Wimbledon: Rafael Jodar Wins, but His Gesture Draws Criticism

Rafael Jodar continues his run at Wimbledon. The rising Spanish star advanced to the third round of the London Grand Slam thanks to a hard-fought five-set victory over Pablo Carreño Busta in an all-Spanish matchup that ended with set scores of 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. The match had been suspended on Wednesday evening with Carreño Busta leading 2 sets to 1, as Jodar was clearly struggling physically. The 19-year-old from Madrid, however, was in top form on Thursday morning and defeated his compatriot in the final two sets.

At the end of the match, however, the handshake between the two Spaniards was frosty: Carreño Busta took offense at his younger opponent’s behavior on Wednesday evening, when, finding himself in trouble, the younger player waited the full two-minute break between the third and fourth sets before leaving the court for a bathroom break—with the aim of stalling for time and reaching the darkness suspension as soon as possible so he could fully recover his strength overnight.

A legitimate tactic, but the attitude annoyed Carreño Busta and many fans who voiced their opinions on social media. “Jodar did what he did yesterday to postpone the match until today, and he managed to beat Carreño Busta,” “Carreño Busta didn’t even want to shake his hand. “That kid seems like a spoiled brat and is already unpopular among his peers,” “Rafael Jodar survived; Carreño-Busta didn’t seem very happy during the handshake.”

This isn’t the first time Jodar has been criticized: during the French Open, he came under fire first for allegedly shoving a ball girl, then for not shaking hands with a young girl as he entered the court.