Last night saw two of tennis’ brightest young stars clash on one of the sport’s biggest stages, with Rafael Jodar beating Joao Fonseca in three thrilling sets.
It was a match-up that many had marked out at the start of the week, and it did not fail to deliver.
There was drama, anguish, excitement and frightening power, and in the end, the Spaniard came out victorious as he battled back after losing the second set in front of his home crowd.
Speaking afterwards, Rafael Jodar had nothing but kind words to say about his fellow 19-year-old, chatting with Sky Sports.
Rafael Jodar reacts after beating Joao Fonseca in Madrid
Jodar began by assessing what he described as a ‘tough match’, forced to dig deep after such a strong start.
In the end, he claimed the third set by a hugely impressive 6-1 margin, and discussing Joao Fonseca, he admitted: “Joao is always a very tough player, so these matches are decided by very small details, you know, and very small points.
Will Rafa Jodar win more Grand Slam titles than Joao Fonseca in his career?
“But yeah, I think I did a great job in those points, trying to play my game.
“I also want to congratulate him on the match and for the season. He’s doing an unbelievable job, so yeah, I mean, I’m super happy with the win and on to the next one.”
Whilst we are spoiled as tennis fans with Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry, this could be another to look out for in the future.
Asked if he expects many more battles with Fonseca in the years to come, Jodar concluded by claiming: “Well, I’m sure he is gonna do great things. He’s a very young player, a great player, so, yeah, I wish him the best of luck for the rest of the season, for his career, you know.
“I’m very, very happy with my level, so just try to recover well and think about the next match.”
| Event | Round reached | Defeated by |
| Madrid Open | Round of 16* | N/A |
| Barcelona Open | Semi-finals | Arthur Fils |
| Grand Prix Hassan II (Marrakesh) | Winner | N/A |
| Miami Open | Tomás Martín Etcheverry | Round of 32 |
| Indian Wells | Round of 128 | Alejandro Tabilo |
There’s an argument to be made that suggests that Jodar has already had a better start to his career than Alcaraz and Rafa Nadal managed. Wins like this only help further justify this position.
Rafael Jodar is one win away from facing Jannik Sinner
Given how meteoric his rise has been, already people are starting to believe that Jodar could be the man to soon unsettle the ATP Tour’s ongoing duopoly.
And, should he win his next match against Vit Kopriva, he may just get a golden opportunity to reaffirm this suggestion.
After all, he is one victory away from the Madrid Open quarter-finals, where he will face either Cam Norrie, whom he has already beaten twice in the last two months, or Sinner.
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If yes, who?
A match against the Italian would be the first of Jodar’s career, and a first against a world number one.
However, given how fearless he has been throughout the start of his career, there’s no reason to suggest that he would not be able to hold his own against the world’s best.
