Rafael Jodar is getting set for his Queen’s debut
Rafael Jodar is set to make his first appearance at Queen’s this week as he kicks off the grass-court portion of his season.
The Spaniard had a breakthrough clay-court campaign, which saw him climb up to world number 23.
Jodar made headlines with a semi-final run in Barcelona and followed that up with quarter-final appearances in Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros.
The 19-year-old now shifts his focus to grass and will look to claim his first title on the surface at Queen’s. Speaking before the tournament, Jodar sounded positive about how he’s adjusted to grass-court play so far.
Rafael Jodar talks to Tennis TV before stepping onto grass for the first time
During an interview with Tennis TV, Jodar was asked about his experience on grass and how he is adapting to the change from clay.
He replied: “I haven’t played much on it, but I think it’s a surface I can do well on. I’m getting used to this, this week with practices and everything, but it’s fine, you know.”
“You have one month to play on this surface, and if you are not playing in the ATP events, you will never play [well] on this surface. It’s a season to enjoy and to have fun.”
“In Madrid, it’s difficult [to prepare] because we don’t have grass courts, so I came here to London a bit earlier,” he added.
Jodar continued: “I had to get more days to practice. But I’m enjoying London. It’s a nice city and to be here playing Queen’s for the first time it means a lot to me and I’m very happy how the transition from clay court grass is going for me.”
Who will Rafael Jodar face first at Queen’s?
Jodar’s first match at Queen’s will be against Ignacio Buse, who also had a strong showing during the clay season.
The 22-year-old picked up his first career title at the Hamburg Open, coming through qualifying to take the trophy.
Along the way, Buse beat a tough field that included French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli, Jakub Mensik and Tommy Paul.
This will be their first meeting on the ATP Tour, though they have crossed paths before at ITF level.
Buse won their only previous encounter earlier this year, beating Jodar 6-1, 6-3 on clay.
Read more:
O que achou dessa notícia? Deixe um comentário abaixo e/ou compartilhe em suas redes sociais. Assim conseguiremos informar mais pessoas sobre o que acontece no mundo do tênis!
Esta notícia foi originalmente publicada em:
Fonte original