Carlos Alcaraz orchestrated another one of his Houdini acts to win the longest Australian Open 2026 semi-final in the history on Friday (Jan 30) against Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz was two sets up but then suffered the cramps and lost the next two sets. The Spaniard, like he had come back from two sets down to win French Open 2025 final against Jannik Sinner, went on to win the match against Zverev for his maiden AO final appearance. Alcaraz, after his majestic act, became the youngest player to enter the final of all four grand slams.
Alcaraz reveals how he fought cramps in AO 2026 semis
"I just hate giving up. Just how I could feel after all – I just don't want to feel that way," said the Spaniard after the win. "You know, every step more, every just one second more of suffering, one second more of fighting is always worth it. So that's why I just fight until the last ball and always believe that I can come back in every situation."
Talking about his physical condition for the upcoming AO 2026 final against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz acknowledged: "You know, obviously my body could be better, to be honest, but I think that's normal after five hours and a half. So I just did whatever it takes just to try to be better, to feel better tomorrow. Ice bath … I'm going to have treatment with the physio now, and we will see."
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Alcaraz was visibly uncomfortable and was walking gingerly towards the end of third set when he took a medical timeout, something which did not go down well with his opponent. When Alcaraz was getting treatment for what appeared to be cramps in his right thigh, Zverev was engaged in a heated conversation with match officials. The German took advantage of the situation and went on to win the third and fourth set, both in tie-breaker, to push the match into the fifth set which at one point looked like will be over in straight sets.
