The Spanish player is proud to be considered a member of the fighting breed, with the same origins as the great Rafael Nadal and his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
Last week, we heard from 20-year-old Martin Landaluce in Miami, where the young upstart reached his first Masters quarterfinal.
“I think I have part of his mentality, part of the Spanish spirit, the fighting spirit, and I try to keep that,” Landalus said last week in Miami.
This week in Morocco, Rafael Jodar drew inspiration from the spirit of the Spanish warriors.
Just days after making his Top 100 debut at world No. 89, Jordal defeated Czech Tomas Mahak to reach his first ATP quarter-finals in his seventh tour-level event.
In addition, Jordahl hit 17 forehand winners and won all seven at the net on Thursday, his first ATP event on clay.
“Every Spanish player is a fighter. From Nadal to Alcaraz, everyone is a fighter. It’s in our DNA, so I’ve always done that [today because] the 2024 U.S. Men’s Open champion said on the court after his victory.
A year ago, Jordahl failed to crack the top 900, but he has since excelled at the professional level, winning three Challenger titles. In 2026, he went 20-7 across all levels, including going from qualifying to the second round of the Australian Open. This is Jordan’s Grand Slam debut.
Madrid-born Jordal, who has a 7-6 record so far this season, will face defending champion Alexander Muller in the quarterfinals in Marrakech.
