Alexander Zverev criticized tournament officials for allowing Carlos Alcaraz to take medical time out for a leg problem after losing to the Spaniard in a marathon five-set semi-final at the Australian Open on Friday.
In the longest semifinal in tournament history, world number one Alcaraz appears to be struggling with her movement at 4-4 in the third set. He was allowed to have treatment on his right thigh during the change of sides, a decision that visibly frustrated Zverev.
Zverev insisted Alcaraz was suffering from convulsions, a condition for which medical time-outs are not allowed under the rules. Despite appearing to be in trouble, the Spaniard dropped the next two sets before making a dramatic comeback in the decider.
Alcaraz rediscovered his speed and intensity in the fifth set, completing a dramatic 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 victory in five hours and 27 minutes.
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“Yeah, I mean, he had a cramp, so normally you can’t take a medical timeout for a cramp,” third-seeded Zverev said in his post-match press conference.
“What can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision.”
During the break, Zverev clashed with the match supervisor on court and unleashed a profanity-laced outburst in German as Alcaraz was treated.
“I just said it was basically bullshit,” Zverev explained later, pointing to Alcaraz’s strong finish.
“He took about an hour and a half off where he hardly moved at all.
“So again, maybe I should have used it better in a way. Maybe I should have won games and won sets a little faster.”
“Then he moved into the fifth, maybe he wouldn’t have had as much time to recover. But the fifth set, the way he moved, was unbelievable again.”
Zverev, who finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner last year, came agonizingly close to victory after serving for the match at 5-4 in the deciding set. Howeverr, Alcaraz pitched the next three games to book his place in the final, sending the German to Grand Slam level with another painful near-miss.
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Zverev, still in search of his first major title, admitted his bigger disappointment was letting the second set slip away rather than collapsing in the fifth.
“Honestly I was hanging on for dear life. I was exhausted,” he said, describing the encounter as the most physically demanding match of his career.
“I think we both went to our absolute limits, so in some ways I’m also proud of myself for hanging in there and coming back from two sets to love.
“Obviously it’s disappointing, but this is the beginning of the year. If I continue to play this way, train the way I am and continue to work on the things I focused on in the offseason, I believe it will be a good year for me.”
Meantime, Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner in another thrilling five-set clash in the second semi-final to qualify for his 11th Australian Open final. He will now take on Carlos Alcaraz in a climactic showdown on February 1, aiming for his world record 25th Grand Slam title. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is seeking his first Australian Open title to become the youngest player in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 30, 2026
