Carlos Alcaraz said he did not know if he was cramping or had suffered a more specific injury when a medical timeout was called during the third set of his Australian Open win over Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz’s stunning five-set epic to reach his first Australian Open final did not come without controversy as the German fumed at the decision to allow his opponent a three-minute medical timeout at 5-4 in the third when he was struggling with his movement.
“He has cramp! He can’t take a medical, he is cramping. What else should it be? This is absolute bull****! This is unbelievable,” Zverev said in German to supervisor Andreas Egli. Players are not allowed medical timeouts due to muscle cramping issues.
Alcaraz, who recovered to win a five-set epic in five hours and 27 minutes, in what the Spaniard said wast the most physically challenging match of his career, was asked about Zverev’s complaints and whether the timeout was in the rules.
“In the beginning when it was on a specific muscle, I didn’t think it was cramp at all,” Alcaraz said. “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.
“It was just that moment. The rest of the legs, the left leg was good, not good, but decent. After that with all the stress, I didn’t know what’s going on, didn’t know if it’s going to be worse or not.
“I 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 the changeover, and that’s it. I just told what happened, and he decided to take the medical timeout.”
Zverev, who said he would be leaving Melbourne with his head high despite serving for the match in the fifth set, reiterated afterwards that he did not like the decision, but added that he didn’t want the controversy to overshadow the longest Australian Open semi-final of all time.
“I mean, he was cramping, so normally you can’t take a medical timeout for cramping,” Zverev said. “What can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision
“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 [what I was saying]
“But, to be honest, I don’t want to talk about this right now, because I think this is one of the best battles there ever was in Australia. It doesn’t deserve to be the topic now.”
Alcaraz will now turn his attention to recovering for Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic, where he will bid for a first Australian Open title and the chance to become the youngest man of all time to complete the career grand slam.
“Obviously I feel tired – my body could be better, to be honest, but I think that’s normal after five and a half hours,” Alcaraz said.
“So I just did whatever it takes just to try to feel better tomorrow. I’m going to have treatment with the physio now and we will see.
“Hopefully it’s not going to be nothing at all, but after a five-and-a-half-hour match and that high level of physically, I think the muscles are going to be tight, and I just got to do whatever it takes to be as good as I can for the final.”
Despite another tough defeat at the grand slams, the 28-year-old Zverev said he was leaving Melbourne feeling upbeat about his chances of finally winning one.
“Funny enough, I don’t have many regrets in the fifth set, because I was hanging on for dear life, to be honest. I was exhausted,” Zverev said.
“I think we both went to our absolute limits, so somewhat I’m also proud of myself the way I was hanging on and came back from two sets to love.
“Of course it’s disappointing, but this is the start of the year, so if I continue playing that way, if I continue training the way I train, if I continue working on the things that I’ve been working on in the offseason, I do believe it’s going to be a good year for me.”
