Rafael Jodar is quite possibly the most promising young talent on the ATP Tour.
The Spaniard, 19, turned professional at the start of this year, departing from his career as a college tennis player at the University of Virginia.
After an incredible run of results, Jodar is now projected to enter the ATP top 30 following the conclusion of the Italian Open.
Can Rafael Jodar fill the void left by Carlos Alcaraz?
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One of the most impressive aspects of Jodar’s game has been his ball striking. The youngster already possesses some of the most powerful groundstrokes on the ATP Tour, comparable to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Jim Courier and Tracy Austin, two former Grand Slam champions, have weighed in on the teenager’s rapid ascension.
Jim Courier says Rafael Jodar’s forehand is ‘like a cannon’
“Jodar, we picked up on this in Madrid, his forehand is like a cannon,” Courier [pictured below] said while speaking to Steve Weissman and Tracy Austin on the Tennis Channel.
“The average forehand in the top 50 of men’s tennis in 2025, 79mph. That’s up a couple from the last few years.
“He’s [Jodar] up four miles and hour on that. Both in Madrid – where it might be easier to do it in the thinner air, that altitude – but here in Rome where it’s heavy, everyone’s talking about it, he’s able to keep that pace.
“And the forehands that he’s hitting, over 90mph.
“So when he’s really putting his emphasis on that forehand a quarter of his shots in Rome have that much heat behind them.
“It is a weapon with a capital W.”
Rafael Jodar’s Italian Open campaign so far
- Round One: BYE
- Round Two: defeated Nuno Borges 7-6, 6-4
- Round Three: defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
- Round Four: Learner Tien
Austin, the 1981 US Open champion, continued to laud Jodar’s game, expressing her admiration for the ease with which Jodar is rising within the sport.
“He’s making it look easy and I think when you’re that young and you’re on the rise, you start having these big wins,” Austin added.
“You’re not even thinking about, ‘oh, two months ago I was ranked here.’ You’re just thinking (about) where I want to go and he’s starting to think about all these wins.
“One thing about that forehand: grew up in Madrid where there is a little more altitude.
“So I love the fact that he can flatten it out but he can also hit it with plenty of spin because he needs to keep that ball in play.”
Jodar, the 32nd seed at the Italian Open, will hope to continue his excellent form against fellow youngster Learner Tien.
Tien, 20, has quickly become a household name on the ATP Tour.
The American star, ranked 21st on the ATP Tour, is considered a future star of the sport and one of the faces of the next generation of American tennis.
When Jodar and Tien play each other on Tuesday, it will be their first ATP Tour meeting.
Rafael Jodar’s ATP season so far
Jodar began the year in Australia, coming through qualifying to reach the second round of the Australian Open on his first appearance in the main draw.
He then travelled to America to take part in the Dallas Open. The youngster defeated Mitchell Krueger and Murphy Cassone in Texas, before losing to Denis Shapovalov.
Jodar went on to make round of 16 appearances in Delray Beach and Mexico, before travelling back up north for Indian Wells.
After a first-round loss in California, the Spaniard travelled south-east to Florida for the Miami Open.
Jodar reached the third round in South Beach, before travelling across the globe to Morocco.
In the North African state, Jodar won his first ATP Tour title, defeating Marco Trungelliti in the Marrakech Open final.
Jodar’s rise continued in Barcelona a week later, as he defeated Cameron Norrie and Jaume Munar on his way to the last four.
Jodar backed up this result by reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid, defeating Joao Fonseca and Alex de Minaur en route.
