Carlos Alcaraz singles out two young Spaniards catching his eye on the ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz is currently the face of Spanish tennis. Despite a recent defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo final, the 22-year-old has already won seven Grand Slam titles and sits comfortably as the world number two.
Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Carlos Alcaraz is currently the face of Spanish tennis. Despite a recent defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo final, the 22-year-old has already won seven Grand Slam titles and sits comfortably as the world number two. But he’s far from the only young Spanish player making waves on the ATP Tour these days.
Alcaraz spoke about this topic during a press conference in Barcelona following his victory over Otto Virtanen, pointing out two players who have caught his attention. Rafael Jodar and Martin Landaluce catch the eye of Carlos Alcaraz Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images Rafael Jodar has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting new talents in Spanish tennis. The 19-year-old, who only turned professional this year, has climbed nearly 300 spots in the ATP rankings over the past 12 months and now sits at number 55.
Jodar recently celebrated his first ATP title with a win over Marco Trungelliti in Marrakech, and his strong form has continued into Barcelona, highlighted by a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jaume Munar. Carlos Alcaraz is already familiar with Jodar’s game, having spent time training with him during Davis Cup preparations and again at the Australian Open earlier this year. “To be honest, Rafa is a great player,” Alcaraz said.
“I’ve been following him, and I think he’s entered the circuit very quickly. “I already saw what he was capable of when he was a Davis Cup sparring partner. Then, in Australia this year, I was able to play a practice set with him.