Carlos Alcaraz had to battle for five hours and 27 minutes to edge past Alexander Zverev in their 2026 Australian Open semifinal, in Melbourne on Friday. The Spaniard came out on top, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5. But it wasn’t an easy match for Alcaraz, and he had to rely on grit and experience. He also suffered cramps during the match and had to take a medical timeout in the third set.
The match umpire gave Alcaraz extra time between points in the ninth game, and he received treatment from the physio. According to the rules, players can’t receive a medical timeout for cramps, and Zverev launched an X-rated rant at the officials. Meanwhile, the chair umpire stated that she was trying to determine whether Alcaraz was fine.
Zverev was fuming during the timeout, but after the match, he was in a better mood and played down the incident. During the post-match press conference, he was asked about the controversial timeout, and pointed out that he couldn’t do anything about it.
“Yeah, I mean, he was cramping. Normally, you can’t take a medical timeout for cramps. But what can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision,” he said.
‘I don’t want to talk about this right now’: Zverev
He was also asked about his X-rated rant, which he delivered in German. “I just said it was bulls**t. [asked about saying they were protected] I don’t remember. To be honest, it was 17 hours ago, and I don’t quite remember, but I’m sure somebody has it on video, and you can check. But, to be honest, I don’t want to talk about this right now, because I think this was one of the best battles that ever was in Australia, and it doesn’t deserve to be the topic now”, he added.
Alcaraz will now face Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller. Alcaraz is chasing his first Australian Open title and is also looking to become the sixth man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. On the other hand, Djokovic will be looking to get a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and a record-extending 25th major title overall.
