Rafael Jodar Backed to Become ‘Real Threat’ to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are not in action on the tour at the moment. The Canadian Open is underway in Montreal, but Alcaraz skipped it to nurse his wrist injury, while Sinner prioritized rest and recovery following his Wimbledon title defense, choosing not to bid for the Golden Masters.

Before the Canadian Open, several top players competed at the Citi Open, an ATP 500 tournament in Washington, where Rafael Jodar finished as the runner-up. The 19-year-old Spaniard lost in straight sets to home favorite Taylor Fritz.

Jodar made his ATP Tour debut this season and has already played two finals. Following his win over Marco Trungelliti at the Grand Prix Hassan II, Jodar lost to eventual champion Arthur Fils in the Barcelona Open semifinal. He then went on to make the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, as well as the French Open. In Paris, his run ended at the hands of eventual champion Alexander Zverev.

Although Jodar did not have a great run on the grass swing, he got back to winning ways on the North American hardcourt swing. Jodar, according to Serena Williams‘ coach Rennae Stubbs, is a “real threat” to the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly.

Jodar is now ranked 15 in the world, and this time last year, I believe he was probably around 500. He was playing college tennis not far away from Washington in the University of Virginia. For him to be 15 in the world right now, let me tell you, I have watched him play a lot. But I have not watched him courtside the way I did in this last week.

Rennae Stubbs said on her The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

At present, Jodar is playing at the Canadian Open, where, after beating Corentin Moutet on his debut, he scheduled his third-round match against Lorenzo Musetti.

I have to say, he is a real threat to the top two players in the world in Alcaraz and Sinner. I do believe he has the game eventually. I think it’s going to be a year or two. I think his improvement in the last 12 months is outstanding.

Rennae Stubbs added

Jodar holds a 1-0 head-to-head lead over Musetti, defeating him in the quarterfinals of the Citi Open. The Italian ace, in his opening round match, went past Nicolas Mejia.

Alexander Zverev sends ranking warning to Jannik Sinner

Alexander Zverev, following his run to the Wimbledon final, replaced Carlos Alcaraz as the No.2 player. But Alcaraz got back to the second position this week as Zverev had a lot of points to defend in Montreal, as he reached the semifinals last year.

Zverev, however, failed to capitalize on the absence of Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic, as Tallon Griekspoor came from a set down to beat him in the second round. Ahead of starting his campaign, however, Sascha once again talked about his No.1 ranking goal.

Yes, of course, that is the goal. It is really my goal. I think the main objective should always be to play your best tennis because the results will follow. Tournament victories will come. The rankings will follow. As long as you focus on improving yourself, on your game, and on trying to play your best tennis, I think everything else will come naturally.

Alexander Zverev told reporters

Zverev has so far played three finals this season, winning only at the French Open by beating Flavio Cobolli. Before the French Open, Zverev lost to Sinner in the Madrid Open final.

Zverev will next be seen in action in Cincinnati, where Sinner will also play. Reigning champion Alcaraz, who received a walkover from Sinner in the final last year, withdrew.

Also read: Andy Roddick Makes ‘It Just Stinks’ Comment About Emma Raducanu’s US Open Withdrawal