Tennis-Jodar embraces lessons from French Open breakthrough amid youth surge

"He deserved to ⁠win the first set and then the next two." Despite the defeat, Jodar said he would leave Paris with valuable lessons. "A lot of experience ⁠in ​this first French Open for me," he said.

Rafael Jodar said his breakthrough run to the French Open ​quarter-finals had shown him the level of consistency ​needed to compete with the world's ‌best ​after the Spaniard's impressive campaign in Paris ended against Alexander Zverev on Tuesday. The 19-year-old's first appearance at Roland Garros ended with a 7-6(3) 6-1 6-3 defeat ‌by the German second seed, but Jodar said the experience had reinforced his belief that he belongs among the game's top players.

"If you want to compete against the best players in the world, you have to keep your ‌level all the time the same," Jodar told reporters. "You cannot have a lot of downs during the ‌matches, especially when you are playing a five-set match."

Jodar emerged as one of the surprise stories of the tournament, joining Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in a quarter-final lineup that highlighted the sport's growing wave of young talent. "What I learned about me is that I ⁠can compete ​against anyone," he said.

"But ⁠I still have to improve a lot of things that these matches will help me to improve." The turning point against Zverev came ⁠in the opening set, when Jodar failed to convert a chance to serve out the set before the world number three ​took control of the match.

"He played better than me in those points," Jodar said. "He deserved to ⁠win the first set and then the next two." Despite the defeat, Jodar said he would leave Paris with valuable lessons.

"A lot of experience ⁠in ​this first French Open for me," he said. "I take all the matches that I've played, and this gives me a lot of learning to keep improving." Zverev, who is bidding for a maiden Grand Slam title, ⁠said the performances of players such as Jodar and Fonseca were an encouraging sign for the future of ⁠men's tennis.

"We have a great ⁠group of young players that are playing fantastic tennis," he said. "We have fantastic players that are young on the tour right now. We have a lot of ‌potential on the ‌tour right now."