\n #NextGenATP star is set to compete at a tour-level event on grass for first time
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Rafael Jodar has made a habit of adapting quickly in 2026, and now another new test awaits at this week\u2019s HSBC Championships.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old, who owns the second-most wins on clay this season, is set to make his tour-level grass-court debut at Queen\u2019s Club in west London. It is the latest chapter in a remarkable rise for the #NextGenATP star, who has surged from outside the Top 600 in the PIF ATP Rankings this time last year to a career-high No. 23.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t played much on it, but I think it\u2019s a surface I can do well on,\u201d Jodar told ATP Media at Queen\u2019s Club on Sunday, previewing his tour-level debut on grass. \u201cI am getting used to it this week with practice. You have one month to play on this surface, and if you are not playing in the ATP events, you will never play on this surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to London earlier to get more days to practice. I\u2019m enjoying London. It\u2019s a nice city. To be here playing at Queen\u2019s for the first time means a lot to me. I\u2019m very happy with how the transition from clay to grass is going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jodar didn\u2019t have to search far for inspiration upon arriving at Queen\u2019s Club. On Saturday, the Spaniard watched Serena Williams, the former WTA No. 1 and seven-time Wimbledon champion, strike balls on the same court shortly before his own practice session. Jodar then took to the court himself, hitting with the intensity and power that has become synonymous with his rise.<\/p>\n
Although he was raised on the clay courts of Madrid, Jodar\u2019s ability to adapt to new environments in his first full season on the ATP Tour has been one of the defining themes of his breakthrough. The 6\u20193\u201d Spaniard captured his first ATP Tour title in Marrakech in April \u2014 his first tour-level event on clay \u2014 before advancing to quarter-finals at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, as well as at Roland Garros.<\/p>\n
Now holding a 24-10 record in 2026, according to the Infosys ATP Win\/Loss Index, Jodar sits at 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The former University of Virginia standout earned two victories on his debut at last year\u2019s Next Gen ATP Finals on indoor hard courts, then announced himself on clay in 2026. Grass now presents his next opportunity to prove his versatility.<\/p>\n
There are, however, encouraging signs from his junior days. Jodar reached the quarter-finals in the boys’ singles event at Wimbledon and claimed an ITF Junior title on grass in 2024. By his side all week in London has been his father and coach, Rafael Jodar, a constant presence throughout his tennis journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to have him in the box and with me every day,\u201d Jodar said. \u201cI\u2019m super grateful that he can travel with me every week. He\u2019s always been with me since I was a kid. He has taught me the values that a person needs in life, both on and off the court. So I\u2019m very grateful for everything he has done for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fifth-seeded Jodar will open his Queen\u2019s Club campaign against Ignacio Buse, who is also making his first appearance in a tour-level grass-court event. It will be the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the two.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" #NextGenATP star is set to compete at a tour-level event on grass for first time Rafael Jodar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":736663,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,82,593],"class_list":["post-736662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=736662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/736663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=736662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=736662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=736662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}