Carlos Alcaraz managed to come through a five-set thriller with Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open, but the Spaniard’s hopes of reaching the final were in doubt when he was struggling physically in the third set.
Alcaraz suffered from cramp in set three, and took a medical timeout to deal with the issue, which left Zverev furious.
The German berated an Australian Open official, calling the decision to let the world number one pause the match ‘unbelievable’.
Players are allowed to take medical timeouts for injuries and illnesses, but not for cramping, which is considered a conditioning problem as opposed to an injury.
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After triumphing in the five-hour and 27-minute battle, Alcaraz addressed the situation.
Carlos Alcaraz discusses his medical timeout in Melbourne
When asked about Zverev’s frustration at the medical timeout in his post-match press conference, Alcaraz responded: “Well, I mean, it was really demanding, the match.
“But obviously, when I just felt cramps before, and in the beginning, when it was on a specific just one muscle, so I didn’t think [it] was cramp at all at the beginning.
“So I didn’t know exactly what it was, because I just go around to a forehand and then I started to feel it just in the right adductor, so that’s why I just called the physio, because it was just that moment, the rest of the legs, the left leg was good. I mean, not good, but decent.
“You know, and after that, with all the stress that I didn’t know what’s going on, didn’t know if it’s going to be worse or not, you know, it came, it came everything after all.
“But, you know, in that moment I just talked to the physio. I said, okay, I just went to run to the forehand side, and I started to feel like the right adductor. He decided to take the medical timeout, and he did it.
“Then I just took, I think, the three remedies on just the changeover, and that’s it. You know, once again, I just told what happens to the physio, and he decides to take medical.”
Zverev faced the media prior to Alcaraz’s press conference and doubled down on his position, stating: “I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision.”
Carlos Alcaraz says he ‘hates’ giving up after battling cramp
Zverev was close to turning a two-set deficit around after Alcaraz began dealing with physical difficulties, with the world number three forcing a fifth set and securing an early break in the decider.
Alcaraz was defiant, however, and survived to continue his pursuit of a Career Grand Slam.
“I just hate giving up,” said the 22-year-old. “Just how I could feel after all, you know, I just don’t want to feel that way.
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“There are some moments that it seems like, okay, I [am] just giving up or just I’m not fighting at all, which, when I was younger, there were a lot of matches that I just didn’t want to fight anymore or just I gave up. Then I just got mature, and I just hate that feeling after all.
“You know, every step more, every just one second more of suffering, one second more of fighting is always worth it.
“So that’s why I just fight until the last ball and always believe that I can come back in every situation.”
Alcaraz reached his fourth consecutive Grand Slam final after beating Zverev, and will now have a chance to win a seventh major.
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