His rise has been so rapid, there\u2019s barely time to be surprised<\/p>\n
Rafael J\u00f3dar booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday, defeating Czech player Vit Kopriva 7-5, 6-0 to stun a tournament that was already reeling from his breakthrough. At just 19 years of age, the Spanish #NextGenATP star has soaked up the pressure, responded with results and reacted with complete composure, as though his progress on clay were almost expected. Now, he faces a pivotal moment; a clash with Jannik Sinner and, for the first time, a chance to test himself against a world No. 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very happy with my level today and throughout this tournament\u201d, said J\u00f3dar, who will be playing his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. \u201cIt\u2019s really special to play at home, in front of so many people I know who\u2019ve come to support me. I\u2019m delighted to have another match tomorrow. It\u2019s a new opportunity. I\u2019ll need to recover well and prepare for this match as best I can. It\u2019s going to be a tough one\u201d.<\/p>\n
Before even thinking about his blockbuster clash, of course, there was hard work to be done. J\u00f3dar knew it would be an open match against Kopriva, a bold player with licence to let loose in the Spanish capital. The Spaniard endured a suffocating first set, where the Czech struck with the force of a man determined to defy the odds. However, with admirable patience, the Madrid native held firm until his time came, breaking to love in the final game of the set before seizing control of the match. In the second set, there was no contest, just the hunger of a youngster with his mind set on conquering the tour.<\/p>\n
Now, it is all change for J\u00f3dar in the Caja Magica. In just a few weeks, he\u2019s gone from a promising prospect to carrying expectations, feeling the crowd\u2019s eager anticipation for his triumph on court. It\u2019s a feeling only the very best experience, and the Spaniard is already dealing with it in his teens. After capturing his first ATP Tour title in Marrakech and reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 500 in Barcelona, Madrid\u2019s clay is the next step on his journey.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, J\u00f3dar had won one of the most emotional matches of his career, outlasting Brazilian Joao Fonseca in a thrilling encounter that finished well past midnight. That battle was a direct duel against one of the most talented players of his own generation. It was a first taste of what the future of tennis might look like. Now, the mission was to regain his composure and keep progressing through a tournament that is far from over. And the Madrid native accomplished his task.<\/p>\n
In a tournament where he is very much under the microscope, J\u00f3dar is now right in the thick of it. The Spaniard will face Sinner in the quarter-finals, meeting a world No. 1 for the first time in his career. Matches against the best are a true test of progress and J\u00f3dar will have the chance in Madrid to measure himself against the elite. Shot by shot, he\u2019ll learn what it takes to reach the top of the ATP Tour.<\/p>\n
J\u00f3dar\u2019s progress is now more than just an opinion. After Tuesday\u2019s win, the Spaniard is virtually ranked No. 18 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. In the heart of the clay season, with more than five months of competition under his belt, the Madrid native is one of the sensations of the year but also among the most consistent players of the season.<\/p>\n
Did you know\u2026?<\/b>\u00a0Rafael J\u00f3dar has become the fourth wildcard to reach the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open, following in the footsteps of Feliciano L\u00f3pez (2007), Ivan Ljubicic (2009) and Pablo And\u00fajar (2013).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
His rise has been so rapid, there\u2019s barely time to be surprised Rafael J\u00f3dar booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday, defeating Czech player Vit Kopriva 7-5, 6-0 to stun a tournament that was already reeling from his breakthrough. At just 19 years of age, the Spanish #NextGenATP star […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":108558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[999,838],"tags":[1158],"class_list":["post-108581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis-en","category-noticias-tenis-masculino-en","tag-rafael-jodar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108581","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=108581"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108583,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108581\/revisions\/108583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}