Rafael Jodar might earn more prize money in one week than he has all season to finish his amazing first ATP season.
Rafael Jodar has had one of the quickest rises the ATP Tour has ever seen – and he now has a chance to finish an amazing 2026 by winning the ATP Finals in Turin.
From making his tour debut at the Australian Open in January to reaching World No. 9 in just 287 days, Jodar smashed the previous record of 490 days held by Gustavo Kuerten between 1996 and 1997. At only 20 years old, he’s also the only player to make it to the ATP Finals in his very first full season after starting the year ranked No. 168. This young Spaniard now aims to complete his fast climb to stardom by winning the biggest event on the men’s calendar after the four majors.
Jodar’s spot in Turin was decided in the last two days of the Paris Masters, and things didn’t completely depend on him. After losing to Casper Ruud in the second round, he had to hope others slipped up. Players like Alex de Minaur, Tommy Paul, and Taylor Fritz were still in the race to take his place. De Minaur needed one more win but was surprisingly beaten by Tomas Martin 7-6(2), 6-3, knocking him out. Paul and Fritz had to reach the semi-finals to overtake Jodar, but Paul lost to Ben Shelton, and Fritz lost to Carlos Alcaraz, so Jodar kept the final qualifying spot.
He’s now in the John McEnroe group with Alexander Zverev, US Open finalist Ben Shelton, and Arthur Fils, the youngest French player ever to win an ATP 1000 Masters title. Meanwhile, the Ivan Lendl group features top players like Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe all competing for semi-final spots.
Jodar starts his ATP Finals campaign against Zverev on Sunday, November 15, followed by matches against Fils and Shelton on Tuesday.
After winning Challenger Titles at the University of Virginia, Jodar’s first full ATP season included a Grand Prix Hassan II win in Marrakesh seven months ago and trips to the finals of the Shanghai Masters and Mubadala DC Open. So far, he’s earned nearly $3.35 million this year, sitting 12th in total prize money on the tour. If he goes undefeated at the ATP Finals, he could earn an incredible $5.17 million, which is even more than he’s made all season!
After qualifying for the Finals, Jodar said: “I know I’ve had a great year, and I’m very happy with how things have gone. I’ve improved a lot and played against many top players. I think my mindset of never giving up and always giving my best helped me get to Turin. I’ll keep working hard and trusting myself with the same ambition I had this year.”