Carlos Alcaraz has dominated the top of the ATP Tour for the past few seasons now and, in that time, many of the rising stars on the Tour have struggled to challenge him and Jannik Sinner.

2026 was a year that saw Alcaraz and Sinner struggle with injury and it was an elder statesman of the ATP Tour, Alexander Zverev, who was able to capitalise by winning Roland Garros and the US Open.

The likes of Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Flavio Cobolli struggled to assert themselves at Grand Slam level in the absence of Sinner and Alcaraz,

However, there is one rising star, Rafael Jodar, who has suggested he could soon make the step up and Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he has been ‘surprised’ by the rise.

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Speaking at the Vienna Open, Alcaraz said: “Rafa [Jodar] surprised me, the way he came through, and, you know, staying on the tour and being there, dealing with the expectation, and I would say it feels like that didn’t affect him at all.

“Playing such a great tennis during the whole season, beating the best players of the world, and right now, I think he’s almost top ten, it’s unbelievable in his first year, so I would say I kept an eye on Rafa during the whole season, so it’s been amazing. Proud of him, we are proud of him.”

Jodar has enjoyed some incredible moments on the ATP Tour so far this year, including his maiden title in Marrakech and reaching the Washington Open final.

He also reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, the Madrid Open, and the Italian Open, as well as the semifinals of the Canadian Open.

As a result, he’s given himself a chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals at the end of the year. The Spaniard currently sits at ninth in the race, which is enough to qualify due to Sinner’s withdrawal, but he will fight it out at the Paris Masters alongside the likes of Novak Djokovic and Frances Tiafoe.

Even if he doesn’t qualify for the ATP Finals at the end of the season, Jodar will have a chance to brush shoulders with Alcaraz before the 2026 season draws to a close.

He is set to play the Davis Cup Finals for Spain for the first time in his career alongside Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Pedro Martinez, Marcel Granollers, and Alcaraz.

The rising Spaniard made his Davis Cup debut earlier this year against Chile in Spain’s 4-0 victory away from home, defeating Cristian Garin in straight sets.