ATP Journey
Rafael Jodar’s Journey: From Idol Nadal to Forging Your Own Path
Espanyol wins his first Challenger Championship in August
September 15, 2025
Francesco Peluso
18-year-old Rafael Jodar is a Spanish talent on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Author: Grant Thompson
It’s no surprise that a little boy grew up in Spain with a little boy Rafael Nadal, the icon of the Spanish capital Madrid. More appropriately, he has the same name as the former world number one.
Rafael Jodar was born in September 2006 when Nadal had already won two major titles and was becoming one of the ATP Challenger tours to watch.
Jodar’s past 12 months feature breakthrough wins and memorable moments. He won the 2024 US Open Boy singles crown and marked “The Best Week of My Life”. Last month – removed from his Flushing Meadows victory – the Spaniard won his first ATP Challenger Tour title. Aside from the trophy, Jodar enjoyed his dream come true with Nadal in December.
“I’m in the next ATP final [as a hitting partner]he is there. I had a chance to meet him, we had a 10, 15 minute conversation and he congratulated me on the opening of the U.S. Open,” Jodar told Atptour.com. “When I met him, he knew I won the U.S. Open, which made me realize that he knew the Spanish players and how they performed. So he was very interested in those players and was happy to talk to him. ”
Nadal retired from professional tennis for a month last November and then crossed the road with Jodar in Jeddah. In a remarkable career, Nadal has amassed 92 Tour titles and won seemingly untouchable records, including winning 14 Roland Garros trophys. Jodar admires Jodar and admires his legacy.
“Looking back at everything he does not only for tennis, but for Spanish sports. From my point of view, we think Rafa Nadal is one of the best Spanish athletes ever, which is encouraging,” said Jodal. “It’s crazy, all the achievements he has achieved, it’s impressive.”
Rafael Jodar won the 2024 US Open Boy singles title. ” style =” width: 100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com//media/media/media/images/news/news/2025/09/09/15/19/19/19/17/jodar-usopen-2024-24-title.jpg’>
Rafael Jodar won the 2024 US Open singles championship. Credits: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Born and raised in Madrid, Jodar picked up his racket at the age of four and played at the six-year-old de tenischamartín. When he was 12 years old, he stayed behind football and focused only on tennis.
Jodar is the only child of the two teachers and is a regular attendee of the ATP Masters 1000 event in his hometown. He is affectionately recalling witnessing two epic battles at Caja Mágica: Nick Kyrgios was frustrated with the three-hour victory against Novak Djokovic in the 2015 Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov in the 2013 thriller.
“I remember watching this game at the Central Stadium, one of the best I’ve ever seen live,” Jodar said of Dimitrov-Dokokovic Clash. “I’m still young, so I don’t know how I remember it, but it left a deep impression on me.
“I had a lot of fun going to the competition. I remember we had tickets on some days and I was very excited about those days.”
Jodar is now a sophomore at the University of Virginia, competing for five classes this semester in college and professional competitions. As a freshman at UVA, he immediately made an impact, earning ITA Rookie of the Year honors and an All-American Championship.
“After my junior high school career, I have two options, going to a professional player or going to college. I choose the choice to go to college because I think Virginia is a great place to be a tennis player,” Jodal said. “You are surrounded by good people, good coaches and a culture that can help you develop a lot.”
Jodar ranked second in the ITA pre-season singles rankings, behind dominant NCAA champion Michael Zheng. Due to his freshman year success, Jodar qualified for ATP Next Gen Accelerator, a program designed to improve the development pathways of top players in the U.S. college system to directly participate in selected Challenger events.
“I think it’s great to provide young players with opportunities to grow faster on the professional track,” Jodal said. “The ATP did a great job, giving these players more opportunities so they can earn points early in their careers and can get into the rankings and compete in better games. I’m happy to be able to play eight or nine challengers this year.”
On the Hersonissos Challenger in Greece last month, Jodar has been on the championship on his ninth outing at that level. Jodar celebrated his 19th birthday before it started.
