Jódar remembers Nadal and Alcaraz after his first ATP title

Rafa Jódar is starting to make people take him seriously. He is no longer a promising talent or a gem to be polished; he is a reality. This was proven in a dream 2026 where he achieved a place in the top 100, reached 57 in the ATP rankings, and won his first ATP title in Marrakech at just 19 years old.

Despite his young age, his tennis speaks volumes. With a forehand like a hammer and a very effective serve, he deviates from the typical Spanish player by being all about aggression. However, it's not just his tennis that stands out, but also his mindset. He has a well-grounded mentality, forcing him to stay humble even hours after winning his first professional tennis title by defeating Marco Trungelliti (6-3, 6-2) in the Marrakech final.

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Rafa Jódar reviewed his fantastic week in Marrakech and talked about the advice he receives from Carlos Alcaraz and Rafa Nadal

This was evident in his interview with the newspaper AS, where he discussed his historic week in Marrakech. Despite it being one of his first clay tournaments, the Madrid native moved on the Moroccan clay as if he had been playing on it all his life: “I knew I was doing things well, working very hard, and that in these last months I had greatly improved my level. I think overall I've done very well, and that's what paid off this week here in Morocco”.

Even though he has only played seven tournaments as a professional and was competing in his first final, it did not affect him in the beginning when he broke the Argentine's serve at the start of the match, nor at the end, when he remained calm and prevented any kind of Trungelliti comeback: “I knew I had to do things the way I did them all week. It was my first clay tournament this season and everything went very well. I had a game plan, and it worked perfectly; as the match progressed, I felt better and better”.

Everything indicates that this premature success will bring all eyes on him in every tournament he plays, and expectations will rise. However, this is not something that worries the young man from Madrid: “No pressure. I'm very young, I have many matches ahead to improve my level, and I still have a lot of room for improvement. The important thing is that this gives me more motivation to keep working hard, as always.

One of Jódar's tenets that is leading him to victory at a very young age is his approach to tennis: “It's something that I've been good at since I was young and something I've always enjoyed. I've been progressing little by little, not skipping stages: first in juniors and then gaining experience on the circuit. For me, it's not a job. Every time I step onto the court, in a match or a training session, it's to have fun. Sometimes the results come, and sometimes not so much, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it. I always try to enjoy and give my best performance”.

In fact, the confidence he exudes on the court at his age is reminiscent of the beginnings of Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, although theirs are not far behind. However, rather than focusing on comparisons, Jódar concentrates on the advice he receives from both the Mallorcan and the Murcian: “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.

That's Rafa Jódar for you, a simple and humble guy off the court, but a true winning machine on it. Yet, both sides share a common goal: to become the best possible tennis player. And, for now, he's well on his way.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar se acuerda de Nadal y Alcaraz tras su primer título ATP