Rafael Jodar has completed one of the fastest rises the ATP Tour has ever seen - and he can cap off a memorable 2026 by triumphing at the ATP Finals in Turin.

After spending 287 days between making his tour-level debut at the Australian Open in January and rising to World No.9, Jodar comfortably passed the previous mark for the shortest time between the two feats - achieved by

Gustavo Kuerten, who took 490 days between 1996 and 1997.

By doing so, the 20-year-old also became the only player to reach the ATP Finals in his first full season after beginning the year ranked No.168. The Spaniard can now cap off a rapid rise to stardom by clinching victory at the most significant event in the men's annual calendar after the four majors.

How Rafael Jodar reached the ATP Finals

Jodar's place in Turin ultimately boiled down to the final two days of the Paris Masters, and he had no control over his destiny. Following defeat to Casper Ruud in the second round last week, the young prodigy had to rely on a slip-up from his rivals.

Alex de Minaur, Tommy Paul, and Taylor Fritz were all still within reach of taking his place as the final qualifier. De Minaur would have passed Jodar by clinching one more victory, but the Australian was stunned by Tomas Martin, who ended his hopes with a 7-6(2), 6-3 win.

One of Paul and Fritz, meanwhile, would have pipped him to the post if they progressed into the semi-finals. They both successfully clinched a place in the quarter-finals before Ben Shelton beat Paul in three sets and Carlos Alcaraz did the same to Fritz.

That meant the eighth and final spot went to Jodar, who has been drawn in the John McEnroe group alongside two-time Grand Slam winner Alexander Zverev, US Open finalist Shelton, and Arthur Fils, the youngest French player in history to win an ATP 1000 Masters title at the Cincinnati Open in August.

In the Ivan Lendl group, Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are all battling to reach the semi-finals, which are decided by the players who finish first and second in Group A and Group B across their best-of-three tiebreak sets.

ATP Finals prize money breakdown

Jodar opens his account at the end-of-year tournament against Zverev on Sunday (November 15), closely followed by back-to-back showdowns with Fils and Shelton on Tuesday.

Across his first full season in the ATP after winning Challenger Titles at the University of Virginia, Jodar won the Grand Prix Hassan II title in Marrakesh seven months ago and has reached the finals of the Shanghai Masters and the Mubadala DC Open.

At the time of writing, the Spaniard has earned a whopping $3,348,899 in prize money, placing him 12th among all players in the ATP. In fact, the 2006-born star can collect more prize money at the ATP Finals than he has won all year by going undefeated.

As per the ATP, an undefeated champion in the singles event earns $5,171,000 excluding sponsorship and appearance fees, meaning the world No.9 would have to win every game in the group, semi-finals, and final to collect that eye-watering sum.

Prize money breakdown

• Undefeated Champion: $5,171,000
• Final Win: $2,412,000
• Semi-Final Win: $1,206,000
• Each Round-Robin Match Win: $405,000
• Participation Fee: $338,000*
• Alternate: $156,000

Speaking after qualifying for the ATP Finals at the Paris Masters, Jodar said: “I’m aware that I’ve had a great year. Very happy with how the season is going for me. I’ve improved a lot. I played against many top players.

“I think my mindset of not giving up and giving everything in every match has helped me to qualify for Turin.

“I’ll have to keep working hard and keep trusting myself with the same ambition as I’ve had this first year.”