Rafael Jodar’s introduction to clay court tennis on the ATP Tour has got off to an ideal start, and it seems as if he’s adapting quickly.
He also reached the semi-finals in Barcelona, just after winning his first ATP title at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco.
Jodar won his opening match at the Madrid Open by beating Jesper de Jong in three sets, earning himself a second-round meeting with Alex de Minaur.
The latest victory has given him a better early clay-court record than Federer, Djokovic, and even Nadal did at the same stage of their careers.
Jodar’s win over de Jong marked his 10th ATP Tour match on clay, and he’s now won nine of them.
The Spaniard sits fifth for the best record after 10 matches on clay, trailing only Andy Roddick, Ion Tiriac, Nicolas Lapentti, and Tom Okker.
His early numbers are ahead of what Federer, Djokovic, and even Nadal posted during their first steps on the surface.
Nadal picked up six wins in his first 10 matches on clay, so Jodar has already surpassed that milestone set by one of the greatest ever to play on dirt.
Djokovic had four wins in his first 10 matches, while Federer’s start was even tougher—he lost all of his opening 10 matches on clay.
Even Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz managed only five victories from their first 10 appearances on clay.
Jodar’s outstanding early form on clay has seen him break into the top 50 of the ATP Tour rankings for the first time.
The Spaniard has jumped 700 places in the last year and now sits at world number 37 after his latest win in Madrid.
Jodar’s run of nine wins in his first 10 matches on clay is remarkable, but perhaps even more so is that he’s only lost four sets during that stretch.
Only Arthur Fils, Tomas Machac, and de Jong have managed to take a set off him during this run.
Jodar now faces one of his biggest challenges yet against de Minaur in Madrid, although his recent form has been stronger than the Australian’s.
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