ATP stars all predicting the same thing about Rafael Jodar at the US Open
A host of top players on the ATP Tour all agree that Rafael Jodar is the number one rising star in men’s tennis.
Jodar began the 2025 season ranked 895 in the world, while still attending the University of Virginia. By the end of the year, the 19-year-old made the decision to turn pro after getting his ranking up to 168.
While that was a remarkable rise, his ascent up the rankings in 2026 has been nothing short of astonishing. The Spaniard reached a career high of 11 earlier this month, and he is still on track to break Boris Becker’s record for the fastest rise from the top 100 to the top 10.
The teenager is ninth in the ATP Tour Race and seems likely to make it to the ATP Finals in Turin later this year. For players 21 and under, only Learner Tien (#15), Jakub Mensik (#18), and Joao Fonseca (#26) are close to Jodar when it comes to the best NextGen stars.
As the US Open approaches, Jodar is hoping for another deep run after reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open earlier this year. Now, a number of experienced heads have predicted him to be the breakout star at Flushing Meadows.
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Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini told ATP Tour, “I feel like there are so many young guys that are so good already; they are stars already.
“The first name that comes to mind is Jodar. He’s top 20 in the world. So he’s not really a rising star; he is a star already.”
Sixth seed Alex De Minaur also picked Jodar, while three-time major runner-up Casper Ruud chose the young Spanish ace or Tien.
Finally, Karen Khachanov added, “Jodar. I think everybody’s now speaking about him. Really fast development and progress over the last four, five months.”
Among the American contingent, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe all picked 20-year-old Tien – as did Jodar. Aside from those two, 21-year-old Alexander Blockx, who is at a career high of 32, was touted as a US Open breakout star by Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Arnaldi, and Zizou Bergs.
Incidentally, Jodar has received a great deal of praise from a certain Uncle Toni, who coached his nephew Rafael Nadal to so much success over his glittering career.
The legendary coach described him as the best of the rising stars but didn’t put him in the same bracket as seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz.
“I am liking Rafael Jodar a lot because of what I have seen. It seems to me that it is the best of the new generation,” said Toni. “He is 19 years old and has burst onto the circuit very strongly.
“He’s a guy who, in a short time, has gone from being an unknown and playing in satellites or tournaments prior to the professional circuit, to beating a Top 10 player and giving Sinner a fight.
“I don’t think he’s an Alcaraz, I don’t think he’s as good as him, but I think he’s going to put the best in the world in trouble because he’s a brave guy in difficult moments. All this can lead him to achieve great goals.”
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