Your 19-year-old Spaniard defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov (ATP-43) in the second round with a score of 7:5, 4:6, 7:5, who had very serious complaints about his opponent.
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“Shapo” dominated and led 5:1 in the third set, but Rafa, who created a miracle, managed to win the next six games and celebrate a dramatic victory.
Much attention was drawn to the forced pause of the Spanish representative when trailing 3:5, when the young man’s shoelaces broke. Tennis rules clearly state that players can change their footwear at any time during a match.
Whether coincidence or not, similar cases of broken shoelaces of R. Jodar at crucial moments have already been recorded in Washington and Montreal, and after the match, the Canadian tennis player also showered him with complaints.
“To be honest – I can’t do anything about it. My shoelaces just broke and I needed time to change them. Next time I will try to have spare shoes ready so I don’t waste so much time,” Rafa explained at the press conference.
The Spaniard started the year outside the top 100 of the ATP rankings, but is now 11th in the world and has solid chances to participate in the “Nitto ATP Finals” in Turin at the end of the season, where the eight strongest players of the season compete.
In Cincinnati, R. Jodar’s next opponent will be Alejandro Tabilo (ATP-26) from Chile.
