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Wimbledon: Rafael Jodar Cruises Into Second Round, Says He Handled Grass Court Well
Next Gen ATP Finals: Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar made a confident start to his Wimbledon 2026 campaign, defeating British wildcard Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Monday to reach the second round in his first tour-level match on grass.
Despite his limited experience, the 19-year-old adapted impressively. He broke Gill five times out of 11 chances and won 84 percent of points behind his first serve, finishing the match in one hour and 56 minutes.
Reflecting on his performance, Jodar acknowledged that grass poses a unique challenge but felt satisfied with how he managed. "I think this surface is a bit different from the other two," Jodar said after the match. "You have to pay more attention to every detail because everything goes very fast, and if you don’t serve well in one game, then getting that break back is difficult. But I think I handled the situations in the match today very well, so I'm happy about that."
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