Inside Rafael Jodar’s rapid rise to the Top 100: 'He had a focus I had never seen before'

Rafael Jodar

Inside Jodar’s rapid rise to the Top 100: 'He had a focus I had never seen before'

University of Virginia head coach Andres Pedroso speaks to ATPTour.com on Spaniard's journey

ATP Tour

Rafael Jodar, 19, is the second-youngest player in the Top 100. By Sam Jacot

Rafael Jodar is the newest member of the Top 100.

The 19-year-old joined the elite group on Monday following a run to the third round at the Miami Open presented by Itau, his latest success in what has been a whirlwind 12 months.

This time last year, the Spaniard was outside the Top 900 in the PIF ATP Rankings and still playing college tennis at the University of Virginia. Since then, he has surged up the rankings, winning three ATP Challenger titles in 2025 and earning tour-level wins at the Australian Open, Miami, Acapulco, Dallas and Delray Beach in 2026.

Born in Madrid, Jodar began playing aged six and trained at the Club de Tenis Chamartin with countryman Martin Landaluce, who last week advanced to the quarter-finals in Miami.

Fast forward to 2024 and Jodar enjoyed his biggest success yet in New York, where he won the US Open boys’ singles title. One of the most important chapters in Jodar’s rise came the following year. In 2025, the Spaniard chose to play college tennis, a decision that has increasingly become a viable and successful route to the professional game.

Under the guidance of head coach Andres Pedroso and assistant coaches Brian Rasmussen and Treat Huey, Jodar thrived in a high-performance environment, earning ITA National Rookie of the Year honours and All-American recognition while continuing to sharpen his competitive identity.

Pedroso, who first encountered Jodar during his junior days, recalls immediately sensing something different about the Spaniard.

“The first time I saw him in person was at the junior US Open qualifying — I believe in 2023 — and I was just blown away by his maturity, his professionalism, the seriousness that he competed with,” Pedroso told ATPTour.com following Jodar’s run in Miami. “It didn’t look like a junior tennis player out there. It looked like a professional tennis player in terms of the way he competed.

“Sure, he hit the ball great, and he had size and was a really good ball striker. But what I was most impressed with was how mature of a competitor he was and what a winner he was.”

That early impression led to recruitment, with Pedroso staying in touch before Jodar committed in spring 2024, months before lifting the US Open boys’ trophy. Central to Jodar’s rise is a mindset that turns exposure into improvement.

“He has a remarkable ability of being exposed to higher and higher levels of play and taking what he learns from those matches and bringing it to the practice court along with his father, and really honing in on what he needs to improve in order to dominate that level,” Pedroso said.

“It’s a credit to him and his father in terms of how focused they are on what he needs to do to get better every time he loses against somebody that is at a higher level more consistently than him. They do a really good job of plugging in the holes of his game and his mentality when they face somebody that’s better than him. It’s a seriousness, a professionalism, a focus that they have on the practice court that I haven’t seen from a young man at that age.”

That approach stood out daily in Charlottesville. Pedroso would see Jodar's mentality shift as soon as he walked on court.

"It was all business. It was something Rasmussen and Huey also noticed,” Pedroso said. “I keep using the term seriousness. He gets the most out of every single second that he’s on the court.”

Read more about Jodar

The rise of Jodar: 'He's the most mature 19-year-old you're going to meet'

Landaluce & Jodar: From Madrid mates to Jeddah contenders

Another key moment came at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, where Jodar attended as a hitting partner alongside players including Arthur Fils, Jakub Mensik, Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien.

“I remember when he came back from Next Gen, he was hitting the ball so big,” Pedroso said. “I said to myself, 'He’s hitting the ball so hard, I don’t know if this is rational'. I remember speaking to his father, and he said one thing he learned there is that those guys are playing big, taking the ball early, playing very offensive tennis. He saw that and immediately started implementing it.”

Jodar’s journey also highlights the growing importance of college tennis as a developmental pathway, with Ben Shelton and Tien taking similar paths in recent years.

“For players not making significant gains on the Challenger Tour at 18 or 19, it’s the best pathway,” Pedroso said. “The resources are equal to any player inside the Top 100. The energy and urgency teach them how to compete, handle adversity and deal with pressure. The mental side is the most important factor, and college tennis really pushes that.”

After forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility at end of 2025, Jodar remains focused on continuing his climb up the PIF ATP Rankings. Currently at No. 89, Pedroso believes the only way is up for Jodar, who is currently coached by his father Rafael.

“Rafa can play with anyone and will have a chance against anyone, but he’s humble enough to understand he can lose to anyone,” Pedroso said. “What separates him is that belief combined with humility. He believes he can beat anyone, but knows he has to be fully prepared. That combination is special, and it will help him maximise his potential.”

Click here to read article