Rafael Jodar has made a very impressive start to his professional tennis career on the ATP Tour.
Jodar is 19 years old, but he did not play his first match on the ATP Tour until last year at the Next Gen ATP Finals after attending the University of Virginia for two years.
The Spanish teenager has since won his first ATP title in Marrakech, reached the semifinals of the Barcelona Open and he is now into the fourth round of the Madrid Open.
Jodar played his 26th ATP Tour match against Joao Fonseca in Madrid, and his first 25 matches make for impressive reading compared to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal.
Rafael Jodar has a better record on the ATP Tour than Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal
Jodar won an impressive 18 of his first 25 matches on the ATP Tour, which gives him a winning percentage of 72%.
The 25th win came for Jodar after he thrashed Alex de Minaur in his second round match at the Madrid Open.
Jodar is already being compared to Alcaraz, and his record after playing his first 25 matches on the ATP Tour is already better than his compatriot.
Where do you think Rafael Jodar will be ranked at the end of 2026?
Alcaraz won 14 of his first 25 matches on the ATP Tour, and did not win his first title until his 27th match, while Jodar lifted his first trophy after just 19 matches.
Jodar is also ahead of the likes of Fonseca (15), Nadal (15) and Jannik Sinner (12).
Roger Federer won the fewest of his first 25 ATP Tour matches out of ‘The Big Three’ with just 11 wins, but he did not let this hold him back from lifting 20 Grand Slam titles in his career.
| ATP Player | Wins after first 25 matches on the ATP Tour |
| Rafael Jodar | 18 |
| Joao Fonseca | 15 |
| Rafael Nadal | 15 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 14 |
| Jannik Sinner | 12 |
| Novak Djokovic | 12 |
| Roger Federer | 11 |
Rafael Jodar has been given a boost ahead of the French Open
Jodar made a statement after beating his fellow teenage sensation Fonseca 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of the Madrid Open.
Not only does this enable Jodar to reach the last-16 of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career, but it also gives him a boost ahead of the French Open.
Jodar was ranked outside the top 900 last year, but ahead of the Madrid Open he was at his career-high of world number 42.
This is still not high enough for Jodar to be seeded at the French Open, but he may well have just secured that luxury.
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Jodar is now at world number 34 in the live rankings, and with Alcaraz already having withdrawn from the French Open, he is now in the 33rd position in the race to be seeded.
The 19-year-old has no ranking points to defend ahead of the French Open, and therefore Jodar seems very likely to be seeded in his debut at the Paris major.
Jodar will attempt to confirm this in his next match at the Madrid Open, where he will play world number 66 Vit Kopriva.
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