Arthur Fils has given his verdict on Rafael Jodar after playing him for the first time in Barcelona.
Fils won the Barcelona Open last week, beating Jodar in the semifinals en route to winning the title.
Although he was unable to beat Fils, it was another impressive week for Jodar, who has already been compared to Carlos Alcaraz.
Boris Becker has also praised Jodar, with Fils revealing what he was telling Matteo Berrettini about the Spanish teenager.
Arthur Fils says Rafael Jodar is ‘very good’ after beating him recently
Jodar has risen over 800 ranking places in just over a year and is now at his career-high ranking of world number 42.
When speaking in an exclusive interview on the Madrid Open YouTube Channel, Fils was asked about his first experience playing against Jodar.
Fils revealed that he actually was speaking to Berrettini about Jodar and how good he is, particularly highlighting his maturity already at just 19 years old.
“I mean I played him in Barcelona and the kid is very, very good,” said Fils. “We were talking this morning with Matteo Berrettini about the kid and he’s going to be very good.
“He’s just 19, He played a very good match against me and he looks like he’s 25 the way he acted on the court, the way he behaved, how mature he is. So, he’s going to be a very, very good player and I hope we are going to have a lot more battles.”
Is Arthur Fils a genuine threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Rafael Jodar could be a nightmare at the French Open this year
Jodar has been one of the most talked about young players on the ATP Tour in recent weeks, but he is still yet to play the French Open before.
As he gears up to make his debut at the French Open next month, Jodar is set to be a huge threat in Paris.
Despite his huge rise up the rankings, as a player ranked outside the top 40, Jodar is set to be unseeded at the French Open.
This means that he could face anyone from the likes of Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz in the first round, with Jodar a huge potential threat for seeded players.
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Jodar is 305 ranking points away from the seeded ranking positions, and could still get himself there if he has impressive results in Madrid or Rome.
The Spanish teenager will play his first match at the Madrid Open against Jesper De Jong.
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