Alexander Zverev had just lost one of the most epic tennis matches you’ll ever see. Five sets against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. And naturally, reporters wanted to know what he thought about the controversial medical timeout that helped turn the match around.
For two sets, it looked like Alcaraz was going to cruise into his first Australian Open final. He was up two sets and cruising at 4-4 in the third when something nobody expected happened.
The world No. 1 started cramping.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Zverev | 28 | 6,885 | 34 - 10 |
Out of nowhere, the 22-year-old Spaniard’s body began betraying him. He was so close to his maiden Australian Open final, but his muscles had other plans.
That’s when things got messy.
Zverev first complained to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic that she was giving Alcaraz extra time between points in the ninth game. Veljovic defended herself, saying she was just trying to figure out if the top seed was okay to continue.
But then Alcaraz got treatment from the physio for his cramps.
Here’s the thing – players aren’t supposed to get medical timeouts for cramping. It’s considered a conditioning issue, not an injury. And Zverev was furious about it.
Right there on court, he accused the officials of "protecting" Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who’d also had cramping issues earlier in the tournament.
Those struggles actually gave the German a lifeline he probably didn’t expect. Zverev managed to turn what looked like a straight-sets beatdown into an absolute thriller. He leveled the match and even broke serve in the fifth set.
But Alcaraz found a way. 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5.
The two players are actually good friends, and despite all the drama, they shared a warm hug at the net afterward. Pretty amazing considering how upset Zverev had been just hours earlier.
When reporters inevitably asked about the medical timeout situation, the world No. 3 tried to keep things diplomatic.
"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."
But when pressed about what exactly he’d said to tournament officials in German during the match, Zverev got a bit more colorful.
"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."
You’ve got to respect that response. Even in defeat, even after feeling like he got a raw deal from the officials, Zverev didn’t want to take away from what had been an incredible match.
And he’s right – it really was one of the best battles you’ll see at the Australian Open.
