The astonishing improvement of Rafael Jódar in a key aspect of the game
Spanish has made a huge leap in quality over the recent tournaments, placing it among those with the best statistical records in the entire circuit.
Rafael Jódar is a clear example of evolution turned into a tennis player, showing progressive and continuous improvement in all aspects of the game and a strong desire to learn. The Spanish player is exceeding all imaginable expectations in his first year as a professional, and in recent tournaments, a significant leap in quality is noticeable in a decisive aspect of the game: the return.
More commonly known in Latin America as the return, this element of the game is increasingly decisive. The growing agility of all tennis players and a certain slowing down of the balls and courts has led to an increase in the efficiency of this aspect of the game in recent times. But, above all, it serves as the perfect thermometer for measuring the greatness of a tennis player.
Rafael Jódar is registering statistics with his return in recent tournaments comparable to the best returners in the world
Evidence of this is that Jannik Sinner has been topping the rankings of the best returners in the world since making the qualitative leap that has made him one of the two best players on the planet. Daniil Medvedev also tends to post impressive numbers, while Carlos Alcaraz continues to evolve in this aspect.
Both Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic have always been considered the best returners in history, with Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer included in that group, although a step below. What any fan would have noticed while watching Rafael Jódar's recent matches is a remarkable spark in his returns, an almost infallible intuition to anticipate the opponent's serve, and an innate ability to seize the initiative with his return.
What he did in Shanghai was astonishing, demoralizing his opponents as he entered the court and utilizing his reach to deliver an unusual force and precision to his returns. Some, like Ruud, ended up completely frustrated by their inability to take the initiative on serve.
Everyone sought solutions, from opening up angles while reducing speed to aiming for flat serves at the Spanish player's body, but the statistical records set by Jódar in his returns are outstanding. The overall circuit score, provided by TennisInsights, is 6.4 for the current season, and in the Masters 1000 held in China, the young man from Madrid finished with a 7.5.
Jódar, increasingly close to Sinner and Alcaraz in the data of the best returners
For the average of the entire season, only three players surpass the figure set by Jódar in Shanghai: Jannik Sinner (8.21), Carlos Alcaraz (8.09), and Daniil Medvedev (7.58). The fourth in contention is Novak Djokovic, with 7.41. It is evident that this stroke significantly marks who currently dominates tennis and has become a determining factor in the progression of Dani Mérida, for example, who is in sixth place this year with a score of 7.27.
Moreover, it is worth noting that the fact that Sinner and Alcaraz have competed much less than usual means their averages may have been higher than normal, as the more matches played, the more those figures tend to normalize. In Jódar's case, this should be taken into account since the Spaniard has completed a whopping 63 matches so far this year.
Rafael Jódar's average score for the entire 2026 season is far from his figures in Shanghai as it stands at 6.89, placing him in 16th position on the official list of best returners. This data is influenced by the Spaniard's performance at the beginning of the season and even during the clay court season, where he averaged a 7. However, if we restrict the measurement of his returns to the tournaments in Shanghai, Basel, and the first round in Paris against Tabilo, we find that he has a score of 7.6.
Something has clicked in the mind, technique, or tactical approach of Rafael Jódar with this stroke, and it seems like it could be the definitive catapult in his professional career. If he manages to develop those key automatons to become a great returner, he could emerge as a truly formidable player for everyone, if he isn't already.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La asombrosa mejoría de Rafael Jódar en un aspecto clave del juego