‘Fighting’ like Real Madrid, Nadal saves four match points to advance
MADRID — A day after rushing from his victory to watch Real Madrid play Manchester City in the Champions League semifinals, Rafael Nadal needed the same fighting spirit as his favorite team showed to avoid his own elimination at the Madrid Open.
The “¡Si se puede!” (“Yes we can!”) chants that echoed at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday were also present at the “Caja Mágica” on Thursday after Nadal saw himself against the ropes, like Madrid was the night before.
While Madrid scored twice in the final minutes to force extra time and defeat Man City, Nadal saved four match points to secure a three-set win over David Goffin and reach the quarterfinals.
“Our trajectory is about fighting, is about believing, is about trying till the last, until the match is done,” Nadal said. “We are a kind of team and player that we try till the end and we believe. So, yeah, yesterday [has] been unforgettable. Today of course for me is too.”
Nadal asked tournament organizers not to schedule his opening match Wednesday in the afternoon session so he could make it to the Bernabéu. He is an honorary member of the club and last week gave the ceremonial kickoff before the team clinched the Spanish league title with a win against Espanyol.
The third-seeded Nadal will next face Carlos Alcaraz, the youngster touted by many in Spain as Nadal’s successor. The ninth-ranked Alcaraz marked his 19th birthday by defeating Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3. Tournament organizers greeted him with a cake on the court after the match, and the home crowd sang “Happy Birthday.”
The fourth-ranked Nadal needed more than three hours to defeat the 60th-ranked Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (9) in only his second match after a six-week layoff because of a rib stress fracture.