Zverev: "You can't ask for a medical timeout for cramps"

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Alexander Zverev has suffered another setback in a Grand Slam, this time at the 2026 Australian Open. The German player succumbed to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals after an epic battle of over five hours, losing in the decisive set after serving to win the match. 'Sascha' later appeared at a press conference, visibly affected by what had happened.

Zverev continues to struggle in the final rounds of Grand Slams, despite coming close to achieving a remarkable feat this time. After losing the first two sets, the world number three took advantage of Alcaraz's cramps to win the next two, but at the crucial moment, he faltered and paid the price.

Full press conference of Alexander Zverev after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2026 Australian Open

Match feelings

An incredible fight, a battle. An unfortunate ending for me, but honestly, I had no more energy left. Even at 5-4, normally I could trust more in my serve. My legs stopped pushing, that's just how it goes. We move on.

Alcaraz's cramps and medical timeout

Yes, well, he had cramps, and normally you can't ask for a medical timeout for cramps. It's not my decision. I didn't like it, but it's not up to me. I just said it was crap. But honestly, I don't want to talk about it right now, because I believe this was one of the greatest battles ever in Australia. That shouldn't be the topic right now.

Regrets from the match

Yes, the second set. I felt like I should have won, especially when serving for the set. I didn't play a good service game. Interestingly, I don't have many regrets in the fifth set because, to be honest, I was hanging in there as best as I could. I was exhausted. But in the second set, I think being ahead, with one set each, and him starting to cramp in the third set would probably have made the difference.

Comparison with last year's final loss to Sinner

Honestly, I think I'm too tired to feel emotions right now, so in two days, I'll probably have more. Right now, I'm exhausted. I think we both reached our limit, so in a way, I am also proud of myself for hanging in there and coming back from two sets down. Of course, it's disappointing, but it's the start of the year. If I keep playing like this and training as hard as I do, I think it's going to be a good year for me.

Playing against Alcaraz with cramps

I didn't do a good job in the third and fourth sets. I should have won them more easily in a way, but he was hitting many winners from the first shot of the point, so I couldn't get into the rallies. I probably should have been a bit more aggressive. Anyway, what I most regret is probably not winning the second set because I think that would have changed things. But thanks to that, we had a great battle.

I got a little nervous. I was down two sets to zero, so I didn't want to lose my serve because then he could win the match. Even though he wasn't feeling 100%, he could still win the match because you saw how hard he was hitting his forehand and how well he was hitting his backhand. He's still a great player no matter what. Maybe I was a bit cautious, maybe a bit too careful, but for the rest of the match, I felt I was getting into the rallies well. I was hitting the ball well and with quite some power.

Fifth set against Alcaraz, who has lost only once in such situations

I know my record in five sets is also pretty good. It's not something you think about when you're serving 5-4. I had other things on my mind. Basically, I didn't want to collapse in the match. I know he's fit, I know he's very, very strong and tough to beat in long matches. He showed that last year in Paris as well against Jannik. I always feel physically good, although towards the end, I felt more tired than him.

Alcaraz's recovery from cramps

He took like an hour and a half break where he hardly moved at all -laughs-. Maybe I should have utilized that better somehow. Maybe I should have won the games and sets a bit faster so that when we got to the fifth, he wouldn't have had so much time to recover. But in the fifth set, the way he was moving was incredible again.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev: "No se puede pedir un tiempo médico por calambres"