Nadal and Alcaraz are opposed in the second quarter-final of the day, starting at 4 p.m.
Since he restarted the machine in April with the return of the circuit to Europe for the clay season, "Djoko" has been in search of rhythm after a first quarter at or near a standstill, marked by his expulsion from Australia, lack of Covid-19 vaccination.
On clay in Madrid, he is gaining momentum: he has just won two straight sets.
Against Hurkacz, guilty of numerous faults, the Serb did not have to draw on his resources to win: a break in each set was enough for him to win in 1h21 min.
He, who was already leading 3 games to 0 after twelve minutes of play, did not have to face any break point.
In the second round, he dismissed Gael Monfils (21st) 6-3, 6-2.
In the previous round, he benefited from the package of Andy Murray, sick.
For his first two tournaments, Djokovic had fallen from the start in Monte-Carlo (against Davidovich) and had sunk in the last set of the final in Belgrade, losing 6-0 to Andrey Rublev, world No.8.
© 2022 AFP