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Aryna Sabalenka says he could have been a bit ‘more aggressive’ with her serve whilst she was up a break in the deciding set during her loss against Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.

The Belarusian was seeking her third Melbourne title in the last four years, after having fallen at the same stage to Madison Keys in 2025.

However, it was Rybakina who prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to collect her second major trophy and further close the head-to-head with Sabalenka to 8-7 in the latter’s favour.

The Kazakh got off to a flying start by breaking in a crucial opening game, with the world No 1 unable to break back.

However, after the slow start, Sabalenka held serve for 11 consecutive service games to go up 3-0 in the third.

That is where the good fortune would end as Rybakina stormed back to break her opponent in her two subsequent games, before serving it out on the first time of asking.

“I think it was, like, really aggressive tennis overall the whole match, and I feel like in that moment she kind of like had nothing to lose, so she stepped in and she played incredible points,” remarked Sabalenka during her post-match press conference.

“She was serving, so it was just one break. Probably I should – I mean, I don’t know if I have any regrets.

“Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve, knowing that I have a break and put pressure on her, but she played incredible.

“She made some winners. I made a couple of unforced errors. Of course, I have regrets.

“ You know, when you lead 3-Love, and then it felt like in a few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break. So it was very fast.

“Great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me, but as I say, today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner, maybe again a loser. Hopefully not. Let’s see.”

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Despite Sabalenka’s Grand Slam success, she has been on the losing end of three of her last four Grand Slam finals.

Last season, after her loss to Keys in Melbourne, she was defeated by Coco Gauff in a three-set battle at the French Open.

Nearly every statistic ended identically for Rybakina and Sabalenka, with the only material difference being the Belarusian’s disappointing break point conversion of two out of her eight opportunities.

The two-time Grand Slam champion was only slightly ahead with three out of her eight.

“No, I feel like, yeah, overall it was much better than last year, two finals I lost,” Sabalenka anaysed.

“Level-wise and decision that I was making and the way that the mentality was throughout the whole match that I was still there, I was ready to fight, I knew that she’s not going to give it easily to me.

“So I think overall I made huge improvement on that, and I still lost it. But it’s okay. I feel like I’m moving towards the right direction.”

Sabalenka will next play at the WTA 1000 event in Doha from February8 – 14, which she last won in 2020.

“Right now I don’t want to think about tennis, but my ambitions are still the same,” Sabalenka said.

“Keep fighting, keep working hard, keep putting myself out there, and try my best if I’ll have another chance in the final.”

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Only five men have managed to complete the Career Grand Slam in men’s tennis in the Open Era, and Carlos Alcaraz is looking to make it a six-man club while he is also aiming to head to the top of said list in terms of the youngest man to achieve the feat.

As things stand, Rod Laver was the first to secure the historic achievement and to date, he is also the only man to actually secure the Career Grand Slam in one season as he completed the Calendar Grand Slam in 1969.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal holds the record as the youngest, but it is in danger as the 22-year-old Alcaraz is one win Australian Open match win away from beating him by two years.

If you were wondering, Steffi Graf holds the record for the youngest player – man or woman – to win a Career Grand Slam as she was just 19 when she completed the feat in 1988 while she also won gold at the Olympics that year to claim an illustrious Golden Slam.

Ages Of Men To Complete Career Grand Slam In Open Era

Rod Laver – 31 (1969)

The all-time great first completed the Calendar Slam and thus the Career Grand Slam in 1964, but that was four years before the sport turned professional, so it doesn’t count towards Open Era records.

But he only went and completed it a second time in 1969 as he beat Andres Gimeno in the Australian Open final, Ken Rosewall at Roland Garros, John Newcombe at Wimbledon and Tony Roche at the US Open.

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He completed the feat one month after he turned 31 as he was born on August 8, 1983 while the US Open final was held on September 9, 1969.

Andre Agassi – 29 (1999)

It would take another three decades before another player would join the list with American Agassi becoming the second man to win all four majors.

Having won Wimbledon in 1992, the US Open two years later and the Australian Open in 1995, Agassi was just a French Open crown away from emulating Laver and he did so at Roland Garros in 1999.

Just over two months after celebrating his 29th birthday (April 29), he defeated Andrei Medvedev in the final in Paris.

