Both fought to get there, Nadal against David Goffin (6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (11/9) in 3:09), and Alcaraz - on his 19th birthday - against Cameron Norrie (6 -4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in 2h39).

He is the eldest of the two Spaniards who had all the trouble in the world to be there after dropping two match points in the second set (at 5-3 and 5-4).

Embarking on a third round and an extended match, less sharp and less mobile, "Rafa" was in turn faced with four match points in the decisive tie-break.

It was finally he who won, on his fourth occasion.

"It was an incredible end to the match, which we should never have gotten to," he sums up.

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz against Briton Cameron Norrie in the round of 16 of the Madrid tournament, May 5, 2022 OSCAR DEL POZO AFP

"I played better yesterday (Wednesday)", for his return a month and a half after a stress fracture to a rib, says Nadal.

"But when you haven't played for a while, you know that progression is not linear, there are ups and downs."

"Better than me"

Right here a year ago, to the day, Alcaraz celebrated his 18th birthday on the Madrid Central against his illustrious compatriot.

For their very first duel, he was not yet one of the hundred best players in the world (120th exactly) and had only scored three games.

“That match helped me see how far I was,” he recalled.

"Now I'm a totally different player, able to manage my emotions, the different moments of a match, explains Alcaraz. I think I'm ready for this challenge."

Between the two, everything changed for the young Spaniard: pell-mell, he became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist in the Open era, he won his first trophies (4, including 3 in 2022), including his first Masters 1000 in Miami in early April, and earned a place in the top 10 in the wake of his title in Barcelona ten days ago.

Exactly 17 years after Nadal.

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz against Briton Cameron Norrie in the round of 16 of the Madrid tournament, May 5, 2022 OSCAR DEL POZO AFP

"Last year, I came to play this tournament to live a new experience and measure myself against the best players in the world. Today, I consider myself one of them", compared the protege a few days ago. by Juan Carlos Ferrero, former world No.1 and winner of Roland-Garros 2003.

More proof?

In the semi-finals in Indian Wells in March, for their second duel, Nadal had to scrap more than three hours (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) to get by.

It was during this match that his rib injury occurred.

The 35-year-old Mallorcan is fully aware of the danger embodied by Alcaraz.

“As we speak, he is better than me, he says. Because he is in good shape, on a very good dynamic, I am just coming back. And he is very young, he has this energy.

Djokovic without playing

If he considers his victory of the day as "good in the medium term because I have accumulated playing time", "we have to see how I will wake up tomorrow (Friday)", he wants to be cautious.

By recalling that, for him, the purpose is elsewhere.

"The most important thing for me is not who will be the best tomorrow, it's who will be in three weeks," Nadal said.

Serbian Novak Djokovic against Frenchman Gaël Monfils at the Madrid tournament, May 3, 2022 GABRIEL BOUYS AFP / Archives

If he suffered, the world N.1 Novak Djokovic, who benefited from the withdrawal of Andy Murray, sick, and the N.3 and trophy holder Alexander Zverev to a lesser extent, with the abandonment of the Italian Lorenzo Musetti after ten games (6-3, 1-0, left thigh), saved their energy.

In the quarter-finals, the first will face the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (14th), victorious over the Serbian Dusan Lajovic (77th) 7-5, 6-3, and the second Félix Auger-Aliassime (10th), scorer of Jannik Sinner (12th) 6-1, 6-2.

The last poster will oppose the world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, winner of the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (20th) 6-3, 6-4, to Andrey Rublev (8th), who contained 7-6 (9/7), 7-5 Briton Daniel Evans (36th).

In the women's draw, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (10th) will try on Saturday to offer herself a first title in the WTA 1000, the highest category of tournaments after the Grand Slams.

There is only the American Jessica Pegula (14th), she too never crowned in a tournament of this caliber, to stand in her way.

© 2022 AFP