Rafael Jodar’s Potential to Reach Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Level Questioned by Former World No.3

Rafael Jodar, undoubtedly, has a lot of potential. But he has not yet reached Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner‘s level, believes former World No.3 Nikolay Davydenko.

Jodar is competing at the Cincinnati Masters, where, after defeating Denis Shapovalov and Alejandro Tabilo, he has scheduled his fourth-round match against this year’s French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli. Davydenko, speaking on the BB Tennis YouTube channel, shared his opinion regarding Jodar’s comparison with Sinner and Alcaraz.

I wouldn’t say Jodar’s tennis potential is that much higher than the others. I don’t think he can improve like Sinner or Alcaraz and finish the match. Right now, he’s outplaying them through physicality and pressure. But it’s not clear he’s head and shoulders above the rest.

Jodar made his ATP Tour debut this year and has already played two finals, winning the Grand Prix Hassan II by defeating Marco Trungelliti and losing the Citi Open to home favorite Taylor Fritz. Then, at the Masters 1000, the 19-year-old produced his best when he reached the semifinal of the recently concluded Canadian Open, losing the match to eventual runner-up Brandon Nakashima.

He also played the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. After making his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open and losing in the second round, Jodar played the quarterfinals of the French Open, losing the match to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.

Patrick Mouratoglou says he is worried about Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner is nursing a knee injury. After his Wimbledon title defense, he skipped the Canadian Open and thus missed a chance to bid for the Career Golden Masters. Later reports of his knee injury emerged, and Sinner eventually confirmed his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters.

The main draw of the US Open kicks off on August 30. Sinner will be hoping to recover completely before it. Reacting to Sinner’s injury issues, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, took to his Instagram and said:

Am I worried for Jannik? Yes and no. I’m not worried for Jannik in the sense that, oh wow, he’s going to come to a Grand Slam without playing any match. He did it at Wimbledon, and he won. And again, he has so much margin. But you know, he had this problem with his knee. At a Grand Slam, there is a lot of pressure. He will have to be super efficient, not spend too much time on the courts, to be able to crush the opponents. So yes, there are reasons to worry for them.

Not only Sinner, but his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz is also recovering from a wrist injury. He injured his wrist during the Barcelona Open and has since been sidelined.

For both Alcaraz and Sinner, they will play only if: one, [there is] no risk of making the injury worse. Second, [they are] feeling physically ready. And third, the level of tennis. If the three are met, they’re going to play. If not, they probably will not.

Patrick Mouratoglou added

Last year at the US Open, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the final. The Spaniard continued his winning ways in Majors when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open. This made him the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Alcaraz also won the Qatar Open and reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters. But failed to defeat Sinner and ended up losing his No.1 ranking as well. Sinner, before winning in Monte Carlo, completed the Sunshine Double. He then won the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. At the French Open, his run ended in the second round.

Also read: Jessica Pegula Navigates Evolving Cincinnati Conditions Amid Strategic Season Push