Rafael Jodar's Journey: From idolising Nadal to forging his own path

Spaniard won his first Challenger title in August

Francesco Peluso

Rafael Jodar, 18, is a rising Spanish talent on the ATP Challenger Tour. By Grant Thompson

It is hardly surprising that a young boy growing up in Spain’s capital city Madrid idolised Rafael Nadal. What makes it even more fitting is that he shares the same first name as the former World No. 1.

Rafael Jodar, born in September 2006 when Nadal already had two major titles, is emerging as one to watch on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Jodar’s past 12 months have featured breakthrough victories and memorable moments, on and off the court. He won the 2024 US Open boys’ singles crown, which he labelled, “one of the best weeks of my life”. Last month, — a year removed from his Flushing Meadows triumph — the Spaniard won his first ATP Challenger Tour title. Beyond the trophies, Jodar enjoyed a dream-come-true encounter with Nadal in December.

“I was at the Next Gen ATP Finals [as a hitting partner], and he was there. I had the chance to meet him and we had a conversation for 10, 15 minutes and he congratulated me for the US Open,” Jodar told ATPTour.com. “When I met him and he knew that I won the US Open, that made me realise that he knew about the Spanish players and how they were doing. So he’s very interested in those players and it was great to talk to him.”

Nadal retired from pro tennis last November, a month before crossing paths with Jodar in Jeddah. In an illustrious career, Nadal amassed 92 tour-level titles and tallied seemingly untouchable records, including winning 14 Roland Garros trophies. Jodar looks up to his countryman's legacy with admiration.

“It’s inspiring to look back and see all the things that he has done not just for tennis, but for Spanish sports in general. From my point of view, we consider Rafa Nadal as one of the best Spanish athletes of all time,” Jodar said. “And that’s insane, all the achievements that he has done, that’s impressive.”

Rafael Jodar wins the 2024 US Open boys’ singles title. Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Born and raised in Madrid, Jodar picked up a racquet at age four and was playing at Club de Tenis Chamartín by six. When he was 12 years old, he left football behind to focus solely on tennis.

The only child of two teachers, Jodar was a regular attendee at the ATP Masters 1000 event in his home city. He fondly recalls witnessing two epic battles at the Caja Mágica: Nick Kyrgios’ 2015 upset of Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov’s three-hour triumph over Novak Djokovic in a 2013 thriller.

“I remember watching that match at the centre court and it was one of the best matches that I ever watched live,” Jodar said of the Dimitrov-Djokovic clash. “I was very young so I don’t know how I remember that match, but that impressed me.

“I had so much fun going to the tournament. I remember we had tickets for certain days and I was super excited to go those days.”

Now a sophomore at the University of Virginia, Jodar is juggling five classes this semester while competing in college and professional tournaments. As a freshman at UVA, he made an immediate impact, earning ITA National Rookie of the Year honours and All-American status.

“I had two options right after my junior career, go pro, or go to college. I took the option of going to college because I think Virginia is a great place to develop as a tennis player,” Jodar said. "You’re surrounded by good people, good coaches, a culture that helps you develop a lot.”

Jodar is ranked second in the ITA preseason singles rankings, only behind reigning NCAA champion Michael Zheng. Thanks to his freshman-year success, Jodar qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator, a programme that aims to increase the development pathway for top players in the American collegiate system to earn direct entry into select Challenger events.

“I think it’s great to give opportunities to young players to develop faster in the pro circuit,” Jodar said. “ATP is doing a great job giving more opportunities to those players so that they can get points early in their careers and they can go up in the rankings and get into better tournaments. I’m super happy that I was able to play eight or nine Challengers already this year.”

At last month's Hersonissos Challenger in Greece, Jodar went all the way to the title in what was his ninth outing at that level. Celebrating his 19th birthday this week, Jodar is only getting started.

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