Novak Djokovic – 29 (2016)

Djokovic is the only man to have won three Career Grand Slams, but the first arrived at Roland Garros in 2016. At that points, he was already a six-time Australian Open champion, won Wimbledon three times and the US Open twice.

The Serbian turned 29 on May 22 and on June 5 he beat Andy Murray in the final in Paris.

Career Grand Slam No 2 came in 2021 when he won his second French Open crown and two years later he made it three with another title at Roland Garros.

Roger Federer – 27 (2009)

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again was Federer’s mantra as he had lost three consecutive French Open finals against Nadal before he finally got the job done.

Federer had already won three Australian Open titles, five in a row at Wimbledon and five consecutive US Open titles when he arrived at the French Open in 2009.

Many would have predicted another Federer-Nadal final with the latter the overwhelming favourite to win yet again, but the Swiss received an unexpected boost when his rival was stunned by Robin Soderling in the fourth round.

Swede Soderling went on to reach the final and Federer beat him in straight sets to claim the Career Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal – 24 (2010)

The King of Clay completed his Career Grand Slam at the US Open as at that point he had five Roland Garros titles (including in 2010), one Australian Open crown (2009) and two Wimbledon trophies (2008 and 2010).

Playing in the Flushing Meadows final for the first time, the Spaniard beat Djokovic in four sets to win the US Open for the first time and complete the feat at the age of 24.

He won a second Career Grand Slam in 2022 when he won his second Australian Open crown.

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Elena Rybakina claimed her team had “a lot going on” as she appeared to allude to controversy surrounding coach Stefano Vukov following her Australian Open triumph.

World No 5 Rybakina captured her second Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne on Saturday, battling past world No 1 and title favourite Aryna Sabalenka in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 triumph inside the Rod Laver Arena.

Victory for the Kazakh saw her end her wait for a second major title, three and a half years after her Wimbledon triumph in 2022, and will see her return to her career-high of world No 3 in the WTA Rankings.

Among those recognised during the trophy ceremony on Saturday night was Rybakina’s coach, Vukov, with the Croatian having also coached the Kazakh to her Wimbledon triumph three years.

As part of a new tradition at the Australian Open, the coach of both the women’s and men’s singles champions will receive a trophy on court.

However, Vukov’s presence in the 26-year-old’s team remains a significant controversy, with the Croatian having been suspended for six months in 2025.

Vukov was provisionally suspended for allegedly breaking the WTA Tour’s Code of Conduct in January 2025, the news emerging after he had returned to Rybakina’s team following a brief split.

He was barred from entering the Australian Open site in 2025 during his provisional suspension, and a year-long ban was then confirmed in February 2025.

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Vukov returned to Rybakina’s on-site entourage in August 2025 after successfully appealing his ban, though he had remained working with the Kazakh outside of tournaments.

The Kazakh’s form has notably improved since the return of Vukov, winning the Ningbo Open and WTA Finals towards the end of 2025, before her triumph in Melbourne on Saturday.

Rybakina has always claimed that Vukov “never mistreated” her, and then claimed after reaching the Australian Open final that his return had been a “big help” for her game.

And, during her champion’s speech inside the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, she appeared to allude to the controversy when thanking her team.

She said: “I would like to say thank you to my team. Without you, it wouldn’t be possible, really.

“We had a lot of things going on, and I’m really glad we achieved this result. Thank you to all of you, and hopefully we can keep going strong this year.”

Vukov’s presence in Rybakina’s entourage remains controversial for some, but victory in Melbourne most likely cements his place in her team for the foreseeable future.

The Kazakh is now the reigning champion at two of the five biggest tournaments in tennis and, with a return to her career-high ranking set for next Monday, appears to be playing some of the best tennis of her career.

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Read Next: Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open prize money & ranking points revealed

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Elena Rybakina has successfully captured her first Australian Open title, battling past Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set battle to lift the title in Melbourne.

A 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory for fifth seed Rybakina sees her capture her second Grand Slam title, following her Wimbledon triumph in 2022, while two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka has now lost in the final for the past two years.

Here, we look at the prize money and ranking points that both women will take home after their women’s singles final on Saturday night.

What ranking points did Sabalenka and Rybakina earn?

