• Nadal leaves his mark against Goffin after saving four match points

  • Abandonment Murray causes withdrawal due to indigestion and leaves Djokovic a free path to the quarters

A year and a day after meeting

Rafael Nadal

for the first time ,

Carlos Alcaraz

will do it again this Friday (not before 4:00 p.m., Teledeporte), already in his third fight, on the same stage as then.

The Mutua Madrid Open once again brings together the two great favorites of a crowd that will have to share their affections between the five-time champion of the tournament, winner of 21 Grand Slam titles and possessor of an exalted career like no other, and the emerging phenomenon that He ceased to arouse amazement on the circuit after entering the

top ten

thanks to his formidable start to the season, with victories at the Miami Masters 1000 and the ATP 500 in Rio and Barcelona.

On that occasion, the day Alcaraz came of age, they met in the second round of the tournament, with an easy victory for the left-hander 6-1, 6-2.

The Murcian, already with a well-earned predicament, had arrived as 120th in the world and was contesting the tournament by invitation.

An early physical mishap further weakened his options against a rival who, unlike today, was still several heads above him.

This time they meet in the quarterfinals.

«

Today he is better than me and comes with a very good dynamic

.

I am a realistic person.

He is fit.

I come from a period away.

He is young and has energy.

But for me the most important thing is not who will be better tomorrow [for today], but in three weeks," Nadal said at a press conference, after saving four match points to beat

David Goffin

6-3, 5- 7 and 7-6 (9), in three hours and five minutes.

«I have played hours and this is going well for me, but not so much for this tournament.

I come with no preparation and we will have to see how I am going to get up tomorrow [for today], ”warned the Mallorcan, who was playing his second game after being away from the courts for 43 days.

On March 20, in the semifinals of Indian Wells, things were very different from the first meeting between the two Spaniards.

Nadal won again, but he did it in a very tough match, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in which it was the last victory of the unblemished sequence of 19 before losing the final of the tournament against

Taylor Fritz

, already conditioned by the crack due to stress in the ribs that occurred in the final section of the semifinal.

Nadal showed his stripes and pride before an Alcaraz, who, far from wrinkling, showed him how he had sharpened his nails.

Alcaraz showed in his debut against

Basilashvili

that he too is capable of winning matches with a brush instead of a brush.

The fans waited for him in full until almost eleven o'clock on Tuesday night to witness the depth of his growth spurt and paid him the support and affection that is only granted to the chosen ones.

The boy has earned a status that allows him to demand greater care when it comes to scheduling his games, the one that did not have the organization rushing his presence until the last shift of the central and depriving him of time to recover.

Djokovic on the horizon

This Thursday, already in a more rational schedule, even with the stands lit by Nadal's victory even though it was the night session, he got his third victory in as many games against

Cameron Norrie

: 6-4, 6-7 (4) and 6-3, in two hours and 39 minutes.

Still not the dazzling Alcaraz of many moments of the season, after giving up the advantage obtained in the first quarter, he won over the rest.

Number 11 in the world and winner in 2021 of an Indian Wells Masters 1000 somewhat devalued by absences, the British left-hander is a good competitor, a tennis player without much fanfare but who hardly allows his opponent licenses.

Alcaraz ended up listening to the happy birthday and, just like last year, he blew out the candles on a cake on the track.

The winner of the Spanish duel could face

Djokovic

, qualified for the quarterfinals without playing after the loss of

Andy Murray

due to indigestion, in what would be another high-voltage match.

Alcaraz will need to play with the courage and courage he showed in Indian Wells and make the most of his resources against a Nadal who, although aware of his current limitations, puts an even higher price on his already thinning hair when he plays host, a rank he deserves whenever he plays on clay.

The player from El Palmar will have the greatest shooting on his side, with a lot of tennis on his legs in recent weeks.

If he manages to pose a physical duel he could have an advantage against an opponent who admitted feeling tired at times in his match against

Kecmanovic

and made it clear that the tough fight against Goffin can take a heavy toll on him.

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  • Rafael Nadal

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