David Ferrer says Rafael Jodar is showing the kind of early promise that once marked Rafael Nadal, while also backing Carlos Alcaraz to return to Grand Slam contention when he is fully fit again.

Jodar has advanced to the Washington Open final, which will be the first ATP 500 title match of his career. He earned that place with wins over Arthur Fils, Kei Nishikori, Lorenzo Musetti and Alejandro Tabilo.

His final opponent will be Taylor Fritz. The two have met only once, at this year’s Delray Beach Open, where the American won in straight sets.

The Spaniard’s climb has been swift. After taking three ATP Challenger titles in 2025, he entered the top 100 in March and moved up more than 400 ranking places over the past 12 months. He then won his first ATP Tour title in Marrakech at 19, losing only one set across the event.

Jodar also reached the semi-finals in Barcelona and the quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome. That made him one of only two Spanish teenagers, alongside Alcaraz and Nadal, to reach the last eight at both Madrid and Rome in the same season.

Because of his Washington run, Jodar is already assured of breaking into the top 15 and could rise to No 11 if he beats Fritz in the final.

Ferrer, who finished his career as world No 3 and a French Open finalist, was full of praise for the teenager. “Those of us in tennis were already aware of Rafa’s progress, but it’s true that he’s [Jodar] had a fantastic year,” he said during an interview with El Larguero on SER.

“He’s broken into the top 20 by beating some outstanding players. Alongside Carlos Alcaraz, they represent the future of Spanish tennis. Carlos is already an established star, and Rafa is just beginning what I believe will be a great professional career.”

On Jodar’s mentality, Ferrer added: “He isn’t afraid. He reminds me a lot of Rafa Nadal when he was 17, and also of Carlos Alcaraz. They’re the kind of players who don’t feel stage fright at such a young age.”

Alcaraz, world No 3, has been out since April with a wrist injury and is expected back at the Cincinnati Masters, where he will defend his title. Ferrer believes the layoff will not prevent him from chasing the biggest trophies again.

“He needs to regain his match rhythm,” stated the former world No 3.

“Once he’s able to compete at the highest level again, I think it will only be a matter of time before he’s fighting to win Grand Slams.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas believes his return to the top table is still within reach, even after a bruising two-year spell that has drawn sharp criticism and sent him sliding down the rankings.

The Greek’s difficulties began to intensify in mid-2024, when he finished outside the world’s top 10 for the first time since 2018. The following season opened with a surprise first-round defeat at the Australian Open, although he briefly steadied himself by capturing his first ATP 500 crown in Dubai.

That proved to be only a short-lived lift. The rest of the campaign brought further setbacks, including an early departure at the French Open and a retirement from his opening match at Wimbledon because of a back injury. It was during the grass-court swing that he added former Wimbledon champion and ex-Novak Djokovic coach Goran Ivanisevic to his camp.

Even with that change, Tsitsipas ended the year outside the top 30 and has since dropped further. In June, he confirmed that he had split with his father as coach for the second time, calling the decision “final”. Thomas Perrin, a coach at the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy, has now taken over the role, with Mouratoglou working in an advisory capacity.

Their first tournament together at Wimbledon was a mixed start. Tsitsipas beat Hugo Gaston comfortably in the opening round before losing heavily to Novak Djokovic. Yet there was a clearer sign of progress only two weeks later, when he won the ATP 250 clay-court event in Gstaad for his first title since February 2025.

Perrin has been openly encouraged by the response he has seen. “He really has the will to get back to the highest level, and I 100% believe he can do it, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” he analysed during a recent interview.

“He is committed, receptive, and physically, his back is fine. There are many things to put back in place gradually, and that’s what we’re working on.”

“After Roland-Garros, Stefanos took time for himself to think about how he sees his future,” he recalled. “What came out of it is that he really wants to move on to something different, with a new team and a new project.

“The fact of separating professionally from his father is a decision he thought through carefully. He no longer has any questions about it. He wanted to take his career back into his own hands, and that’s done. Mentally, he is very motivated.”

Tsitsipas has now qualified for the Masters 1000 event in Canada and will open against world No 104 Martin Damm.

Jack Draper says the long run of injuries that has interrupted his progress since May 2025 has felt like a “perfect storm”, but he also believes Andy Murray’s arrival in his coaching setup has given him a “massive benefit” as he works toward a comeback.

The British player has dealt with repeated physical problems for more than a year. His troubles began during last season’s clay-court swing, when he suffered a bone bruise in his left arm. Even so, he still reached the semi-finals at Queen’s Club before falling to Marin Cilic in the second round of Wimbledon a little more than a week later.

He later tried to return at the US Open, but withdrew after getting through his opening-round match. Draper then chose to sit out the rest of the season and also missed this year’s Australian Open because the arm issue had not cleared up.

There were signs of progress early in 2026, when he reached the last 16 in Indian Wells and picked up a notable win over 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. But his momentum stalled again after an opening loss in Miami and a retirement in Barcelona, which ruled him out of the rest of the clay season and Wimbledon.

After parting with Jamie Delgado, Draper brought Murray into his team in mid-May. The pair have worked together at just one event so far, the Eastbourne Open, and will continue the partnership at Draper’s next tournament, the Canadian Open, which begins on August 2 and runs through August 13.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Draper said, “I’ve had obviously an addition of Sir Andy [Murray] coming on to the team which has been a massive benefit for me considering he’s someone who’s been through a lot of struggle in his career,”

He added that the problem is more complex than a simple recovery timeline and said he is now in his best shape of the past year. Draper has dropped 143 ranking places over the last 12 months and is currently world No 147, but he insists the patience has been worthwhile and that he is nearing a breakthrough.