Rafael Jodar shares an important weapon with Spanish stars, says captain David Ferrer.
By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Fear is flammable for young players.
Pressing the panic button on pivotal points can torch a competitor’s title hopes.
Spanish Davis Cup captain and former Top 10 standout David Ferrer sees a common connection between 19-year-old Rafael Jodar and Spanish superstars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
Fearlessness is the key component all three Spaniards share, said Ferrer, who posted a 6-26 career record against Nadal.
Tennis Express
Grass-Court RacquetsThe frames the pros swing
Shop racquets →
Though all three Spaniards play different game styles, fearless shotmaking has fueled Jodar’s rise, said former world No. 3 Ferrer.
“[Rafael Jodar] doesn’t get scared,” Ferrer told Cadena SER’s El Larguero. “He reminds me a lot of Nadal when he was 17 years old and also of Carlos [Alcaraz].
“They are athletes who, at that age, do not feel the weight of the stage.”
World No. 15 Jodar started the season ranked No. 165. In seven months, Jodar has won his maiden ATP title in Marrakech, contested quarterfinals in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros and is coming off his run to the Washington, DC finals where he fell to American Taylor Fritz.
Former French Open finalist Ferrer said the 6’3″ Jodar possesses the power to bang with heavy hitters and is not fazed by elite pros he’s faced.
“[Jodar plays] without being intimidated by opponents,” Ferrer said. “It’s nice to see a different player.”
👀🇪🇸 “No se asusta. Me recuerda mucho a Nadal cuando tenía 17 años y también a Carlos…”
🎙️ El entusiasmo de David Ferrer con Rafa Jódar y su sobresaliente rendimiento en Washington pic.twitter.com/OxEjTCR7CP
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) August 2, 2026
In June, King of Clay Nadal told the Spanish media he’s confident reigning Australian Open and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, who withdrew from Roland Garros and Wimbledon while recovering from a right wrist injury, will be back strong.
The questions are: how high are the ceilings for Jodar and highly-touted 20-year-old Martin Landaluce and how hard are they willing to work to achieve their potential, Nadal said in comments published by EFE.
Tennis Express
Wimbledon WhitesOn-court apparel, shipped fast
Shop apparel →
“[Rafael Jodar] has had a very strong progression in this last year, going from almost 900 to 20 and something in the world, I don’t know exactly the numbers,” Nadal said. “Whoever has a great capacity is capable of doing something like that.
“Carlos [Alcaraz] will come back well from injury because he’s too good not to be like that, Martín Landaluce is taking steps forward and is from the academy.
“In the end, young people always depend on the same thing, the ability to improve. Carlos is already one of the best players in history, the rest we will have to wait to see the ability to improve daily.”
Richard Pagliaro. Richard Pagliaro is Tennis Now Managing Editor. He is a graduate of New York University and has covered pro tennis for more than 35 years. Richard was tennis columnist for Gannett Newspapers in NY, served as Managing Editor for TennisWeek.com and worked as a writer/editor for Tennis.com. He has been TennisNow.com managing editor since 2010.