Jodar apologises for ball kid outburst at Shanghai Masters
SHANGHAI: Rafael Jodar has apologised for swearing at a ball kid during his Shanghai Masters campaign, admitting he could not control his emotions as frustration boiled over in the heat of the match.
The Rafael Jodar Shanghai controversy began during Wednesday’s last-16 victory over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. After losing a point, the 20-year-old Spaniard angrily demanded his towel from the ball kid, swearing in Spanish. Chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote, who also speaks Spanish, immediately handed Jodar a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
What Jodar said
Speaking after his quarter-final win over Casper Ruud on Friday, Jodar accepted full responsibility and said the umpire had made the right call.
“I shouldn’t have done that to the ball kid. It was my mistake. I respect a lot the ball kids and the umpires in all the matches and all the tournaments. I shouldn’t have treated the ball kid the way I did,” Jodar said.
“I was very frustrated because of how the match was going for me. It was a very close point. I didn’t mean to hurt the feelings of the ball kid or anything, I was just frustrated with me. I couldn’t control my emotions at that point of the match.”
The world No. 13 added that he hoped to apologise to the ball kid in person. He also conceded he should have accepted the warning at the time instead of arguing with Pinoargote, who had warned him not to address ball kids in that manner.
“As I’m learning how to do the forehand, how to do the backhand, how to serve, I’m also learning how to behave on court,” Jodar said. “I’m not perfect.”
Rafael Jodar’s comeback overshadowed the incident
Jodar’s apology came after one of the best wins of his breakthrough season. He beat Norway’s Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals, saving match points along the way and recovering from a set down for the fourth match in a row this week.
At 20, he is the youngest player to reach the Shanghai semi-finals since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2009. Having started the season ranked 168th, the Spaniard now sits 11th in the ATP Live Race to Turin and has a genuine chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals in his first full season on tour. Medvedev, his semi-final opponent, had reached the last four by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, a match we covered in our quarter-final report.
He was scheduled to face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final, after the Russian beat Tommy Paul in the day’s second quarter-final.
A tense fortnight for on-court discipline
The incident is the second ball-related controversy involving Jodar in recent months, following a disputed episode at Roland Garros in May in which he was accused of pushing a ball girl — a claim he strongly denied, saying he never touched her.
It also comes just two weeks after Medvedev was disqualified from the China Open semi-final after hitting a ball into the crowd, underlining how quickly tempers can cost players in the season’s closing stretch. Jodar’s case drew only a code violation, but the spotlight has been unforgiving: some fans on social media questioned the sincerity of his apology, while others pointed to his age and the pressure of a breakthrough year.
The Spaniard’s season has been one of the stories of 2026. As recently as March 2025 he was ranked outside the world’s top 900; he is now No. 13 and playing Masters 1000 semi-finals. If he keeps winning, the towel incident will be a footnote. If not, it will follow him.
The original reporting on this development was published by Geo Super and Reuters.
FAQ
What did Rafael Jodar do to the ball kid?
During his last-16 win over Botic van de Zandschulp at the Shanghai Masters, Jodar swore in Spanish at a ball kid while demanding his towel. The umpire issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
What did Jodar say in his apology?
He said it was his mistake, that he respected ball kids and umpires, that frustration got the better of him, and that he hoped to apologise to the ball kid in person.
Who did Jodar beat to reach the Shanghai semi-final?
He beat Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarter-final, becoming the youngest Shanghai semi-finalist since 2009.
Who does Jodar face in the semi-final?
Jodar was scheduled to play 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev in the second semi-final on Saturday, with a place in the final at stake.
