Rafael Jodar reveals what he admires most about Jannik Sinner

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Rafael Jodar has continued his breakthrough campaign at the Madrid Open, earning a first-ever matchup with Jannik Sinner.

It’s a big step for the 19-year-old, who has already drawn comparisons to Carlos Alcaraz — currently sidelined from the clay court season with a wrist injury.

Sinner won’t face his usual rival in Madrid, but he’ll get his first look at Jodar after the youngster beat Vit Kopriva to reach the quarters.

Rafael Jodar eager for first clash with Jannik Sinner: “Looking forward to playing”

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Jodar continued his strong form in Madrid, defeating Kopriva 7-5, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of his home Masters 1000 tournament on debut.

There was naturally plenty of build-up around the match between Jodar and Sinner, and the Spanish teenager spoke about the opportunity in his post-match press conference.

“Well, Jannik is a great player,” Jodar said about Sinner. “It will be a really good match tomorrow, and I’m really excited. I’m looking forward to playing Jannik for the first time tomorrow here in Madrid. But, yeah, I mean, it’s, yeah, very exciting to play against him for the first time here in my hometown.”

When asked what he admires most about Sinner’s game, Jodar found it difficult to single out just one aspect.

“Well, Jannik I think is a great player overall,” answered Jodar. “Yeah, you can see that in every match he plays he’s always very focused with the mentality and with a great mentality I think that helps him a lot during the matches.

Rafael Jodar discusses his mindset heading into Sinner match