"Vamos Rafa!" Teen titan Jodar takes Barcelona by storm

How do you show your support for a Spanish player named Rafael?

You shout, naturally, “Vamos, Rafa!”

That familiar battle cry could be heard early and often from the fans in Barcelona on Friday. Except the “Rafa” in question wasn’t Rafael Nadal, the man they had helped win their tournament 12 times. It was Rafael Jodar, a 19-year-old from Madrid who is hoping to follow in his namesake’s footsteps. That’s a big ask, obviously; Jodar had never even played a pro tournament in his native country before this week. But judging from his game and his results this spring, Spain’s tennis lovers can dare to dream yet again.

Jodar—whose father and grandfather are also named Rafael—has begun to tick the boxes that many future Hall-of-Famers tick in their teens. He won the US Open boys’ title in 2024. He’s already ranked 51st and poised to move higher on Monday. He has a title, two weeks ago in Marrakesh. And now, like Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz before him, he has made the semis in Barcelona before turning 20. His physique won’t hold him back, either: A wiry 6’3", he has the height to throw down aces in the 120s, and a wingspan that will help him on defense and at net.

On Friday Jodar beat a former Top 10 player, Cam Norrie, 6-3, 6-2 in 69 minutes. That might sound jarringly one-sided, if you didn’t know that Jodar beat the Brit by the same scores on hard courts in Acapulco earlier this year. In this match, Jodar also gave us a couple of quick and vivid examples of the potential he brings to the court, as a ball-striker and a competitor.

Jodar has the one-two serve-forehand punch that has become a virtual requirement for any ATP contender. On his serve, he has the flat bomb and the high kick. On his forehand, he hits with a heavy blend of pace and topspin that one commentator today compared to the style of Arthur Fils. But it’s Jodar’s two-handed backhand that stands out first. When he has a chance to lean in, he rockets that shot with depth and bullet-like speed to both corners. While Jodar is from the land of Alcaraz, his backhand may be closer to Jannik Sinner’s.

As Norrie found out today, even when Jodar sends the ball down the middle of the court, it can be difficult to handle. On a number of occasions, Norrie was caught off guard by Jodar’s backhand. What may have looked to him like a standard rally ball came in a lot faster than Norrie expected; handcuffed, he ended up sending the ball wildly long.

Of course, ball-bashing isn’t everything in a prodigy. The ability to translate it into winning is a separate skill. Jodar seems to be getting the hang of that at the pro level, too—this was his eighth straight victory. And there were a couple of moments when his winner’s instincts came to the fore.

The first was at 2-2 in the second set. Jodar was one point from taking a set and a break lead, but Norrie wouldn’t let him through the door. Twice Jodar reached break point, and twice he was denied. On the third, Norrie appeared to have denied him again with an excellent drop shot. But Jodar managed to reverse course in mid-stride, use his length to put his racquet on the ball, and then use his good hands to direct it into the open court for a winner and the break. What had looked like a moment when the kid might fall to earth turned into the opposite.

“I think I handled the important moments and the pressure moments in the match very well,” Jodar said. “I think I played those points specifically very well.”

Jodar says he’s still flying on the confidence he built in Marrakesh, and you could see it as he came down the homestretch. At 4-2, with a chance at a second break, he saw an open court and wasted no time powering a backhand into it for another winner. If you were waiting, like me, for a few late-match nerves to kick in, you waited in vain.

With this run, Jodar has put himself at the head of a new class of ATP hopefuls that has popped up this spring. It includes his countryman Martin Landaluce. Belgium’s Alexander Blockx, and, eventually, 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame. The post-Sincaraz generation, it seems, has arrived.

On Saturday, Jodar will face his toughest test, from another member of that generation, Fils.

“I’m super happy with my performance today,” Jodar said, “but I know I have to keep pushing.”

The New Rafa, just like the old Rafa, sounds ready to "Vamos."