Carlos Alcaraz singles out two young Spaniards catching his eye on the ATP Tour

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Carlos Alcaraz is currently the face of Spanish tennis.

Despite a recent defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo final, the 22-year-old has already won seven Grand Slam titles and sits comfortably as the world number two.

But he’s far from the only young Spanish player making waves on the ATP Tour these days.

Alcaraz spoke about this topic during a press conference in Barcelona following his victory over Otto Virtanen, pointing out two players who have caught his attention.

Rafael Jodar and Martin Landaluce catch the eye of Carlos Alcaraz

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Rafael Jodar has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting new talents in Spanish tennis.

The 19-year-old, who only turned professional this year, has climbed nearly 300 spots in the ATP rankings over the past 12 months and now sits at number 55.

Jodar recently celebrated his first ATP title with a win over Marco Trungelliti in Marrakech, and his strong form has continued into Barcelona, highlighted by a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jaume Munar.

Carlos Alcaraz is already familiar with Jodar’s game, having spent time training with him during Davis Cup preparations and again at the Australian Open earlier this year.

“To be honest, Rafa is a great player,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve been following him, and I think he’s entered the circuit very quickly.

“I already saw what he was capable of when he was a Davis Cup sparring partner. Then, in Australia this year, I was able to play a practice set with him.”

“What he’s achieved since Australia has been impressive. I’m so happy for him because he seems like an exceptional guy. Both on and off the court.”

Alcaraz also spoke highly of Martín Landaluce – another high-flying Spaniard who is just beginning to make his mark on tour. Landaluce made headlines recently by beating Luciano Darderi, Karen Khachanov and Sebastian Korda en route to the Miami Open quarter-finals.

The 19-year-old left-hander made a splash at Wimbledon last year when he reached round three as a wildcard before falling to Alex De Minaur in four sets. He also performed well at the US Open by beating Taylor Fritz before losing to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in round two.

This season started strongly for Landaluce as well – reaching round three at both Grand Slams so far – but after missing Indian Wells due to injury (and then losing early at Monte Carlo), fatigue may be catching up with him despite another promising run through Miami where wins included those against Khachanov (as mentioned above).

Rafael Jodar’s path through the Barcelona Open

Jodar will take on Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the second round after a dominant win over Jaume Munar to start his campaign.

If he comes through that match, he’ll face either Ethan Quinn or Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals. Norrie, the seventh seed, has put together a solid start to the year and will be looking to build momentum during clay season.

In addition to facing Norrie in the semi-finals, Jodar could potentially see Lorenzo Musetti, who has returned from a lengthy injury break. Musetti remains one of the top clay-court players on tour despite limited action over the past year.

If Jodar manages to reach the final of Barcelona, there’s a chance he could meet two-time event winner Carlos Alcaraz for what would be one of the biggest matches of his career so far.

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