Roger Federer sat courtside at The O2 across three days of Laver Cup tennis in September, and came away talking about two players he had never seen in the flesh.

Both are 20. Both climbed into the world’s top 15 inside a year. And both, Federer told La Gazzetta dello Sport, surprised him with how much they already have.

“I had never seen them play live and they really impressed me,” the Swiss said of Rafael Jodar and Learner Tien, in comments carried by the Italian tennis press.

He went on to explain why the pair are easy to miss.

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“Maybe they fly a little under the radar for those who only watch Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic, and I understand that. But they are very strong and have the potential to leave their mark.”

Jodar’s year, from Virginia to Marrakech

Jodar’s 2026 has been one of the fastest climbs on the men’s tour.

The Madrid-born right-hander turned professional in December 2025 after leaving the University of Virginia, and by August he had hit a career-high ranking of world No. 11, according to the Laver Cup’s own player profile.

Along the way he won his first ATP title at the Grand Prix Hassan II in April, reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland-Garros, and made the semifinals of the Montreal Masters 1000.

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Named as the only rookie on Team Europe, he opened his Laver Cup account on September 25 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Alexander Bublik in one hour and 24 minutes at The O2.

“It was a pleasure to represent Team Europe for the first time,” Jodar said afterwards. “I think I felt great on court.”

Tien’s year: Melbourne, Geneva and Michael Chang

Tien, a Southern California left-hander born on December 2, 2005, has moved at the same pace.

At the Australian Open in January he dismissed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on his way to the quarterfinals, and in May he picked up his second ATP title at the Geneva Open, beating Mariano Navone 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the final. The ATP noted he had joined his coach Michael Chang in the history books as the youngest American man to win a tour-level title on European clay since Chang won Roland-Garros aged 17.

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Tien’s Laver Cup week ended on Sunday against Alexander Zverev, whose 7-6(3), 6-3 win sealed a 13-5 victory and the trophy for Team Europe.

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