Ferrero, about Jódar: “He has surprised everyone. He has exploded very quickly, a bit at the level of Alcaraz. He has the potential to aspire to many things”
Rafa Jodar He occupied the 207th place last season at this point, when the Spaniard was already considering leaving his university career in the United States and making the leap to professionalism. At 20 years old, turned in September, he has become the great revelation of world tennis, along with his father, of the same name, who has served as coach.
The Madrid native can enter the top-10 of the world ranking in the next list, at the expense of what the Australian does Alex de Minaur and the American Taylor Fritz. He is provisionally ninth, although he stopped depending on himself after losing in the round of 16 in Basel against the Monegasque team. Valentin Vacherot.
He also aspires for a place in the ATP Finals in Turin, the masters tournament. At the moment he is also ninth, in the last starting position when the Italian left his vacant. Jannik Sinner.
It is the jewel in the crown due to its youth and potential. You could add another member to your team, a more experienced technician to continue progressing. A position in the market, as happens with other major tennis players.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, which led to Carlos Alcaraz at the top since they started when the Murcian was 15 years old, he already has a pupil for 2027. He wants to keep his name a secret, until Monday, November 9, when the Paris Masters 1000 ATP ends.
In the interview with Mundo Deportivo presenting his book ‘Winning Mentality’, Ferrero pointed to a new young disciple with a level leap yet to be made. “See in that person a lot of desire, a lot of hunger to want to improve and to really want to go up a level and see that he really listens to you, that he really connects with you. That type of player that every coach dreams of,” he said.
Asked about the phenomenon Rafa JodarFerrero influenced a progression with certain parallels with Carlos Alcaraz, maintaining the distances inherent to what one still has to prove and how much the other, who is a genius from another planet, has done.
“Jódar has surprised us all. He has ‘exploded’ very quickly, a bit at the level of Carlos, who in one year was suddenly 200 something and has risen to 9 or 10. These are promotions that no one expects,” says Ferrero.
As help for the Leganesthe coach explains that “Rafa has many examples to follow, in which he can really see himself and follow them. And in that sense, having the opportunity, for example, three years ago to be in the Davis Cup and see his closest idols helps, to be able to train with them. Plus the tournaments we have in Spain, the coaches, the academies. I think all this helps the Spanish players.”
He sees this as a differentiating factor in him, since “it is true that it is not every day you see someone like Rafa Jódar. Everyone is very happy because he is another player who has many possibilities to aspire to many things,” says Ferrero.
Among them, already winning the ‘silver salad bowl’ in the edition of its premiere, which took place in September in Chile, beating Cristian Garín. He will be in the Final 8 in Bologna along with Carlos Alcaraz, Alejandro Davidovich, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez. In command, David Ferrer, who leaves the captaincy and is also in the pools to train a star in 2027.
