Ultimately, it didn't matter, and Alexander Zverev knew it. He had his chances in the 2026 Australian Open semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz, but he once again could not find a way through in one of the bigger matches of his career. The German was good, but not good enough.
Zverev even led 5-3 in the fifth set, but managed to drop the last four. The blame for the loss was squarely on him, and how well Alcaraz was able to elevate his own play. The German did not dispute that while speaking to the media after the match in which Alcaraz won 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5.
Even a point in the match that turned out in favor of Zverev was viewed by some reporters as a negative. In the third set, Alcaraz began cramping badly, and he asked for, and received, a medical timeout. The issue was that the players were not changing ends, the time when a medical timeout would normally be allowed.
Alexander Zverev gets honest about a moment in his Australian Open match against Carlos Alcaraz
In other words, it appeared as if the Spaniard was receiving preferential treatment, something the Australian Open has already been accused of this year. During an early-round match with Jannik Sinner, the Italian began cramping and was given a timeout before an extended break.
The difference was that he was struggling in the match against Eliot Spizzirri, having already dropped the first set 4-6. Alcaraz had already taken the first two sets from Zverev, and he likely didn't want to rest. Perhaps there was a chance that Alcaraz would cramp so badly he would need to retire, but that was unlikely.
Still, reporters asked Zverev about the moment after the match. He admitted to not liking the decision for the medical timeout, but he wanted to focus instead on how well the match had been played and how close the final four sets were. It was classic tennis played between two of the three or four best players on the ATP tour.
Asked in German as a follow-up to the question about the medical timeout, Zverev delivered a succinct response, "I just said it was bulls***, basically."
Yes, he did, and he was correct. In the end, Alexander Zverev likely was more frustrated to fall short of having a chance to win his first Grand Slam. He is arguably the best player to never win a major. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz is in the final and trying to win his first Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam.