Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev over five hours, but the latter was upset by an injured referee.
Published January 30, 2026
Alexander Zverev blamed officials for allowing him to take a medical timeout due to a leg problem after his epic five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open’s longest semi-final.
World No. 1 Alcaraz struggled to move at 4-4 in Friday’s third set and was allowed treatment on his right thigh during the change of ends, infuriating the German.
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Alcaraz said after the match that he was worried he had injured his adductor muscle, but Zverev was adamant that the Spaniard’s problem was a spasm and was outside the scope of a medical timeout.
Alcaraz dropped the next two sets, but came back full force in the fifth set to score an epic victory, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5, in 5 hours and 27 minutes.
“Yes, I mean, he had cramps. Normally you can’t take a medical timeout for cramps,” third-seeded Zverev said in a post-match press conference.
“What can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision.”
While Alcaraz was being treated, Zverev lashed out at the match director on court using profanity in German.
“I mean, I just said it was terrible,” he later said of the exchange, noting that Alcaraz had finished his run as fast as he could.
“He took a break for about an hour and a half and didn’t move much.
“So, again, in a way, maybe I should have taken advantage of it better. Maybe I should have won the game a little earlier and won the set. If we had then moved on to the fifth set, he probably wouldn’t have had as much time to recover. But in the fifth set, his movement was unbelievable again.”
Alcaraz admits he could get fitter for Australian Open final
Asked if he was injured, Alcaraz gave an ambiguous expression.
“Well, obviously I’m tired. To be honest, obviously my body could be better, but I think that’s normal after five and a half hours.”
Zverev, last year’s runner-up to Jannik Sinner, was serving for the match at 5-4 in Friday’s semifinal fifth set, but Alcaraz won the next three games, leaving the German with another near miss at a Grand Slam.
Still chasing his elusive first major title, Zverev said he regrets losing the second set more than surrendering in the fifth.
“Honestly, I was holding out like I was going to die. I was exhausted,” he said, calling the fight perhaps the most physically demanding of his career.
“I think we both went to the absolute limit, so I’m somewhat proud of myself for hanging on and coming back to love from two sets.
“Obviously I’m disappointed, but it’s the start of the year, so I believe that if I keep playing, keep training like I always do, and keep working on the things I’ve been working on in the offseason, this will be a good year for me.”
