With Alcaraz absent, Spanish teenager Jodar impresses on Wimbledon debut

LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz is back home nursing a wrist injury and retired great Rafa Nadal might be lounging on his boat off the coast of Mallorca but Spain has yet another Wimbledon contender in the shape of powerful teenager Rafael Jodar.

The 19-year-old made his main draw debut at the All England Club on Monday and looked immediately at home in his first professional match on a grass court as he eased to a 6-3 6-3 7-5 victory over British wildcard Felix Gill.

Facing a callow Spaniard in the first match on a lush Court Three might have been seen as an opportunity for 220th-ranked Gill to cause an upset against the 23rd seed.

But that never looked remotely likely as Jodar emulated two-time Wimbledon champions Alcaraz and Nadal by reaching the second round as a teenaged debutant.

“It was a very tough match and Felix played very well,” Jodar said on court. “I feel my game is very good on this surface even though I haven’t played much on it, so I need to get used to it. That’s why I came early to Wimbledon to have a few more days. Now it’s on to the second match.”

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Ranked around 500 in the world a year ago, the 6ft 3in Jodar has rocketed up the rankings since and announced himself on the big stage by reaching the French Open quarter-finals this year on his debut, having won his first ATP title in Marrakech.

While Spanish players used to be renowned as claycourt warriors whose weapons were rendered harmless on the lawns, Nadal and then Alcaraz changed all that.

With a hugely powerful baseline game, a potent serve and an ability to mix it up, Jodar showed he will be a threat in a dominant display against the willing Gill.

Only when he went a break down early in the third set did it look as though he might get dragged into a duel, but he quickly found another gear, breaking back twice to wrap up a quick win.

Jodar’s next assignment promised to be a tougher one against vastly experienced fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.