Carlos Alcaraz’s path to his first Australian Open final was not without its share of talking points, as some fans felt his behaviour during the match crossed a line.
At one stage, it looked like he might cruise through the semi-finals without much trouble. He took control early, going up two sets to love over Alexander Zverev.
Zverev did not back down. The German took full advantage of Alcaraz’s cramping, pulling back two sets and putting real pressure on the young Spaniard.
And when he grabbed an early break in the fifth, it looked like he had all the momentum.
But counting out Alcaraz has never been a safe bet. He broke back at 4-5, held serve to level things up at 5-5, and then broke again to seal an incredible win.
The match was not short on drama or tension, but there was also controversy around how the Spaniard handled himself during key moments that helped him reach the final.
Questions raised over Carlos Alcaraz’s conduct during Alexander Zverev clash
The rules are clear: players cannot use medical time-outs for cramping, only for actual injuries.
Alcaraz still got one though, after telling the umpire he had a different issue that needed attention.
Tim Henman spoke about it afterwards on TNT Sports and shared his view: “I think it was about two and a half hours into a match. Obviously, a Grand Slam semifinal. If that is a best-of-three set match in a Masters 1000, there is no way Alcaraz is cramping.
“Therefore, in my mind, it has to be stress-related, and I think the irony is that he did so well not to get stressed after that to stay calm and relaxed and wait for his body to recover.”
“Then once he calls to the umpire, he is not going to say yeah, I’m cramping in my leg. I’m sure he is going to be saying I have had a twinge in my right adductor. I’m not sure what is going on. Can you work on it?”
CoCo Vandeweghe gave her perspective too: “I think Zverev has every right to complain and go to the supervisor and say what Carlos is being treated for isn’t the real reason he is being treated.
“But in all fairness, I will say this openly, we are playing for the final of a Grand Slam. You are going to pull out every trick in the book to make it to the next round. Even if Carlos gets a fine or a talking to, I will take that to be in the final of a Grand Slam.
“Zverev is packing up to go home. Carlos used the rules to his advantage and is in the final.
“He was able to manipulate the situation to his advantage, and I think it’s all fair play. I can’t really fault him in that regard.”
Carlos Alcaraz reaches his first-ever Australian Open final
Alcaraz’s main goal is still to win the championship, but just getting this far is an achievement in itself. He has now made it to the final of all four majors.
After a few close calls in the past, he has finally reached the last step and now sits just one match away from making it happen.
The topic of a career Grand Slam has come up plenty of times before and during this tournament. Now, he is only one win away from becoming the youngest player ever to pull it off.
With that in mind, Alcaraz will waste no time starting his recovery. Meanwhile, he will be keeping a close eye on Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic to see who he will face next.
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