Carlos Alcaraz Addresses Medical Timeout Controversy After Battling Past Alexander Zverev at Australian Open: “It Wasn’t Cramp”
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz will meet former World No.1 Novak Djokovic for the ninth time in his career.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Sportstar)
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Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare in the semifinal of the Australian Open. Up against him was Alexander Zverev, whom he knocked out after producing what was also one of his best Grand Slam performances.
The five-set thriller ended after five hours and 27 minutes, becoming the longest semifinal in the history of the Australian Open. Alcaraz was leading 2-0, and in the third set, he took a medical timeout for a niggle, but Zverev thought the Spaniard was hit by cramps and censured the Australian Open, accusing them of “protecting” Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. At the press conference, Alcaraz addressed the controversy.
I only felt something in one muscle, the adductor of my right leg. To be honest, I didn’t think it was cramps, so I called the physiotherapist and asked for some time off. At that moment, nothing else was bothering me; the rest of my body felt fine, well, decent. However, shortly after being seen, I think, because of the nerves and stress of not knowing exactly what was wrong, I started feeling cramps all over my body. They granted me the time off because what I said was that when I moved to the right, I had felt a twinge in my adductor. It was true.
Alcaraz needs to recover well for his career’s first Australian Open final. His final opponent eliminated two-time defending champion Sinner in another five-set thriller.
It’s Novak Djokovic whom Alcaraz will be facing in Sunday’s final. The Serb, who lost to Sinner and Alcaraz thrice in last year’s Grand Slam events, registered his first win over the Italian after five consecutive defeats, improving his head-to-head record to 5-6.
Sinner was aiming to join Djokovic to become the second man in the Open Era, after the 38-year-old, to win three consecutive titles at Melbourne Park. The four-time Grand Slam champion has featured in every Grand Slam final since winning the 2024 US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz on how he’ll recover before the final versus Novak Djokovic
The niggle on his right thigh, plus the longest Australian Open semifinal, will surely trouble Carlos Alcaraz tomorrow. What he wishes the most at the moment is recover well before Sunday’s final.
The adrenaline rush will carry me if I manage to do things right in these next few hours. I know I’m going to wake up stiff tomorrow. Now I’m going to dedicate a few hours to the whole recovery process to be in the best possible shape. It’s going to be hard to fall asleep after everything I’ve been through, but I’m going to push myself and give my best to arrive on Sunday in the best possible condition.
Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference
If Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic, he will surpass Rafael Nadal to become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. Against Djokovic, Alcaraz holds a 4-5 head-to-head record.
Djokovic has yet to win a Big Title since winning his career’s first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics by defeating Alcaraz. The 10-time Australian Open champion, in fact, progressed to his first Grand Slam final since the 2024 Wimbledon, where Alcaraz defended his crown with a straight-set win.
It was Alcaraz, who stopped Nole from defending his Wimbledon title with a five-set win in the final back in 2023. Before knocking out Sinner, Djokovic received a walkover from Lorenzo Musetti after losing the first two sets.
His fourth-round opponent, Jakub Mensik, withdrew from the match due to an injury. Djokovic, who last won the Australian Open back in 2023 against Stefanos Tsitsipas, last won a Major at the US Open the same year against Daniil Medvedev.
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