New Delhi: Spain’s tennis factory keeps on producing talent after talent. Carlos Alcaraz has carried the country’s legacy by taking up the mantle from Rafael Nadal. With seven Grand Slam titles already in the kitty at a young age of 22, Alcaraz looks destined to rule men’s tennis for at least a decade. Alcaraz is writing his own legacy, and the next generation of talented Spanish tennis players is already waiting to take centre stage.
The most prominent among them shares Rafael Nadal’s first name. 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, who has been attracting attention in Spain and across the tennis fraternity through his meteoric rise in the ATP rankings, will make his debut at the Madrid Open on Wednesday amid massive fanfare and expectations.
Rafael Jodar: The meteoric rise of Spain’s new “Rafa”
Like Nadal, Jodar, also nicknamed “Rafa”, scripted history just ahead of Madrid debut by making it to the top 50 in ATP charts. His meteoric rise outside the top 600 a year ago is nothing short of extraordinary, and that’s exactly why he has been dubbed a future great.
Jodar moved up to the top 100 in March, rising through the rankings from 600 in just a year. He is now up to No. 42 in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday.
His sensational climb into the top 50 comes on the back of his first ATP title in Marrakech and a Barcelona Open semifinal, drawing constant comparisons to Rafael Nadal.
Spain’s enduring tennis legacy: Beyond Alcaraz and Nadal
Besides the 19-year-old sensation, Spain has another star in the making in 20-year-old Martin Landaluce, who recently broke into the top 100 in the men’s rankings.
The Spanish teens will be among the crowd favourites in the Spanish capital after Alcaraz pulled out with a wrist injury. Alcaraz, though, is backing the youngsters to make a mark in the tennis world.
“The two of them will mutually help each other to keep improving and reach the top,” Alcaraz told the ATP Tour. “They have a great future.”
Jodar, a former U.S. Open boys’ singles champion, played for the University of Virginia last year before deciding to turn pro.
The Madrid teen. who once came to watch the clay-court tournament as a teenager, will make his Madrid Open bow against 109th-ranked Jesper de Jong.
Alcaraz, who has followed Jodar’s rise, termed him “an outstanding player.” “I’ve been following him and I think he’s broken into the tour really quickly,” Alcaraz said.
Meanwhile, Landaluce, a member of the Rafa Nadal Academy, enters the Madrid Open ranked No. 99 after having reached the quarterfinals in Miami for his best-ever finish in an ATP Masters 1000 event.
The young duo joins Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at No. 24, Jaume Munar at No. 38, Roberto Bautista Agut at No. 93, and Pablo Carreno Busta at No. 94 as the other Spaniards in the top 100.