A rival from Jódar reveals the aspect that impressed him the most: "It's extraordinary"

Rafael Jódar came very close to becoming the champion of the Shanghai Masters 1000. The Spaniard was a set up and a break ahead and then had two break points at 5-5, however, Alejandro Davidovich managed to withstand the onslaught from the Madrilenian and took the title (1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4). Nevertheless, the tennis world was once again surprised by the skills of the young man from Leganés at just 20 years old.

In his first year at the elite level, Jódar has achieved his first ATP title (Marrakech), reached the final of a Masters 1000 (Shanghai) and an ATP 500 (Washington), in addition to reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam (Roland Garros) and being just a few points away from entering the Top 10 of the ATP ranking, keeping alive many chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.

But the Spaniard has not only surprised fans; he has also astonished his fellow players and rivals who have seen how a guy who started the season ranked 150th can end it among the 10 best tennis players in the world.

Quinn confessed what it means to play against Jódar

One of his victims was Ethan Quinn. The 22-year-old American had to face the Spaniard in the second round of the ATP 250 in Delray Beach last February. At that time, no one believed Jódar was capable of achieving everything he has accomplished, but his name was starting to resonate strongly. In the match, the player from Leganés gave no chance and crushed the North American 6-2, 6-3.

“I think what impressed me the most when I played against him was his return capability. He was getting to all my serves and returning them with tremendous power. And even though I wasn’t always serving in the same way, he still managed to return aggressively at every opportunity,” Quinn, currently ranked 63rd in the ATP ranking, stated on the Nothing Major podcast.

Moreover, he pointed out that the Spaniard's game, far from being known and studied by his rivals, is in constant evolution: “At the beginning of the year, it felt like his serve was a bit more predictable, but now I think he has learned to vary the directions much more and to disguise his intentions better. He is constantly improving, and both his serve and return are becoming increasingly dangerous.”

Finalist in Shanghai 🏆 Back up to World No. 11 📈 Ethan Quinn joined the show to share what it’s like to face rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar. https://t.co/bkTLbkcaXR

— Nothing Major Show (@NothingMajorPod) October 19, 2026

For Quinn, Jódar stands out not only on the return or serve: “ From the baseline, he is also extraordinary, as everyone has been saying. He is very good with both sides, he has a powerful forehand, and also, I think there’s one shot of his that is not valued enough: the drop shot.”

The American does not understand how Spaniards execute this technical and risky shot so well: “He executes the cross-court forehand drop shot especially well. He moves forward and, when it seems like he is going to hit with all his power, he changes the rhythm and drops a short ball that catches you by surprise. He disguises his intentions very well.”

“It’s something he does really well. And I wonder if the fact that both he and the other player are Spanish has something to do with it, if it’s something they work a lot in their tennis. Because they have extraordinary drop shots and know how to hide them perfectly,” commented Ethan Quinn, who has already experienced the nightmare of playing against a champion like Rafael Jódar.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Un rival de Jódar desvela el aspecto que más le impresionó: "Es extraordinario"