It was here in New York that the name of a lanky, acne-scarred 17-year-old from Leganés first began to attract attention. “Creo que lo he conseguido gracias a mi mentalidad y a mi forma de ser. Las cosas no salían, así que he dado un paso adelante”, Rafa Jódar said after overturning a junior final against Norway’s Budkov Kjaer, who had arrived at that tournament as the top seed and overwhelming favourite.
That afternoon, the Madrid-born player offered an early glimpse of what might lie ahead: a determined competitor who strikes without hesitation. Today, that teenager remains just as relentless, but his life has changed dramatically. Jódar is now targeting the top 10, while little has been heard from his Nordic rival. Budkov Kjaer is ranked 149th in the world, which is no small achievement, but that is where his progress has stalled.
“Tengo muy buenos recuerdos de aquella semana, porque pude desarrollarme como jugador aquí, en un Grand Slam, y eso ayuda mucho. Estoy muy contento de estar de vuelta”, the Spaniard said two days before this year’s tournament began.
This is Jódar’s first US Open in the senior draw, and he arrives in clear ascendancy. He has emerged as the season’s major breakthrough player, producing results that would have been difficult to predict. His rise of 152 ranking places has become a major talking point, even attracting the attention of Roger Federer. Speaking on Saturday during his induction into the Hall of Fame in Newport, Federer said: “Lo que está haciendo es increíble. Hace unos meses, nada hubiera imaginado que pudiera hacerlo. La manera en la que está consiguiendo mantener su nivel es sencillamente increíble”.
Jódar keeps pushing after breakthrough season
Jódar continues to build momentum and is hoping for another surge at the final Grand Slam of the season after shining since January. He has already played 50 matches and, despite suggestions that he should have eased off, believes every second on court is valuable.
“Estar jugando contra los mejores jugadores del mundo cada semana, incluso entrenando con ellos, hace que tu nivel mejore mucho”, he said; “si puedes aguantar el ritmo y estar ahí cada semana, física y mentalmente, también mejoras mucho. Al final, cuando juegas tantos partidos y juegas tantas semanas, siempre estás pensando y en modo torneo en tu cabeza. Estoy haciendo un gran trabajo fuera de la pista, cuando acaban los partidos; es importante recuperar bien”.
Since 2024, Jódar has maintained the same reserved style, in clear contrast to many young players eager to build their profiles both on and off the court. He is more satisfied by his daily work and constant improvement than by public attention, a mindset that has taken him to 13th in the rankings.
His arrival at the top level was only a matter of time: the rankings said one thing, while his tennis suggested another. Still with considerable room to improve, Jódar continues to learn about elite competition without lowering his guard or showing the slightest complacency.
13 matches in 22 days
“Si juego muchos partidos es buena señal; significa que estoy avanzando en los torneos”. “De momento tengo mucho ritmo de competición, lo cual es muy bueno para un jugador tan joven como yo”, the Spaniard said as he makes the most of his first summer competing at the highest level.
Jódar reached the Washington final, the Montreal semi-finals and the Cincinnati round of 16, playing 13 matches over a 22-day period. Although signs of fatigue have appeared at times, he and his father believe the benefits of this breakthrough phase far outweigh the physical strain.
“Sé que la temporada está yendo bien, que estoy mejorando mucho y al final es un proceso de aprendizaje. Todo es nuevo para mí. Es mi primer año, así que todavía queda mucho; si no es este, intentaré conseguirlo en los próximos”, Jódar said when reminded that he is currently ninth in the annual race.
That position leaves him in contention to finish the season among the top eight and qualify for the ATP Finals in November. Before then, on September 19 and 20, he will also lead Spain in its Davis Cup tie in Santiago, Chile.
It has been a dream season in which Jódar has never taken his foot off the accelerator. He will not do so at Flushing Meadows, a venue that holds special memories for him. His professional and emotional connection with the United States is well established: he spent a year developing his game at the University of Virginia before moving onto the ATP Tour, and it was also where he announced himself as a junior two years ago.
With his father still beside him as mentor and trusted support, Jódar remains focused. “Estoy contento de la evolución. Sé que quedan seis o siete torneos por delante y voy a intentar hacerlo lo mejor posible”, he said.
He added, with full focus on his New York campaign: “Yo lo que me enfoco es en el primer partido. Voy a intentar mostrar mi mejor nivel”.
The emergence of Mérida
To put Jódar’s demanding schedule into context, several leading players competed in a similar number of matches during their first year at the top level. Carlos Alcaraz played 49 in 2021, Rafael Nadal played 47 in 2004, Novak Djokovic 22 in 2005 and Roger Federer 30 in 1999.
Jódar will make his US Open debut on Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Thanasi Kokkinakis. Three Spanish players competed on the opening day. Pablo Carreño lost to Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2, while Jaume Munar recovered from a difficult contest against Terence Atmane to win 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-5. Dani Mérida also advanced, defeating Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
The Mallorca native spent four hours and 54 minutes on court and overcame a bizarre episode in which his opponent suffered cramps while leading by two sets. “Vengo de meses con muy poca preparación, así que lo de hoy es un paso adelante muy grande”, Munar said. He will next face another Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech.
Mérida will play either Marin Cilic or Andrey Rublev after securing his first win in New York and adding further momentum to his confidence. The world No. 39, who began the year ranked 163rd, summed up his performance as follows: “He sabido hacer lo que había que hacer en cada momento”.
The match between Martín Landaluce and Britain’s Jacob Fearnley was suspended because of rain and will resume on Monday. Carlos Alcaraz will also play that day at 7:30 p.m. against Roman Safiullin, while Cristina Bucsa faces Sara Bejlec at 5 p.m. and Oksana Selekhmeteva meets Aoi Ito at the same time.
