Nadal saves four MPs in Madrid thriller against Goffin, Alcaraz next

Carlos Alcaraz says that Rafael Nadal has one thousand lives.

Nadal certainly used up one of them on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The 35-year-old saved four match points and outlasted David Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(9) after three hours and nine minutes to book a spot in the quarterfinals. Despite winning 15 more points than Goffin (120 to 105), Nadal was one point from defeat at 4-6, 5-6, 6-7, and 8-9 in the third-set tiebreaker. To the delight of the Caja Magica crowd, the Spaniard fought off all four and eventually converted a fourth match point of his own at 10-9.

Of course, it never should have gotten that close. After taking the first set, Nadal broke at 1-1 in the second to seize complete control. The 21-time Grand Slam champion extended his lead to 5-3 and had one match point in that game plus one more while serving for victory at 5-4. Shockingly, Goffin reeled off four games in a row to steal the middle frame of play and force a decider.

The 60th-ranked Belgian ultimately fell just short, but it was without question his most encouraging performance since injuries began contributing to a prolonged slump last spring.

“It was him that came back,” Nadal said of Goffin. “In the tiebreak he was also able to come back, too. Even though I was able to save four match points, I was also winning 4-1 in the tiebreak in the last set.

“It was nice to be able to play in front of my people; it’s incredible the amount of support that I received. In the medium term, it’s a good thing, victory of today because I have been able to stay a couple of hours on court and this is positive for my game. But for this tournament is not as positive because I didn’t have a lot of preparation, and we have to see how I’m able to wake up tomorrow after practically two months without any preparation. So we have to be ready tomorrow, being ready to accept that tomorrow things may not be easy.”

Up next for the five-time Madrid winner is none other than Alcaraz, who beat Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the nightcap.

“I don’t know,” the 19-year-old said when asked how Nadal can be beat. “I’ve always said he has 1,000 lives. He dies and he survives in every tough match.”