Youngster Rafael Jodar’s Madrid Open fairytale run came to an end in the quarter-final, but he certainly left a mark with world No 1 Jannik Sinner full of praise after their match.
The 19-year-old started the 2026 season at No 168 in the ATP Rankings, but he cracked the top 150 for the first time after the Australian Open before making his top 100 breakthrough after a run to the round of 32 at the Miami Open.
Jodar followed it up with a glorious run at the Grand Prix Hasan II in Morocco when he defeated veteran Marco Trungelliti in his maiden final to win his first ATP Tour singles trophy. And more glory followed at the Barcelona Open as he reached the semi-final to climb into the top 50 for the first time.
The Spaniard proved at the Madrid Open that his recent performances were no fluke as – after earning a wildcard entry – he stunned fifth seed Alex de Minaur and fellow youngster Joao Fonseca to reach the quarter-final.
Facing the in-form Sinner – who has won the first three ATP Masters 1000 events of the year – was never going to be an easy task, but Jodar put up a good fight as it went according to serve until the fifth game of the first set before the Italian secured back-to-back breaks to take the set.
There were no breaks in the second set, but Sinner dominated the tie-breaker and secured a 6-2, 7-6 (7-0) victory and they exchanged words at the net.
ATP News
Jannik Sinner moves past Carlos Alcaraz record with another big win at Madrid Open
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner told they are ‘not in the same bracket’ as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
The Italian then paid tribute to Jodar as he wrote “What a player!” on the camera lens after the match, and later in the press conference, he explained what he told the youngster.
“I told him that I wish him the best for the season, to keep working, to keep improving, and that’s all,” he revealed.
Sinner added: “My advice is always to avoid pressure as much as possible. I know there will always be many words on and off the court, but at the end of the day, the player must move forward.
“What he is doing is incredible; I wish him the best, but at the same time, you shouldn’t push too hard because sometimes it gets into your head and it’s very difficult to get rid of.
“He’s a good guy, has a good family behind him, his father is very humble, he has a good bubble that is very beneficial for him.
“I think he will have incredible results in the future. There will always be other younger players in a couple of years, as usual, but he has everything he needs.”
Jodar started the Madrid Open at a career-high No 42 in the rankings and he has surged another eight places to No 34 in the Live Rankings.
But the rising star acknowledges he has to keep his feet on the ground.
“I agree [with Sinner]”, Jodar said. “It’s my first year on Tour, there are a lot of tournaments left this season and many seasons in the future. I have to try to improve and make sure I learn from this.
“I have to try and handle it in the best way possible. Knowing that everyone plays well, these results don’t make me better than I am. Everyone has the desire to win, I have to keep my feet on the ground and be aware that everyone can beat you.”