Richard Krajicek names rising ATP star who could challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Richard Krajicek was effusive in his praise for Rafael Jodar as he spoke exclusively to Tennis365 about a group of young stars on the ATP Tour.
Having played college tennis at the University of Virginia in 2024, Jodar made the decision to turn pro last year, and his rise has been remarkable.
In April, Jodar won his maiden ATP Tour title in Marrakech at what was his first-ever tour-level event on clay.
The 19-year-old Spaniard was then a semi-finalist at the Barcelona Open before reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid, Rome and at Roland Garros.
After losing to Taylor Fritz in the Washington Open final on Monday, Jodar soared to a new career-high ranking of world No 15.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the two dominant players in men’s tennis since the start of 2024, with the duo each having claimed five of the last 11 Grand Slam titles.
Asked by Tennis365 which rising players are most likely to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner in the future, Krajicek first mentioned Joao Fonseca.
“I don’t know, challenge… that’s maybe a couple years away still, but I like [Joao] Fonseca,” said the Dutchman.
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The 1996 Wimbledon champion then went on to laud Jodar as he revealed he watched the Spaniard’s five-set French Open win against Alex Michelsen from courtside.
“I really like Jodar a lot — people notice him, but maybe not enough yet,” Krajicek declared.
“I saw him at the French Open playing [Alex] Michelsen. I was sitting really close, and I saw the way he plays, the mentality, the relationship with the Dad, the energy, also with the crowd.
“I’m so impressed with this guy. For me, unbelievable. Maybe I would feel the same if I saw Fonseca play like that up close.
“But I’m very impressed. Jodar is really up there. He’s for sure one of the guys, together with Fonseca, and [Jakub] Mensik, of course. And also Learner Tien.
“And Ben Shelton – he’s a bit older. He has a big serve, leftie, a little bit different game, so if you’re a little bit different as a player, that also helps.”
