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Rising tennis star Rafael Jodar hasn’t even been a professional player for a year and already is on the precipice of making his debut in the world top 10.
Yet, throughout his meteoric rise this season, one theme has followed him: his often-tense interactions with ball kids.
At the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, Jodar was punished for his behavior toward a ball kid for the first time, receiving a code violation after yelling profanely at a boy for failing to deliver his towel in a timely manner.
Early in the second set of his fourth-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp, Jodar narrowly missed a backhand and walked back toward the ball boy, who was carrying a towel in hand.
Jodar appeared to shout at the boy something in Spanish which translates roughly to, “Give me the fucking towel, damn it.”
Chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote, who hails from Ecuador, heard Jodar’s outburst and issued him a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. After Jodar protested that he “didn’t say anything bad” to the ball boy, Pinoargote said, also in Spanish, “You know what you said, I can’t repeat it now. Not like that, we don’t talk to them like that.”
The ATP rulebook allows players to be fined up to $60,000 for each code violation at a Masters 1000 tournament.
There is precedent for verbal abuse rising to the level of a hefty fine. Just two years ago in Shanghai, Frances Tiafoe was fined $120,000 after an expletive-laden rant toward the same umpire, Pinoargote, earned him two separate violations.
The ATP and Shanghai Masters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jodar went on to win 6–7(4), 6–4, 6–2, advancing to a quarterfinal matchup against Casper Ruud. He currently sits just outside the eight-man ATP Finals field, but could leap into it if he advances further in Shanghai.
Wednesday’s incident was not the first time Jodar has found himself at the center of a media firestorm for his interactions with a ball kid.
At the French Open in May, a video of him appearing to push a ball girl went viral on social media. As Jodar exited the court between sets, he gesticulated with his right arm while nearly running into the ball girl, just as she stumbled backward.
Jodar strongly denied pushing the girl, and further footage of the incident seemed to vindicate him, though it was not entirely conclusive.
More minor interactions have also attracted some attention. At Wimbledon, Jodar fell over and lost control of his racket, accidentally hitting a ball girl. But, when the ball girl retrieved his racket and handed it back to him, he failed to acknowledge her.
At the DC Open, Jodar was struck with an errant throw by a ball kid and responded with a stern glare.
The 20-year-old turned pro last December after a standout season at the University of Virginia in which he was named the ITA National Rookie of the Year.
Jodar has climbed the ATP rankings at an unstoppable pace, rising from No. 168 at the end of 2025 to No. 13 heading into Shanghai.
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