Every young tennis player needs to learn some difficult lessons. How to win a high-stress match normally takes a little time. Rafael Jodar likely will take quite a lot from his 2026 French Open quarterfinal loss to Alexander Zverev and try to apply that to other late-round matches in future events.
19-year-old Jodar started quickly. He has the power and ability to move to be a threat on clay, especially, and potentially on other surfaces. He can make magic shots at times, hitting unexpected cross-court winners one time, and serving with bombast the next.
What he needs to do better, just as most young players do, is replicate shots one after another. Zverev isn't now just two steps away from winning the first Grand Slam of his career after defeating Jodar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 because he comes up with elite shots every other game, but because he is metronomic in his approach, taking the easy way when the hard way would maybe look better.
Alexander Zverev proves to be a tough taskmaster for Rafael Jodar at the 2026 French Open
Of course, Zverev also is arguably the best men's player ever to never have won a major (yet) because he isn't aggressive enough. He could learn from Jodar's enthusiasm and take more chances in the finals of majors.
He is obviously the favorite at the French Open now with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz all losing or not having played in the tournament, but nothing is guaranteed.
He still faces a field full of in-form Italians and rising stars, all looking to make their mark on the ATP tour. Whoever wins on the men's side of Roland Garros will win their first major, though Zverev would suffer the most disappointment by not doing so.
Jodar is going to win big on the ATP. He jumped ahead early in the first set, but couldn't hold it against Zverev, who tends not to panic early in matches.
The second set was too easy for the German, and the Spaniard will have to better control his dips in form during important matches. Jodar also appeared to have a slight calf issue, though he didn't take a timeout for the possible injury.
He at least corrected himself somewhat in set three. An early break doomed whatever chances he had left, but he didn't give up, and that's notable.
While Jodar crushed some serves, Zverev kept landing his first serves (nearly 80 percent for the match) and avoiding double faults. His level of efficiency is something young Jodar will need to mirror in the future.
Alexander Zverev will next face another young threat. He will take on the winner of the Jakub Mensik (20 years old) and Joao Fonseca (19) in the semifinals of the French Open. That is just two steps away from Zverev fulfilling his Grand Slam dream.
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