Rafa Jodar Reveals his Concentration Towards the Advice of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz After Winning Marrakech

Rafa Jodar joins Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and others to become the ninth Spaniard to win his first ATP title before turning 20.

Rafa Jodar Reveals his Concentration Towards the Advice of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz After Winning Marrakech

Rafa Jodar, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal (via X/Jose Morgado/The Tennis Letter)

Rafa Jodar notched another notable milestone in his young career after winning the Marrakesh Open, known as the Grand Prix Hassan II. The 19-year-old, who was playing in the college tennis at this time last year, became the second man born since 2006 to win an ATP title. He opened up about the advice Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal gave to him.

By this time last year, Jodar was languishing outside the Top 900 in the ATP rankings. The teenage star was only playing college tennis and lower Challenger tournaments. However, things turned around for him last season as he began to climb the ATP rankings and kicked off the 2026 season as World No.168.

In fact, he won the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) Rookie Player of the Year in 2025. At the Marrakesh Open, he faced Argentine Marco Trungelliti in the final of the ATP 250 tournament in Morocco. He had defeated the fourth seed, Tomas Machac, in the round of 16 in three sets and was an unseeded player.

Despite being without much experience on tour, the Spaniard gave a relentless barrage of forehand shots that caused his opponents a lot of problems. The teenager hit 16 winners to his opponent’s three and won 86 percent of his points behind his first serve. He won 6-3, 6-2 in just an hour and nine minutes on the court.

Following the win, Jodar will now make his debut in the top 100 of the ATP rankings; his opponent, Trungelliti, became the oldest top 100 debutant since 1973 after he advanced from the qualifying rounds to the final in Marrakesh. During an interview with ATP, Jodar admitted that he takes advantage of the privilege of being close to both Alcaraz and Nadal by always seeking advice from both:

I’m somewhat in the middle, so I take advantage of the best of both. I take the advice Rafa gives me when I talk to him and also that of Carlos when we coincide. I don’t stick with just one: I try to create a good and healthy environment, and I gladly accept all advice from Spanish players. It’s a lot of motivation, because there have always been a lot of Spanish players, and very good ones. It’s great that Spain has more and more players playing great on Tour.

Jodar will not compete at the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco but will participate at the Madrid Open and perhaps the Barcelona Open. The 19-year-old is now ranked World No.57 in the ATP rankings. He’s likely to climb up the rankings ladder should he continue in this current form, while Alcaraz seeks to defend his Monte Carlo championship.

Rafa Jodar opens up about support from family and team after Marrakesh triumph

Rafa Jodar turned professional in December 2025 after spending two seasons of college tennis for the University of Virginia. The Spaniard was offered the scholarship almost the same time as Joao Fonseca. Fonseca rejected the offer and went on to kick off his professional career in 2024 and now has two ATP titles to his name.

Rafa Jodar
Rafa Jodar (via Puntodebreak)

After Fonseca, he’s the only man born in 2006 or later to win an ATP title on tour. He becomes the sixth Spanish player to win a title on tour before turning 20. Joining the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and others. He noted during the aforementioned interview that his family is behind his rise on tour and his team:

To my family. I think they have always been there for me since I was very young. I also want to thank my tennis club, where I’ve been playing since I was six years old. I want to thank them for all the facilities that they gave me since I was very young. Also, to all the people that support me. The University of Virginia, where I was last year, and all the coaches and teammates that supported me, that still support me [even though] I’m not there.

Jodar will be eyeing to follow in the footsteps of Alcaraz and Nadal on tour. Alcaraz has cemented his place as one of the best players of his generation, and he’s currently the World No.1 on tour. Since the start of the 2025 season, the Spaniard has won ten titles, including three Grand Slams.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Surprised by Jannik Sinner’s Presence in Monte Carlo: “He’s Capable of Winning Everywhere”