Rafael Jodar, who is the heir of Carlos Alcaraz who dreams of becoming Jannik Sinner

Spanish tennis has already found a new face to follow. And, for once, we are not talking about Carlos Alcaraz. In Madrid, with the world No. 2 tied up in the pits with a wrist problem, it was Rafael Jodar who took the stage: 19 years old, a bulky name and tennis that surprises with maturity and personality. On the Central Court of the Caja Mágica, in the Manolo Santana Stadium, the Madrid native launched the first real signal of his career by beating a top 10 like Alex de Minaur in the second round of his home Masters 1000. A success that is worth more than just a feat: it is the quick but symbolic transition from interesting promise to a possible star on the circuit.

Born and raised in Madrid, Jodar is the son of a city that breathes tennis every spring with the Caja Mágica Masters 1000. As a child he watched from the stands the great challenges, absorbing dreams and references. Of all of them, one in particular has stuck with him: Novak Djokovic versus Grigor Dimitrov in 2013, “one of the most beautiful matches ever seen live,” as he recalled.

The son of two teachers (with his father a physical education teacher), he picked up the racket at age four in his backyard. By six he entered Club de Tenis Chamartin, one of Madrid’s most prestigious schools. His path, however, is neither linear nor obvious. Like many Spanish boys, he grows up torn between multiple passions, especially soccer. A Real Madrid fan and promising midfielder, he left soccer for good only at the age of twelve, choosing tennis.

Esteemed by Alcaraz, with whom he trained in Melbourne, Jodar looks, however, especially to Jannik Sinner. “I think he is a great player and the role model for me,” he said. There is no shortage of similarities: physical structure, attitude, clean strokes, especially in the backhand. And it is precisely from Sinner that he has already taken away a significant record: at 19 years and 217 days, he became the youngest player capable of beating a top 10 player in a Masters 1000 as a wild card, surpassing the record set by the Italian at the Internazionali d’Italia in 2020 against Stefanos Tsitsipas.