Alexander Zverev made his feelings clear accusing the officials of bias in his epic Australian Open 2026 semi-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz was 2 sets ahead at Melbourne Park before suffering a bout of major cramps.
At the request of Alcaraz, he was awarded a medical timeout with two physios massaging him to get him ready for action. Zverev was fuming suggesting that both Alcaraz and Sinner were being protected.
'You are protecting both of them (Alcaraz and Sinner), this is unbelievable. He has cramp! 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," Zverev complained to Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli in a mixture of English and German.
Zverev's protests fell to deaf ears as Alcaraz was allowed to continue with his treatment. Cramping is ruled out as a condition which can allow a medical time out. However, it is a grey area, given Alcaraz could be concerned with a thigh injury.
After the medical timeout and taking slugs of pickle juice to further ease his symptoms, Alcaraz returned to court, but went on to lose the third and fourth sets to push the match to a decider. Alcaraz prevailed and made it to his first ever Australian Open final. The 22-year-old has never lost a match from being two sets up and maintained that record at the expense of the German.
For Zverev, his wait for a major Grand Slam title continues as Alcaraz and Sinner continue to dominate. The last time a player other than the duo won a Grand Slam was Novak Djokovic in 2023.
