JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Virginia sophomore Rafael Jódar showcased his talent at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals, taking place from December 17 to 21 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Jódar was among a competitive field of eight of the world’s leading under-20 players, including Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy, and Justin Engle.
Jódar finished pool play with a record of 2-1, narrowly missing out on a semifinal spot due to a tiebreaker. With Tien’s victory over Budkov Kjaer on Friday, Jódar’s chances of advancing diminished, as he needed a specific result. Despite the heartache of elimination, Jódar initiated his campaign with a remarkable five-set victory against Tien, the tournament’s top seed, defeating him 1-4, 4-3(3), 1-4, 4-2, 4-3(4). The match was a dramatic showcase of resilience as Jódar saved four match points.
“It was a battle,” Jódar expressed after his impressive opening win. “I handled the good moments very well and I’m super happy to get the first win here in Jeddah. I just tried to keep going and believe in myself.” Tien, despite his strong performance in other matches, struggled with unforced errors that allowed Jódar to capitalize on crucial moments of the match.
In his second pool match, Jódar faced Nicolai Budkov Kjaer but fell short with a score of 4-1, 4-2, 1-4, 4-2. To conclude his play, Jódar secured a win against fellow Spaniard Martin Landaluce, defeating him 4-3(7), 4-1, 4-3(2). Reflecting on the pivotal match, Jódar said, “I’m very happy how I handled the important moments and the pressure moments in this match.” His performance included 31 winners and a remarkable second serve success rate of 92%, showcasing his growth as a player.
The participation of tennis legend Rafael Nadal added to the excitement of the tournament, as Jódar has long idolized him. “Rafa has been my idol for a long time. It means a lot that he came to Saudi Arabia to watch this tournament,” Jódar shared, highlighting the influence Nadal has had on his career.
The Next Gen ATP Finals follows a round-robin format with the eight players split into two groups. Players compete in matches that are best-of-five sets, and should ties occur, a tiebreaker procedure is used to determine the qualifiers.
Though Jódar will not advance, his participation at such a prestigious event at a young age lays a solid foundation for his burgeoning career, instilling hope for his future endeavors in professional tennis.