Lleyton Hewitt says if Carlos Alcaraz will be fit for the Australian Open final after marathon win

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Carlos Alcaraz won the match of the tournament to qualify for the Australian Open final.

In five sets, Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, to secure his spot in Sunday’s showpiece match.

The Spaniard fought through severe cramps to win a five-hour, 27-minute classic on Rod Laver Arena.

Were the Australian Open too lenient with Carlos Alcaraz?

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The question now is, will he be fit for the final?

During Channel 9’s Australian Open coverage, Lleyton Hewitt shared his thoughts.

Lleyton Hewitt backs Carlos Alcaraz to recover in time for the Australian Open final

When asked if he thought Alcaraz would be fit for the final, Hewitt said the following.

“I think so,” he said.

“It’s going to take some time, though; he’s got to look after his body.

“He’s young still; if I were on his team, I’d be a lot happier seeing how he finished the match than how he looked in that third set.”

Alcaraz looked in real trouble at times, but fought through the pain to keep his Australian Open dreams alive.

Hewitt thinks Alcaraz has the game to play the final however he pleases, which could work in his favor given his physical condition.

“This is going to all be about recovery for him now,” he said.

“He’s got to try and freshen up as much as possible to give himself the best possible chance.

“But he does have the firepower, no matter who he plays in the final, he can go out there and play on his terms, and he can try and get through it as quickly as possible if he can.”

Hewitt’s fellow Aussie, Todd Woodbridge, also believes Alcaraz will be fit for the final.

“He’s young, we’ve seen him do it before, and it’s been done here before,” he said.

“In 2009, Rafa [Nadal] took on Fernando Verdasco; that match went five hours and 14 minutes. It was on a Friday night, then he recovered to come back and beat Roger [Federer] in four and a half hours in the final.

Rafael Nadal at the 2009 Australian Open

“It is possible, it can be done, and if anybody is going to have the team behind him to be able to do it, it’s going to be Carlos.

“He’s going to want to see what happens tonight, how much Jannik [Sinner] and Novak [Djokovic] push each other.”

Only time will tell how long Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s semifinal match will go.

Alcaraz will certainly hope they’re in for a five-set slog…

Carlos Alcaraz’s record in Grand Slam finals

Outlasting Zverev in their marathon match, Alcaraz qualified for his eighth Grand Slam final.

But how many major finals has he won, and how many has he lost?

Alcaraz is 6-1 in Grand Slam finals.

His only defeat came at the hands of his greatest rival, Sinner, at Wimbledon a year ago.

A 6-1 record is mightily impressive, though, and his ability to perform in big matches shouldn’t go unnoticed.

He’s also won eight of his nine Masters 1000 finals.

Unfortunately for Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic, the two players he could meet in Sunday’s final, have handed him his biggest-ever defeats.

Carlos Alcaraz’s biggest defeats

• 2023 Cincinnati Open F [LOSS] vs Novak Djokovic
• 2024 Olympics F [LOSS] vs Novak Djokovic
• 2025 Wimbledon F [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner
• 2025 ATP Finals F [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner

He’ll want to avoid a fifth ‘big’ final defeat, regardless of who he plays.

Alcaraz will play Sinner or Djokovic in the 2026 Australian Open final on Sunday, February 1.