Jódar surrenders to Nadal and Alcaraz: "I am very grateful to be from the same country as them"

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Rafa Jódar continues to break through his ceiling at Wimbledon 2026. In his debut edition, he is already in the third round after coming back to defeat Pablo Carreño in a match that lasted two days due to lack of light. Yesterday, the player from Leganés gave a scare with a bad fall and some knee pain, but this morning he showed up at 100% to turn the score around (3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4) and set up a clash with Shintaro Mochizuka for a spot in the Wimbledon last sixteen.

In the press conference following his victory, he analyzed the two parts of the match, confessing how he managed to recover from the discomfort. He also took the opportunity to praise Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

Jódar reveals how he prepared to come back against Carreño in Wimbledon 2026

"I knew I had to prepare my body for the next day because obviously, I was behind. But I believed in my chances. I believed I could, you know, come back and win the fourth set and then the fifth. That's what happened."

"I started pretty well this morning, I think, and I knew the conditions were different, so I also had to adapt to that. But for him, it was the same. So the conditions were the same for both. I did a great job from when the match stopped last night until I stepped on the court this morning."

Jódar explains his routine after the suspension of the match against Carreño

"I just tried to stick to the same routine, the same routine I would have done if the match had ended. And yes, I knew I was going to play second today, so I had a good warm-up, got to the club as soon as possible to be ready for the match. I knew it was not going to be as long because we were only going to play two sets. But even that is like playing five sets, you know there are always many nerves and crucial moments during those two sets."

Jódar reassures everyone about his knee issues

"Things happened during the match. We played, I think, two and a half hours last night. I think we both knew the possibility of playing the next day was high because the match could go to a fourth set. So yes, I started feeling something in my foot. But everything is fine. I recovered well and prepared as best as possible for today."

Jódar admits the difficulty of transitioning from clay to grass

"It's difficult because you don't have much time to reset your mind and adapt to the new surface. It's true; it's my first time playing on grass. It wasn't like that when I started playing on clay this season because I had already played a lot on clay when I was younger. So yes, I just try to adapt."

𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐚 𝐉𝐨́𝐝𝐚𝐫 advances to the third round of #Wimbledon

🇪🇸 After two days of the match, the Madrid native seals the 𝒅𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒐 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒏̃𝒐 against Pablo Carreño.

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"I had a good preparation week here at Wimbledon the week before the tournament, so I am confident. I try to give my best. But obviously, knowing that each opponent is very tough, and if you want to win matches and overcome opponents, you have to play very well and perform well for a large part of the match."

Rafa Jódar showers praises on Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz

"Rafa Nadal has been a role model for me in tennis since I was a child. I used to watch all his matches, all the Grand Slams, all the victories he achieved throughout his career. So yes, it is very inspiring for young players in Spain to see someone like Rafa or even Carlos Alcaraz playing so well at these stages. These players are role models for us. I am very grateful to be from the same country as them," declares a Rafa Jódar who will have to step onto the court again tomorrow to face Shintaro Mochizuki.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar se rinde a Nadal y Alcaraz: "Estoy muy agradecido de ser del mismo país que ellos"