Graceful in defeat, Alexander Zverev hopes his five-set near-miss against Carlos Alcaraz will be remembered as an Australian Open classic rather than defined by controversy.
Zverev was furious when a cramping Alcaraz was given a medical timeout late in the third set of the world number one’s epic 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 semi-final victory at Melbourne Park on Friday.
This is fucking bullshit,” the German shouted in his dressing room after getting angry with the tournament supervisor.
Tennis rules do not allow players to take a medical time out in the event of cramping.
But after calming down after this epic five hours and 27 minutes, Zverev softened and accepted his fate.
“I mean, he had cramps, so normally you can’t take a medical timeout for cramps. Yeah. What can I do? It’s not my decision,” the world number three said.
“I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision. I just said it was bullshit, basically.
“But, to be honest, I don’t want to talk about it right now because I think it’s one of the best battles that’s ever happened in Australia. It doesn’t deserve to be the topic right now.”
Zverev said he was exhausted after the clash.
“An unfortunate ending for me but, to be honest, I had absolutely nothing left in me.
“Even at 5-4 (in the fifth set), normally I can count on my serve a little more.
“But my legs stopped pushing upwards, so yeah, that’s how it is. That’s life. We’re moving forward.”
The three-time major finalist said his biggest regrets were not winning the second set or not getting the kill in the third and fourth sets when Alcaraz “took about an hour and a half without moving almost at all.”
During the third set, Alcaraz had his right leg massaged by the physiotherapist. (Reuters: Edgar Su)
“Maybe I should have used that better in a way. Maybe I should have won the matches and won the sets a little faster,” Zverev said.
“But the fifth set, the way he moved, was amazing again.
“Funny enough, I don’t have many regrets in the fifth set because I was hanging on for dear life, to be honest.
“But yeah, the second set. I think going up, being in a set and starting to cramp up in the third set, that probably would have made a difference.”
Still the best active player without a Grand Slam crown, the 28-year-old remains optimistic that his time will come.
“Of course it’s disappointing,” Zverev said.
“But it’s the beginning of the year, so if I continue to play this way, if I continue to practice the way I practice, if I continue to work on the things that I worked on in the offseason, I believe it will be a good year for me.”
PAA
