- Rafael Jodar: 286 days
- Gustavo Kuerte: 462 days
The 20-year-old Spaniard started 2026 with number 168. Ten months from now he will be in the top 10 with three major events to play. Paris Masters 1000 next week that ATP Finals if he keeps his seat Raceand: Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna.
Top 10: Last Push
The record was signed on Saturday, without his court. Taylor Fritz defeated Valentin Vacherot In the semi-finals of Basel, the American could not get ahead of him. Jodar had lost to the same Vaccherot 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (5) in the second round in Basel before the Monegasque exited. set up his semi-final against Fritz.
The points that got him to the finish line came in Shanghai. He won five matches, four of them in three sets, and defeated Kasper Rudy and Daniil Medvedev to reach his first Masters 1000 final. Alejandro Davidovic Fokina came back to beat him 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, but the run dropped him to the 11th seed.
He finished ninth in the Turin race on Friday night with 3,209 points. If Yannick Siner is out for the rest of the season, it’s the last qualifying spot for the ATP Finals.
Top 20: Finals Summer!
He was banging on the door since August. Between Canada and Shanghai, he hovered between No. 11 and No. 14, losing in the first round at the US Open, defeating Alexander Bublik in the Lever Cup, Davis Cup defeat to Christian Garin in Chile and an early exit in Tokyo.
The flight arrived in two weeks. His run to the final in Washington, where Fritz beat him 7-6 (2), 6-4, on August 3, lifted him from No. 24 to No. 15. A week later, his semi-final in Canada, with victories over Lorenzo Musetti, Jiri Leheka and Arthur Fils, lifted him to No. 11, the highest of his career.
Rafael Jodari’s 2026 season
| Tournament | Status: | month | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basel | ATP 500 | October | Second district (l. Vacherot) |
| Shanghai | Masters 1000 | October | Finalist (l. Davydovich Fokina) |
| Tokyo | ATP 500 | September | First round (l. Vallejo) |
| Preparation of the cup | Preparation of the cup | September | Win (d. Bublik) |
| Davis Cup, Chile – Spain | Davis Cup | September | Win (d. Garin) |
| US Open | Grand Slam | august | First stage (l. Bu) |
| Cincinnati | Masters 1000 | august | Third district (L. Kobolli) |
| Canada | Masters 1000 | august | Semi-final (l. Nakashima) |
| Washington | ATP 500 | July | Final (l. Fritz) |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | june | Third district (L. Mochidzuki) |
| Roland Garros | Grand Slam | may | Quarter-finals (L. Zverev) |
| Rome: | Masters 1000 | may | Quarter finals (l. Darderi) |
| Madrid: | Masters 1000 | april | Quarter final (l. Sinner) |
| Barcelona | ATP 500 | april | Semi-final (l. Son) |
| Marrakesh | ATP 250 | March-April | Title (d. Trungelliti) |
| Miami | Masters 1000 | march | Third round from the qualifying round (l. Etcheverry) |
| Indian Wells | Masters 1000 | march | First round (l. Tabilo) |
| Acapulco | ATP 500 | February | Second district (L. Atmane) |
| Delray Beach | ATP 250 | February | Second round (l. Fritz) |
| dallas | ATP 500 | February | First round: from the qualifying round (L. Shapovalov) |
| Australian Open | Grand Slam | january | Second round from the qualifying round (L. Mensyk) |
| Canberra | Challenger | january | Final (l. Blockx) |
Top 50 and Top 30: Clay Swing
A third round was held at Wimbledon by summer. Before that clay, where he climbed 60 places in seven weeks.
His quarter-final in Rome moved him into the top 30, finishing 29th on 18 May. He also reached the quarter-finals in Madrid, beating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-1 and Joao Fonseca before losing to Minner. At Roland Garros, he then survived five sets against Alex Michelsen and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach another quarter-final where Alexander Zverev defeated him in straight sets.
The top 50 came a month ago. His first ATP title in Marrakech, a 6-3, 6-2 win over Marco Trungelliti in the final, lifted him to No. 57. A semi-final in Barcelona two weeks later took him to number 42 on 20 April.
Top 100: Where It Started
The first threshold was lowered on March 30. He qualified for the third round in Miami and moved from No. 109 to No. 89.
Until then, his season was built on qualifying. He opened it in January, going from qualifying to the final of the Canberra Challenger, before qualifying again to win his first Grand Slam match at the Australian Open.
The ATP website listed his season at 43-17 before Basel, with one title and $3,255,786 in prize money. 10 months on from Canberra, number 168 is a top-10 player.
