Rafael Jodar Gets Local UVA Support During Run At Mubadala DC Open

By Chloe Wellington-Hunt

Rafael Jodar moved into the Round of 16 at the ATP 500 Mubadala DC Open after beating France’s Arthur Fils in 7-6(5),6-3. The win was not easy though–it was well deserved and earned.

Competing for the first time since Wimbledon, Jodar started with a little hiccup: he was broken on his first service game. Speaking about the early break, Jodar looked at it through a pragmatic lens.

“In the end, it’s a situation that’s going to arise in the game,” Jodar said. “You never want to start with a break but down, but that’s what the match brought.”

Jodar discussed how his game evolved throughout the match, from falling behind early to taking more initiative and capturing important points.

Jodar and Fils played each other at the ATP 500 Barcelona Open, where Fils defeated Jodar in three sets. Comparing his victory in DC to what happened in Barcelona, Jodar didn’t seem phased–he acknowledged that wins and losses come with the variation in the sport.

“In the end, it’s different matches, different conditions, different ideas,” the Spaniard said.

The Spaniard had a brief stint in college tennis, playing at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. Jodar attributes much of his hard court skillset to his collegiate career, noting that it let him develop his hard court game.

“It’s true that I played a lot more on clay court when I was little, but last year at the University [of Virginia], I was playing everything on hard court,” Jodar said. “…I think that if you want to be a great player, you have to develop and play well on all three surfaces. And I think I’ve really developed my hard court game this year.”

And for Jodar, the continued support from UVA means a lot.

“‘There are many people from Virginia who came to watch my match and I am very grateful for everything they did,” he said, “and are still doing a great job and supporting me in all the tournaments I am playing around the world.’”

Jodar played the 2024-25 season at UVA, becoming the ITA National Rookie of the Year and the ACC Freshman of the Year. While a Wahoo, Jodar continued competing in and winning ATP Challenger events, ultimately leading him to announce in December 2025 that he was turning pro.

While the Spaniard started the 2026 season outside of the Top 100, there’s no doubt he’s proving himself to be among Spain’s best, compared on various occasions to a young Alcaraz.

Jodar will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, July 29th.

“In the end, it’s a tournament to start this American swing, which I think is really good,” he smiled. “And like everything, new to me.”

These quotes were translated from Spanish to English by Chloe Wellington-Hunt.