Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca have established themselves as two of the best young talents in men’s tennis.
Jodar announced himself to the tennis world at the Barcelona Open, where he made the semifinal before falling to Arthur Fils.
The Spaniard has since made the quarterfinals of both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, and will now make his second Grand Slam main draw appearance.
Where do you think Rafael Jodar will be ranked at the end of 2026?
Fonseca, on the other hand, has recorded a fairly indifferent season so far following his breakthrough campaign in 2025, but the Brazilian has enjoyed some strong performances, including a quarterfinal finish in Monte-Carlo.
Both teenagers will be looking for a lengthy run in Paris, but Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, thinks Jodar will go further.
Brad Gilbert discusses Rafael Jodar’s chances at Roland Garros
Asked on the ‘Big T‘ podcast who will make a deeper run at the second Grand Slam of the year between the two, Gilbert said: “I’m going Jodar.
“I kind of like his draw, he’s in the same section as Fritz. I like where he’s going in the draw, I think he’s going to make a deep run and you could have had either Jodar or Fonseca in the same third round as Sinner.
“Now, all of a sudden you put them both on the different side of the draw, I feel like it’s not going to surprise me if anybody makes a deep run over there. But of those two I’m going Jodar.”
Both Jodar and Fonseca are on the opposite side of the draw to overwhelming favourite Jannik Sinner.
But Fonseca finds himself in the same quarter as Novak Djokovic, and could play the Serb in round three.
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Jodar’s biggest threat in his quarter is Alexander Zverev, whom he can avoid until the last eight should both stars get there.
Who Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar play in the first round
In the opening round at Roland Garros, Jodar will take on American star Aleksandar Kovacevic, whom he has never faced on the ATP Tour.
Meanwhile, Fonseca will be faced with a qualifier, but could run into Dino Prizmic in round two, who beat Djokovic in Rome recently.
Jodar’s second round opponent could come in the form of either Gabriel Diallo or James Duckworth.
Both Fonseca and Jodar are seeded at Roland Garros, placed 28th and 27th respectively.
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