Carlos Alcaraz is into the first Australian Open final of his career, and put on quite the show to get there.
After all, his match with Alexander Zverev was a true spectacle, with enough drama to fuel an entire tournament. It was sorely needed, given how this event has gone, on both the men’s and women’s sides.
He was up by two sets, and then pegged back as he battled through fitness concerns.
Then, as the match crept into a fifth set and over five hours, Alexander Zverev took the lead. He held his break throughout that deciding set, but could not make it count, as Carlos Alcaraz completed yet another incredible comeback to secure his spot in the final.
However, it is the way the Spaniard’s coaching box reacted to his physical issues during the match that has drawn the scrutiny of one pundit.
Carlos Alcaraz’s coaching team slammed
Taking to X, it was the former coach of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu who took issue with their assessment of Alcaraz’s fitness.
Mark Petchey questioned why they weren’t doing more to combat the perceived cramps that were causing Alcaraz to surrender large parts of his crucial Australian Open semi-final.
Were the Australian Open too lenient with Carlos Alcaraz?
He wrote: “Why isn’t Alcaraz drinking end of points/ends all the time? Sabalenka was doing it last night, getting a drink from her team.
“Now you have your teams you can stay hydrated far more easily and get coached at the same time. Two for the price of one.
“Surprised more aren’t doing it as a matter of course now.”
Zverev has spoken about Alcaraz’s medical time-out after the match, offering his thoughts on whether it was fair.
Clutch Carlos Alcaraz comes back from the brink again vs Alexander Zverev
Today was not the first time we have seen Alcaraz come from behind in dramatic fashion.
In fact, should he ever find himself in a situation where he is chasing the match, the 22-year-old arguably becomes favoured to turn it around.
Has Alexander Zverev just blown his last chance to win a Grand Slam?
He has done so on the very biggest stages, after all, first coming from two-sets-to-one down against Zverev at Roland Garros in 2024 on his way to his maiden title there. He then followed that up the following year, infamously coming from two-sets-to-love down in the 2025 French Open final against Jannik Sinner.
Time and time again, Alcaraz has proven himself one of the most clutch players in the world.
Hopefully, he can reaffirm that notion on Sunday, but it will have everything he’s got physically.
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