Rafael Jodar: hometown hero and modern throwback player

In the highly anticipated battle of the ATP tennis teenagers at the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open , Rafael Jodar prevailed over Joao Fonseca. Jodar, a native of Madrid, had the hometown crowd on his side until the end of the match which did not finish until after midnight. The three set match was a true tug of war.

Jodar won the first set, Fonseca the second, and Jodar prevailed in the third. The emotional win backed up his upset of Alex de Minaur in the previous round. MORE: Why doesn’t Caty McNally have a clothing sponsor A Rafael who wears Adidas It is hard not to think about his namesake Nadal as Jodar makes his ascension in the ATP rankings.

He is currently sitting at World No. 34 in the live rankings . Jodar is dangerously close to being seeded at Roland Garros.

(32 players are seeded. ) This Rafael is taller, lankier, and wearing Adidas. He is also a throwback player in the sense that his player’s box had just one person sitting in it, his father.