As one of the four Grand Slam events, a significant amount of ranking points were on offer at this year’s Australian Open.

Heading into the tournament, Sabalenka was guaranteed to remain as the world No 1 regardless of the result, though world No 5 Rybakina had the chance to move further up the WTA Rankings.

For lifting the title in Melbourne, Rybakina takes home a staggering 2,000 ranking points after Saturday’s triumph.

Having lost in the fourth round twelve months ago, the Kazakh will move to 7,610 points when the WTA Rankings update next Monday and will return to her career-high of world No 3, overtaking Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff.

She will be just 368 points behind world No 2 Iga Swiatek, potentially putting herself in striking distance of a new career high this spring.

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Meanwhile, for finishing as the runner-up at the tournament, Sabalenka will take home a not-insignificant 1,300 points for her WTA ranking.

That sees the world No 1 remain on 10,990 points in the WTA Rankings, though — despite defeat on Saturday — her lead at the top has increased after Swiatek’s quarter-final exit.

What prize money did Sabalenka and Rybakina earn?

Record prize money for this year’s Australian Open was announced ahead of the tournament, and both women will take home significant winnings from the event.

For lifting the title, Rybakina will take home a staggering A$4,150,000, up from the A$3,500,000 awarded to Madison Keys for her women’s singles triumph in 2025.

Rybakina’s prize money is the approximate equivalent of US$2,888,400 or £2,110.336.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka will take home A$2,150,000 for her run to a fourth straight final in Melbourne, up from the A$1,900,000 won by the world No 1 for her runner-up finish twelve months ago.

The Belarusian’s 2026 runner-up prize money is the approximate equivalent of US$1,496,400 or £1,093,307.

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Emma Raducanu has been handed a kind draw at her first post-Australian Open tournament as all the players who are with her in the top half of the draw at the Transylvania Open are outside the top 40 in the rankings.

World No 29 Raducanu made an early exit from the season-opening Grand Slam as she was beaten in straight sets by Anastasia Potapova, but there is good news as she will avoid the world No 55 up until the semi-finals, should she get that far.

The British No 1 will take on world No 153 Greet Minnen in what will be their first WTA-level encounter, although they have met before at an ITF tournament.

Minnen, who peaked at No 53 in the WTA Rankings in 2023, didn’t play at the Australian Open as she lost in the third round of qualifying and her last WTA Tour event was in October 2025 at the Japan Open where she also lost in the qualifiers.

Raducanu, meanwhile, is 2-3 for the 2026 season after she lost her only encounter at the United Cup before losing in the second round in Hobart and the second round at Melbourne Park.

The WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, will also be Raducanu’s first tournament she announced her split from Francisco Roig.

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The winner of the Raducanu-Minnen encounter will face Romanian wildcard and world No 303 Elena Bertea or world No 100 Juvan in the second round while seventh seed and world No 69 Olga Danilovic is a projected quarter-final opponent.

After Raducanu, world No 46 Wang is the next highgest-ranked player in the top half and she is projected to meet eighth seed Anna Bondar in the quarter-final.

If the seedings hold, then Raducanu will face Wang in the quarter-final.

World No 35 Jaqueline Cristian headlines the bottom half of the draw and the second seed kicks off her campaign against Camila Osorio from Colombia while sixth seed Antonia Ružic is as probable quarter-final opponent, should both players reach that stage.

Third seed Sorana Cirstea starts off against Kamilla Rakhimova and she is projected to meet Potapova in the quarter-final.

However, Potapova faces Lucia Bronzetti in her opener and there is a possible banana skin in her path as she could meet former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova, fresh from reaching the last 32 at the Australian Open, in the second round.

Projected Cluj-Napoca Quarter-Final

Emma Raducanu v Olga Danilovic
Wang Xinyu v Anna Bondar
Anastasia Potapova v Sorana Cirstea
Antonia Ruzic v Jaqueline Cristian

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Jannik Sinner says that this loss against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open ‘hurts a lot’ and that he ‘wasn’t surprised’ at the result.

Heading into the encounter, the Italian had won his last five matches against the Serb, including collecting 10 consecutive sets.

However, it was Djokovic who battled back to be victorious 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a four-hour Melbourne night session.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion ended Sinner’s hopes of winning the title for a third year in a row and broke the world No 2’s 20-match winning streak.

