Spain has a new “Rafa” with rising star Rafael Jodar on the cusp of making his breakthrough in the top 100 of the ATP Rankings following the biggest win of his career.

The 19-year-old Jodar only turned professional in December 2025 and a month later he made his Grand Slam debut as he came through qualifying at the Australian Open, going on to reach the second round with a win over Rei Sakamoto.

A year ago, the youngster was ranked No 901 in the world, but he finished the season at No 165 after winning three ATP Challenger Tour events before rising to a career-high No 114 on the back of his performances at Melbourne Park.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and he finds himself at No 101 in the Live Rankings after surging 13 places with a stunning win over seventh seed Cameron Norrie in the first round of the Mexican Open.

Jodar was handed a wildcard entry into the Acapulco tournament and he beat the world No 28 Norrie – who peaked at No 8 in the rankings – 6-3, 6-2 for his first-ever win at ATP 500 level.

Up next is either Grigor Dimitrov or Terence Atmane and if he gets through that, he will break into the top 100.

But Who Is Rafael Jordar?

Although Jordar’s family hails from Baeza, which is in the Spanish province of Jaen, he was born in Madrid on September 17, 2006.

Although he shares a first name with the great Rafael Nadal, he was not named after the 22-time Grand Slam winner as Jodar’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather are also named Rafael.

And yes, he idolises Rafael Nadal, while he told Marca he is also a big fan of Jannik Sinner.

His Rise

Jodar, who represents the Chamartin Tennis Club in Madrid, first started making waves on the lower levels in 2024 when he was studying at the University of Virginia.

His big breakthrough came in September when he won the US Open Boys’ singles title, beating second seed Kaylan Bigun in the quarter-final, third seed Sakamoto in the semi-final and top seed Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in the final.

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He stepped up to the ATP Challenger Tour in 2025 and won his maiden title at the Crete Challenger III in Greece in August before adding the Lincoln Challenger and Charlottesville Men’s Challenger in October.

In December, Jodar met his idol Nadal during the Next Gen ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia.

Turning Professional

Following his success, Jodar and his family decided it was the right time for him to turn professional and he started the 2026 season as a full-time tennis player before going on to have immediate success at the Australian Open.

And he has already had a hit with world No 1 Alcaraz as he was his sparring partner at Melbourne Park this year.

“I didn’t know it was going to be on centre court, and it was a good workout. I maintain a good relationship with Alcaraz because he’s a very good person,” he told Marca.

Jodar added: “We get along really well. Every time he sees me, he congratulates me on the games I’m winning. We talk a lot about many things. I really like him, and I’m surprised by how down-to-earth he is.”

Who Is Jodar’s Coach?

Brian Rasmussen was his coach at the University of Virginia and they have opted to continue the successful partnership this year.

“It was planned this way back in early December. He’s helping me a lot, and I’m very grateful to him because he does everything for me, whatever I ask of him, no matter the time,” Jodar told Marca.

“He’s always there, and he helps me a lot during games. We have a really good relationship, and that’s the most important thing. The relationship is key to having a good and healthy atmosphere during the tournament.

“We’re forming a good team, and I’m grateful to both him and the University of Virginia.”