Rafael Jodar has turned heads at the 2026 French Open not only with his performance but also with his unusual approach, with just one person regularly occupying his player box, that being his father, Rafael. It recently captured fans’ attention when four fans got confused and sat in that box, but the player stopped the match and had them removed.
Jodar’s father has been constant in the player’s box alone, a reservation made which is made for 18 spectators. He recently revealed the reason for having only his father in the box, stating that the reservation is for the player’s team and his team consists of him and his father.
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“Players have the right to decide who sits in our box, and the only one who can do so in mine is my father. My team is my father and me.”
The Spanish tennis player is managed and coached by his father, who holds a degree in Physical Activity Sciences from Madrid’s INEF. Before starting his journey of mentoring his son, Rafael was a basketball coach and a high school physical education teacher. He also played basketball and won a league, two Queen’s Cups, and reached the EuroLeague final with Rivas Ecópolis.
Rafael Jodar reveals what happened during his third-round faceoff at the French Open where he was accused of pushing a ball girl
Rafael Jodar was previously criticized for pushing a ball girl during his third-round faceoff at the 2026 Roland Garros. In a video that went viral and sparked the debate, Jodar seemed to be pushing the kid during his changeover. However, he later clarified that he had no intention of harming the ball kid, and the incident was only an act of unintentional mistake.
“No, no, no. I could never do that,” Jodar said. “I didn’t push her or anything. I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break when I was coming back. She was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way. She was going backwards, but I think she, like, fell, but not because I pushed her.”
“I appreciate all the work that the ball kids are doing. I know it’s difficult with the heat and the conditions to stay there, so I appreciate. I could never, you know, push a ball kid.” (via timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Rafael Jodar will face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal round.
Edited by Janhavi Shinde