“[It hurts] a lot,” admitted the world No 2 during his post-match press conference.

“It was a very important Slam for me, knowing also the background, it can happen.

“It was a good match from both of us. I had many chances, couldn’t use them, and that’s the outcome. It hurts for sure.”

One of the stats which Sinner may most regret is his inability to utilise his break points, with Djokovic saving 16 out of the 18 that he faced.

“I had my chances in the fifth set. Many break points, I couldn’t use them,” he added.

“He came up with some great shots.

“I decided a couple of different things. Today they didn’t work, but that’s how tennis is.

“I felt like also the first set was a great level from both of us. It was a bit [like] a roller coaster, and it happened like it happened today.”

“Most of the time, he served very well, I was in the rallies a couple of times, I missed the shots, and it can happen.”

For Djokovic, Sunday will mark his first Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 2024 and a prime opportunity to claim a 25^th Grand Slam title.

If he were successful in doing so, he would become the first player – male of female – to win 25 Grand Slams.

Additionally, he would overtake Ken Rosewall as the oldest player to win a singles Grand Slam.

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Given the recent head-to-head and taking into account the Serb’s age, many had written off Djokovic’s chances of claiming a last-four victory.

However, Sinner – on the other hand – was ‘not surprised’ and will take the loss as a ‘lesson.’

“He’s won 24 Grand Slams,” the world No 2 remarked during his post-match press conference.

“We know each other very well, how we play. I’m not surprised because I feel like he’s been the greatest player for many, many years.

“Of course, he’s playing less tournaments because of his age and everything, but we also know how important Grand Slams are for me, for him, for Carlos [Alcaraz], and everyone.

“There is this small, extra motivation, and he played great tennis.

“Hopefully, I can take it as a lesson to see what I can improve on.”

Djokovic will now take on world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the final, with the Spaniard looking to become the youngest male singles player to win all four Grand Slams.

Alcaraz prevailed in a five-set thriller against third seed Alexander Zverev, who had held the chance to serve out the match in the decider.

Sinner and the Spaniard contested the last three Grand Slam finals and had collected the trophy at all of the last eight such events.

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Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner met in the Australian Open final twelve months — though they just fell short of a 2026 rematch, following two extraordinary men’s singles semi-finals in Melbourne.

Zverev rallied from two sets down and ultimately served for the match in the Australian Open’s longest-ever semi-final, but fell 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in an enthralling contest.

Meanwhile, Sinner was a warm favourite to beat fourth seed Novak Djokovic in the second semi-final, but saw his 19-match Australian Open winning streak come to an end in an extraordinary 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to the tennis icon.

Here, we look at the prize money and ranking points both Zverev and Sinner take home from their campaigns.

What ranking points did Zverev and Sinner earn?

Significant ranking points are on offer at the Australian Open, with a staggering 2,000 ranking points on offer for whoever lifts the men’s singles title on Sunday.

After falling at the semi-final stage, both Zverev and Sinner will take home 800 ranking points.

Zverev earned 1,300 points for finishing as the tournament runner-up twelve months ago, meaning he will drop 500 ranking points when the rankings update post-tournament.

The German will drop to 4,605 points and, as a result, will fall one place to world No 4 when the rankings update next Monday.

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Meanwhile, having lifted the title twelve months ago, Sinner will drop a not-insignificant 1,200 points from his ranking — falling from 11,500 to 10,300 points.

The Italian will remain as the world No 2, but has lost ground to world No 1 and leading rival Alcaraz in the rankings.

Alcaraz currently has 12,950 points in the ATP Live Rankings, but will move to 13,650 points if he prevails in Sunday’s final versus Djokovic.

What prize money did Zverev and Sinner earn?

Record prize money is on offer at the Australian Open this year, with both the men’s and women’s singles champions set to take home a staggering A$4,150,000 in winnings.

For reaching the semi-final stage of the tournament, both Zverev and Sinner will take home a total of A$1,250,000 in winnings, the approximate equivalent of US$880,656 and £638,218.

Had they reached the final, they would have guaranteed themselves a minimum payout of A$2,150,000.

In 2025, Sinner earned A$3,500,000 for lifting the title, while Zverev earned A$1,900,000 for his runner-up finish.

