The explanation for why Jódar's shoelaces break so often
While some people see this as a way to cheat, everything has a logical and simple explanation.
In recent weeks, the ‘shoe lace gate’ involving Rafa Jódar has been a constant topic on social media. The issue that the Madrid player has with the laces of his shoes during matches has reached a point where several ill-intentioned people have suggested that Rafa does this on purpose to deliberately stop the matches, when there is actually a very simple and logical explanation.
It is incredible how quickly a lie or a conspiracy can go viral on social media these days. Hate and falsehood reach many people, and for that reason, more than one individual takes advantage of it to launch hate against anything to gain notoriety. Regarding the problem with Rafa Jódar's laces, there is a very simple explanation that even a small child could understand.
Aquí la explicación de lo que le pasa a Rafa Jódar con el tema de los cordones.
Ni tretas ni trampas.
Tiene una explicación lógica que entendería hasta un niño pequeño.
A ver si así, de una vez por todas, el debate queda zanjado⬇️ pic.twitter.com/r8trFoKe4u— José Morón (@jmgmoron) August 17, 2026
The Lace Problem of Jódar: Sliding and Friction
If we observe the way Rafa slides on the court when trying to reach a ball that is out of his reach, the back of his feet is positioned completely vertical pointing to the ground. As he slides, friction occurs between the shoe and the ground, causing the lace to break and wear on the upper part of the shoe.
One only needs to see what happened the other day against Shapovalov to understand this. If we look at the photo below, at a moment in the match when the Spaniard’s laces break for the second time, the camera perfectly captures how the paint on the court has stained the shoe, and there is even part of it that has broken due to friction with the ground, in addition to the laces.
No tricks or conspiracies. It all comes down to his sliding technique and how that breaks his laces. On social media these days, it has been heard that Jódar breaks his laces before going out to play, so that later, magically, the laces break at his convenience. It's genuinely laughable.
The Adidas Shoe Lace Issue: A Problem Affecting Other Tennis Players
This problem has not only happened to Rafa, nor is it new in the world of tennis. It seems to be a common occurrence with Adidas shoes, as others who have experienced it in the past are players who wear this brand, such as Zverev, Tsitsipas, or Mensik.
Stefanos, by the way, was heavily criticized for this reason, with comments similar to those currently made about Rafa. The Greek had to talk to Adidas and redesign his shoes to prevent it from happening regularly. Mensik has also been seen at times stopping matches to change shoes after breaking laces.
What Rafa can be asked to do is to have several pairs of shoes ready for the next time, because this will happen again, so that the delay is not so long and no one gets annoyed by it, as was the case the other day with Shapovalov, who even reproached him at the end of the match for what happened. This way, it will be almost like changing rackets when a string breaks.
Hopefully, with this, the debate is put to rest and that no more will be said on the subject, as it is clear and verified that everything had a logical explanation. Let us hope that we can talk about tennis instead, rather than explaining the friction of an object against the ground at high speed in 2026.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La explicación de por qué a Jódar se le rompen tanto los cordones de las zapatillas