhood. \u201cSometimes, keeping things simple is the best way to succeed. If this works for him, I think he should stick with it. I don\u2019t believe you need a lot of team members in the player\u2019s box; sometimes it can be overwhelming. There are only so many people who can bring you experience, knowledge, or something that adds value while you\u2019re playing a match. I like that synergy between father and son. It\u2019s lovely to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Madrid, the anticipation surrounding J\u00f3dar is everywhere you turn. As well as that of the stands and the media, he has the full attention of the locker room.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Earning the respect of the ATP Tour locker room is no mean feat. In such a competitive environment, where years of work are at stake in every match, receiving praise is not commonplace. To hear it unanimously and directed towards a newcomer is truly out of the ordinary. Yet, at just 19 years of age, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":108317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[838,999],"tags":[1158],"class_list":["post-108342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias-tenis-masculino-en","category-tennis-en","tag-rafael-jodar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108342"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108343,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108342\/revisions\/108343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}