ATP Tour
Zverev on five-set Alcaraz Australian Open defeat: ‘We both went to our absolute limits’
German was seeking fourth major final and first slam title this weekend
January 30, 2026
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Alexander Zverev suffered a five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Friday at the Australian Open.
By Sam Jacot
So near, yet so far again for Alexander Zverev in his quest for major glory. The third-seeded German was just three points away from defeating Carlos Alcaraz in their Australian Open semi-final on Friday night, but was unable to close it out as Alcaraz rallied from 3-5 down in the fifth set to triumph.
In the aftermath of the five-hour, 27-minute loss, the longest semi-final in tournament history, a fatigued Zverev reflected on his latest Grand Slam heartbreak.
“Unbelievable fight, battle. Unfortunate ending for me, but to be honest, I had absolutely nothing left in me,” Zverev said.
“To be honest, I think I’m way too tired to have emotions right now, so like in two days, I’ll probably have more, but right now I’m just exhausted,” the German later continued. “I think we both went to our absolute limits, so somewhat I’m also proud of myself, the way I was hanging on and came back from two sets to love.
“Of course it’s disappointing, but this is the start of the year, so if I continue playing that way, if I continue training the way I train, if I continue working on the things that I’ve been working in the offseason, I do believe it’s going to be a good year for me.”
Zverev was chasing a fourth major final and a second consecutive Australian Open title match. Having rallied from two sets down, the 28-year-old looked poised to complete the comeback and hand Alcaraz just a second defeat in a fifth set.
However, the 28-year-old’s post-match regrets did not come from his inability to serve out at 5-4 but his lack of ruthlessness more than three hours earlier in the second set.
“The second set, that one, I felt like I should have won,” Zverev said. “Especially serving for it, I didn’t play a good game serving for it. Funny enough, I don’t have many regrets in the fifth set, because I was hanging on for dear life, to be honest. I was exhausted. But the second set. I think going up, being one set all, and him starting to cramp in the third set, that probably would have made a difference.”
Alcaraz struggled with physical issues deep in the third set but found a way to dig in during an exhilarating fifth set. The Spaniard now holds a 15-1 record in matches that have gone the distance but this was not a factor Zverev was overly concerned about during the decider.
“I know my five-set record is quite good, as well. But, no, of course not,” Zverev said. “It’s not something you think about 5-4 serving. I had other thoughts in my mind. Basically I didn’t want to fall over in the match.
“No, it’s not something I think about, but I know that he’s fit, I know that he’s very, very strong and hard to beat in long matches. He’s proven that last year in Paris, I think, as well against Jannik. I always feel like on the physical side I’m quite okay as well.”
Alcaraz now leads Zverev 7-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and will face Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.