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Novak Djokovic defied age and the odds to beat Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and reach an 11^th final in Melbourne.

The Serb, who hadn’t won a set since the third round, started the match in slow fashion, frequently mistiming forehands and going down an early break after just a handful of minutes.

Nevertheless, after the first three games, Djokovic looked like a different playa and it was clear that the contest would be a closer affair than their most recent meetings.

The world No 3 stormed back to win a four-hour 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory against the two-time defending champion.

He will next play six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, who also prevailed in a five-set thriller against Alexander Zverev.

“I’m lost for words right now, to be honest,” he said during his on-court interview with Jim Courier.

“It feels surreal, playing over four hours, almost two AM, reminiscent of 2012 when I played Rafa (Nadal) in the finals – that was almost six hours, but the intensity and quality of tennis was extremely high and that was the only chance I had against him.

“He had won the last five matches against me, he had my number, so I had to change my mobile number for tonight.

“Jokes aside, I told him at the net, ‘thanks for allowing me to have just one of these past couple of years’

“Respect for him, incredible player, he pushes you to the limit, which is what he did against me, so he deserves a great round of applause for his performance.

“Tonight has been one of the – if not the best – support for me in Australia.”

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Indeed, it was the Italian who had prevailed in all of their five most recent meetings, winning 10 consecutive sets heading into the match.

Sinner was also on a 20-match winning streak, after ending 2025 with three titles in-a-row, including the Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.

In the final, Djokovic will be seeking a historic 25^th Grand Slam, which would put him above Margaret Court as the only singles player – male or female – to have done so.

He last reached a Grand Slam final at the 2024 edition of Wimbledon, losing in straight sets to Alcaraz.

“Honestly, it feels like winning tonight, but I know I have to come back in less than a couple of days and fight against the No 1 in the world,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion remarked.

“I just hope I have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him, that’s my desire, and let god decide the winner.”

With the semi-final results, Djokovic is also confirmed to rise back up to the world No 3 spot – gaining 500 points and leapfrogging Zverev.

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Carlos Alcaraz has hit back at Alexander Zverev’s criticism of his medical timeout, which he took during their five-hour Australian Open semi-final battle.

The Spaniard looked in total control of the encounter after claiming the first two sets 6-4, 7-6(5); however, at 4-4 in the third, he appeared to grab his upper leg after an awkward groundstroke movement.

Alcaraz immediately conveyed the concern to his team before utilising a three-minute medical timeout – in addition to the usual two minutes for the changeover.

The physio began to massage the general area, with commentators speculating that the issue might be a freak muscular injury.

Despite the concern, Zverev – on the other hand – was convinced that the issue was cramp-related, an issue for which you are not allowed a medical timeout.

“He has cramp,” the world No 3 complained to the umpire.

“He can’t take a medical, he is cramping. What else should it be?

“This is absolute bulls***. This is unbelievable. Cramps? What the f*** is that? You cannot be serious.”

“You protect the both of them (Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz). It’s unbelievable.”

Nonetheless, despite the issue turning out to be full-body cramps, the Spaniard claims that he was not immediately sure as to the diagnosis, stating that the physio advised him to take a medical timeout.

“I felt something only in one muscle, the adductor of my right leg,” Alcaraz said during his post-match press conference.

“The truth is that I didn’t think it was cramps, that’s why I called the physio and asked for a medical evaluation.

“In those moments, nothing else bothered me, the rest of my body was fine, good, decent.

“However, shortly after being treated, I think because of the nerves and stress of not knowing what exactly was wrong with me, I started to feel cramps all over my body.

“They granted me medical time because what I conveyed is that when I moved to the right, I had felt discomfort in my adductor. That was the truth.”

Nonetheless, it was Alcaraz who prevailed 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 in the longest match of the tournament at five hours and 27 minutes.

Zverev had the opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4, but was unable to close out his first win over a world No 1 at a Grand Slam.

The victory also extended Alcaraz’s record in five-set matches to 15 victories and one loss (93.3% win rate).

His sole loss came to Italian Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.

“Look, when I was younger there were times when I gave up during the match, I didn’t fight as hard as I should,” the world No 1 explained, when asked why he rarely appears to lose hope.

