MADRID (AP) — After a debut first-round victory at the Madrid Open, Spain’s The latest tennis sensation Rafael Jodal raises his arms and spreads them wide, imitating England and Real Madrid soccer star Jude Bellingham as he celebrates a goal.
Jodal, a 19-year-old Real Madrid fan from Madrid, wrote “Hey Jude” on the lens of one of the television cameras.
Bellingham, who was in the stands Wednesday, smiled and applauded. The two met briefly afterward and posed for a photo together at Bellingham’s goal celebration.
“I talked to him after the match and asked him if he liked the match,” Jodal said. “I didn’t know he was coming here. It meant a lot to me. He’s a great guy. I’m so grateful he came. He’s a role model for me and my favorite soccer player.”
After Hodal won the 2024 US Open Men’s Championship, he met with Bellingham and other Real Madrid players when he received his club’s award at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
It took him two and a half hours to beat Jesper de Jong 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Center Court at Caja Magica in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.
With this victory, Jodal became the third Spaniard to win. Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz — Win the main draw in Madrid before turning 20.
“I was really looking forward to playing here, but I knew I had to have a solid game from start to finish,” Hodal said. “I’m happy because with this win we can play here again.”
Jodal won in Marrakech earlier this month for his first ATP Tour victory, but he was outside the top 600 in the rankings just a year ago. He entered the top 100 in March and is currently ranked 42nd in the world.
His next match will be against 5th seed Alex de Minaur (Australia).
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
