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Rafael Jodar makes ATP Rankings history as he secures huge milestone in standout season
Rafael Jodar in Shanghai
Rafael Jodar applauds after his match

Rafael Jodar will make history next week after the Spaniard secured his debut inside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings.

The third seed at the Swiss Indoors in Basel this week, Jodar was beaten by Valentin Vacherot in the second round of the ATP 500 event.

However, with Vacherot going on to defeat Taylor Fritz in the semi-final of the event on Saturday, 20-year-old Jodar is now guaranteed to reach the top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time next week.

Currently ranked 11th in the world, the Spaniard is projected to rise one place to world No 10 — and will achieve something that no man in the history of the men’s game can match.

Jodar will become the first player since the ATP Rankings were introduced in 1973 to reach the top 10 during his first full season on tour, having only made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open in January, and his Masters 1000 debut at the Indian Wells Open in March.

The Spaniard will also become the player with the second shortest gap between his top 100 debut and his top 10 debut, with the 217 days between those two milestones only bettered by the 210 days between Boris Becker’s top 100 and top 10 debuts back in 1985.

Just 287 days separate the start of Jodar’s first full season and his top 10 debut, cementing a remarkable rise for the Spaniard who has become one of the most talked-about players in men’s tennis.

ATP Tour News

How Jodar sealed historic milestone

Jodar’s breakout season has been full of notable milestones, perhaps none more so than winning his first ATP Tour title at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh this May.

The Spaniard defeated Marco Trungelliti to lift the first tour-level title of his career, a result that was followed by two more runner-up finishes at ATP level.

Jodar reached the first ATP 500 final of his career at the Citi Open in July, falling to Taylor Fritz in the championship match, while he reached the first Masters 1000 final of his career at the Shanghai Masters in October — falling in three tight sets to compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

At Masters 1000 level, the Spaniard was also a semi-finalist on his tournament debut at the Canadian Open in August, while he was also a quarter-finalist at both the Madrid Open and Italian Open during the spring.

And, he also reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final in just his second major main draw appearance at Roland Garros.

Seeded 27th in Paris, it took second seed and eventual champion Alexander Zverev to stop him in the last eight, with Jodar also reaching the third round of Wimbledon just a few weeks later.

Following on from his second-round showing in Basel, Jodar will return to action at the Paris Masters next week.

The Spaniard is the ninth seed at the Masters 1000 tournament and will start his campaign in round one against Alejandro Tabilo, with a potential clash versus fifth seed Flavio Cobolli in the third round.

Jodar is among those battling for a place in the ATP Finals, with the 20-year-old knocked down to 10th place in the Race to Turin following Alex de Minaur’s run to the Vienna Open final.

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