“Later, I realised how much I hated that feeling, and, thanks to having matured, I will never feel that again. Every second of suffering on the court is worth it.

“I always trusted in my chances, I always thought I could come back, I wasn’t willing to give up. It was clear to me that closing a game like this was going to be difficult.

“I started to feel better at the end of the fourth set, but at the beginning of the fifth Sascha displayed impressive tennis.

“The first games he made were beastly, but I haven’t looked dead at any time. I knew I had to keep fighting.

“Not taking advantage of some break points generated some concern for me, but it also made me see that I was close and that, if I kept fighting, I was going to end up breaking.

“It’s great to have achieved the win.”

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Despite the mid-match controversy, the pair created further Australian Open history after the match ticked into being the longest semi-final match of the tournament.

The previous record belonged to the famous 2009 clash between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco, which ended 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4 in the former’s favour after five hours and 14 minutes.

Nadal went on to beat his great rival Roger Federer in a five-set epic, less than 48 hours after his previous match.

“This situation reminds me a lot of what Rafa did in 2009, when he had that incredible match with Verdasco and everyone doubted if he could play the final, and he ended up winning in five sets against Federer,” remarked Alcaraz.

“I’m not saying I’m going to do the same, but I think in a Grand Slam final you can’t say you’re tired.

“The adrenaline that is generated will help me if I manage to do things well in these next few hours.

“I know that tomorrow I’m going to wake up stiff.

“Now I’m going to dedicate a few hours to doing the entire recovery process to be as good as possible, it’s going to be hard for me to fall asleep a little after everything I’ve experienced, but I’m going to make an effort and give my best to get to Sunday in the best disposition possible.”

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The post Carlos Alcaraz fires back at Alexander Zverev’s ‘bulls***’ criticism after being accused of being ‘protected’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Alexander Zverev has conceded that he “didn’t like” Carlos Alcaraz receiving a medical time out for cramping during their epic Australian Open semi-final on Friday.

World No 1 Alcaraz battled from the brink of defeat to reach his first Australian Open final, rallying from 5-3 down in the deciding set to claim a dramatic 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 against third seed and world No 3 Zverev.

The Spaniard had appeared in full control of the semi-final until midway through the third set, when it became obvious that the 22-year-old was cramping and struggling physically.

Players who are cramping are allowed to receive treatment at three separate change of ends, though they are not usually allowed to receive a medical time out.

However, as stated in the official rules: “In cases where there is doubt about whether the player suffers from an acute medical condition, non-acute medical condition inclusive of muscle cramping, or non-treatable medical condition, the decision of the Doctor/Sports Physiotherapist, if appropriate, is final.

“If the Doctor/Sports Physiotherapist trainer believes that the player has heat illness, and if muscle cramping is one of the manifestations of heat illness, then the muscle cramping may be treated as part of the recommended treatment by the Doctor/Sports Physiotherapist for the heat illness condition.”

Regardless of how justifiable or not Alcaraz’s treatment was, 2025 Australian Open finalist Zverev was left evidently frustrated during the medical time out, and was seen complaining with his team and with the match supervisor.

The German was able to take advantage of his opponent’s physical struggles to force a decider, but was ultimately unable to seal victory in the deciding set.

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Asked in his press conference about the incident, Zverev admitted his frustration — but conceded the matter was out of his control.

“Yeah, I mean, he was cramping. Normally, you can’t take a medical time out for cramping,” said the world No 3.

“But, what can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision.”

Further pressed about the conversation he had in German with the match supervisor, Zverev ultimately insisted that he wanted to move on from the controversy.

He replied: “I just said it was bulls**t, basically.

“To be honest, it was 17 hours ago, I don’t quite remember — but I’m sure somebody has it on video, and you can check.

“To be honest, I don’t want to talk about this right now, because I think this was one of the best battles there ever was in Australia. It doesn’t deserve to be the topic now.”

Defeat for Zverev is another tight loss for the German at the latter stage of a Grand Slam, with the 28-year-old still searching for an elusive first major title.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is in his first Australian Open final and eighth Grand Slam final overall, and will look to complete the Career Grand Slam in Sunday’s men’s singles final.

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The post Alexander Zverev asked about Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘cramping’ medical time out after Australian Open epic appeared first on Tennis365.