Meet the new Rafa planning to conquer Roland Garros

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Rafael Jodar is only the fifth man this century to reach the French Open quarter-finals on his main-draw debut By Jonathan Jurejko BBC Sport tennis news reporter at Roland Garros Published 3 hours ago Whisper it quietly: there is a new Rafa in town at the French Open. No sooner had 14-time champion Rafael Nadal waved goodbye than Rafael Jodar - the latest talent from the Spanish production line - announced his arrival. Last year, 19-year-old Jodar was a university student ranked 707th in the world when Nadal, who had retired several months earlier, was given an emotional Roland Garros send-off. Now, on his main-draw debut on the Paris clay, Jodar has emerged as a dark horse for the Coupe des Mousquetaires. If the 27th seed can find a way past German Alexander Zverev in Tuesday's quarter-final, he will become the new favourite to be victorious on Sunday. "On one hand, it would have been unthinkable a few months ago that Jodar could even be competing in a Grand Slam," Spanish tennis journalist Alejandro Ciriza told BBC Sport. "But, on the other hand, his progress has been so rapid that it seems natural that he should be playing in the later rounds of such tournaments." Williams, 44, to return to action in Queen's doubles Published 2 hours ago No previous French Open champions left - who will seize chance? Published 22 hours ago Contrary to spurious online rumours, Jodar is not named in homage to Nadal. He shares the name with the 22-time major winner through family tradition, with his father and grandfather also called Rafael. But there does seem to be a sense of nominative determination for the youngest Jodar, who - like every aspiring Spanish player - idolises Nadal. Jodar's path was carved at his local club in the upmarket Madrid suburb of Chamartin before he demonstrated his global potential by winning the 2024 US Open boys' title. Days later, he was called up to be a hitting partner with the Spanish Davis Cup team in Valencia and instantly impressed the nation's stars. "He was a skinny kid, obviously, but you could already see he played very well, even on an indoor court," said two-time US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta, who was Jodar’s latest victim in their fourth-round match on Sunday. "With those levers, the big hitting, hogging the baseline, he was already showing real promise." Still, his rise from a freshman at the University of Virginia to a Grand Slam quarter-finalist has been meteoric. In 2025, Jodar enrolled in the United States college system to gain valuable experience - like many other professional players - and living away from home also benefitted his development, he says. The time in the US has undoubtedly honed the maturity, discipline and competitiveness he shows on court. Jodar quickly started combining college time with playing ATP Challenger Tour events, watching last year's French Open on television - between matches at a little-known second-rung tournament in Texas. Im