Carlos Alcaraz made his place in the Australian Open final after a dramatic five-set victory over Alexander Zverev today, battling through severe cramps and physical problems in one of the longest semi-finals in the tournament’s history.
He won the opening two sets and was just a few games away from sealing victory when his physical condition suddenly worsened.
Cramps change the match
According to Claytenis, in the third set, Alcaraz began to struggle. He told his coaching team, led by Samuel López, that he had vomited and soon after started suffering cramps in both legs. His movement was clearly affected, forcing him to shorten rallies and take greater risks on return.
Zverev took advantage of the situation and pushed the match into a deciding fifth set. During a medical timeout, the German player started complaining to the officials. He said: “This is unbelievable! This is bullshit!”
Despite the setbacks, Alcaraz slowly began to recover. He told his team that he was feeling better now. As the match continued, he gradually regained enough movement to stay competitive.
Crowd support and final push
With the crowd firmly behind him, Alcaraz raised his level in the final set. He broke Zverev’s serve late and closed out the match after more than five hours on court.
After the match, Alcaraz said it was one of the most physically demanding contests of his career, adding that belief helped him push through the pain.
Djokovic match delayed
Moments before his own semi-final, Novak Djokovic congratulated Alcaraz on his victory. However, a delay in the match due to Alcaraz’s cramps caused a pause in Djokovic’s semi-final against Jannik Sinner, which was pushed back as a result. The match was called the longest match in the history of the Australian Open tournament.
Alcaraz will now compete for the Australian Open title on Sunday, having survived severe medical problems of both body and mind in Melbourne.
