Carreño reveals the reasons for his slump and Jódar's comeback in Paris

Carlos Navarro | 31 May 2026 | 19.14

Carreño reveals the reasons for his slump and Jódar's comeback in Paris. Photo: Gettyimages

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Pablo Carreño can leave Roland Garros 2026 with his head held high. The resurgence of the Asturian, now at 34 years old, has reached its peak in Paris, reaching a more than commendable second week and dominating Rafa Jódar until his body said enough. The summary seems fantastic, but focusing on the details leaves a bittersweet feeling: satisfaction for a job well done and signing his best ATP tournament of the year, but also the dismay of seeing how his physique puts the brakes on a progression that perhaps hides more chapters.

But Pablo is not one to sugarcoat things: he is fully aware that Jódar's tennis is also responsible for his comeback, and that the Madrid player's reaction at the end of the second set bought him time and precipitated the Asturian's physical drop. He had very kind words in the press conference towards Rafa, whom he sees competing head-to-head with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner very soon; he, on the other hand, tries to focus on the high level shown throughout the tournament and the satisfaction it brings him to play at the limit against the leaders of the current ATP circuit.

Carreño describes his match against Jódar and analyzes Rafa himself

- How do you assess your performance at Roland Garros?

"I am very happy. I think it was an incredible week. It took me back to good times when I was playing at a very high level. Probably the first two sets were the best tennis I played after my injury, and it is true that after that my back told me that was it, impossible to do more. But Rafa kept playing very well, it's not just my back. Rafa deserves all the credit because he plays very well throughout all his matches. He settled into his level and kept fighting. It was very difficult for me to compete beyond the second set. Obviously because of my back, but also because he maintained a very good level."

- On the progress and level of Rafa Jódar, with whom you trained not long ago

"I think everyone is surprised by his progress. Probably at the beginning of the year you could expect Rafa to improve a lot during this season, but I think he is in the top 10 in the Race right now... it's not just progress: I think it's already a reality. He plays with a lot of confidence. He is very hard to beat. He has everything in his matches. And it's still to be seen when he reaches his best level, but right now he is playing incredibly, with a lot of confidence."

- On what aspects of Jódar's game he can still improve

"I think he can improve everything. He is a very young player. He is only 19 years old. It's his first full year as a professional. I think he can improve many things, but that's also very good for him. He plays at a very high level already and still has many things to improve. I am not the person who should tell him what he needs to improve. He has his coach, his father, to say all those things. They are on the right track, and I am sure they will continue it."

- An analysis of the match conditions today and what could have changed

"If I had closed out the second set a bit easier... I had 4-1, 40-0 there. That game slipped away from me. It's true that I was beginning to feel a bit of strain on my back; I knew what it was like when we arrived at the tournament. No one believed me because I was playing very well and not having problems, but today the conditions have changed completely. I had mentioned before that I preferred the sun, not overcast or even raining. This ball with these conditions gets very big, and you suffer a bit more, especially if you are already dealing with something.

It was a shame, obviously, because I was having a lot of fun on the court. I was really enjoying myself. I was playing a great match. Even in the first set where I was behind... I was having many break points, and in the end, it wasn't going my way, but I think I was doing things very well. Obviously, once I managed to break back, then everything started to click. I think at that point in the match, I was quite dominant, superior. And to say that against a player like Rafa, who comes in with very high confidence and winning a lot of matches, is a very positive thing for me.

As soon as I dropped off a bit, he completely took control of the match. It became much more difficult for me to handle his backhand shots. I struggled to return them. I was struggling to take the initiative there. Then with my serve, which wasn't causing as much damage, it dropped a bit, and once I dropped a bit, he didn't forgive me anymore".

- About the level he displayed in the first two sets, surpassing Rafa from the baseline

"I played very well, indeed. And that's something I have to hold onto. There was a moment where perhaps he didn't know exactly what to do because I, besides being physically fit and reaching everything, felt very comfortable. I was really enjoying myself on the court. It's a shame I couldn't maintain that physical level, especially for another hour, because I think that would have been enough for me.

But well, credit to him as well because maybe if I had slackened a bit in the second set and managed to close it earlier, I would have had that necessary strength, but he kept fighting all the time, and that's also something to be valued in him: he doesn't just play well when he's ahead, when he's behind, he keeps fighting all the time. And in the end, the effort he made in the second set to stay there, maybe that's what gave him the chance to come back."

- Can Rafa defeat Zverev in the quarterfinals?

"Well, I can't, but Rafa surely can dream of beating him, why not? I think he has lost very few matches on clay this year, and the ones he lost were against top players. It will also be a nice match for him, a first time, they will probably play on Chatrier, first time on that court and they are in the quarterfinals. If they are in the quarterfinals, anything can happen".

- To what extent is he contributing to the emergence of new tennis stars in Spain (as he has trained with Alcaraz, Jódar...)?

"Well, I'll discuss it with the federation or with them, to see if they give me a percentage of what they are earning (laughs). Obviously, it's great news for Spanish tennis to have players coming out. If my resurgence is happening, it means I am here. If I weren't, it wouldn't concern me, so I think it's also good news to be able to play matches at this level against these young players, it's nice for me too. In the future, I can tell my son, look, I played against this one, and I was giving him a hard time until he turned the tables on me (laughs)."

- On Rafa's potential to compete against the best

"I think he can compete with Carlos and Jannik very soon. I don't know if he can do it right now, but he will be able to do it very soon, I believe. At that level? Why not? It's his first year playing, he's 19 years old, he still has a lot of room for improvement. You don't need to be winning Grand Slams at 18 to be there later. Everyone goes at their own pace. Rafa decided to go to college and was there for almost a season. And well, I don't think it was a waste of time either, I think he has improved a lot, it has been very beneficial for him, and now gradually he will catch up to the level of the top players."

- Next steps after the shoulder discomfort

"The plan is to go home and rest, enjoy. Regarding tournaments, obviously, this boost in the ranking will help me, especially for the U.S. tour, to be direct entry into the main draws, which is appreciated. And then, well, now the grass tour for, for example, Mallorca, the ranking is not going to be enough, so I might have to go play the qualifying if I don't receive a wild card or I go straight to Wimbledon, we'll see. I have to talk it over with my team and see how the shoulder is as well, how much rest I need, but well, the grass season is not one that has particularly suited me throughout my career. The goal is clear, to try to win a match at Wimbledon, so trying to arrive there 100%."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Carreño desvela los motivos de su bajón y la remontada de Jódar en París

Pablo Carreño