The key facts

  • Jodar, 20, beat Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and became the youngest semifinalist in Shanghai Masters history
  • In the fourth round he swore at a ball boy and received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct
  • Jodar wants to apologize to the ball boy and says he is 'learning how to behave on court'

Historic semifinal run

20-year-old Spanish tennis player Rafael Jodar, ranked 13th in the world, reached the semifinal of the Shanghai Masters on Friday, beating Norwegian Casper Ruud (ranked 24th) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. According to AFP, he became the youngest player to reach the semifinal in the entire history of the tournament. Ruud saved three match points but then committed a double fault and handed the victory to his opponent. The season has been a breakthrough for Jodar: he started the year ranked 168th.

Incident with the ball boy

The match against Ruud was Jodar's first since receiving a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. In the fourth-round match on Wednesday against Botic van de Zandschulp, while trailing after the tiebreak in the first set, he shouted a phrase containing a swear word in Spanish at the ball boy, demanding a towel.

Admitting the mistake

'I was just angry at myself and at that moment of the match I couldn't control my emotions,' Jodar told journalists. He admitted he did the wrong thing: 'After the match I thought about it, and I shouldn't have done that to the ball boy. It was my mistake.' According to the tennis player, he would like to apologize to the ball boy.

'I am not perfect'

'Just as I learn to hit the forehand, backhand, serve, I am also learning how to behave on court, and there is still a lot to learn,' Jodar noted, adding: 'I am not perfect.' In the semifinal he will play either against the 2019 Shanghai champion Daniil Medvedev or against American Tommy Paul.