Alexander Zverev on five-set Carlos Alcaraz Australian Open defeat: ‘We both went to our absolute limit’ | ATP Tour

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Zverev on five-set loss at Alcaraz Australian Open: ‘We both went to our absolute limits’

The German was looking for a fourth grand final and first slam title this weekend

January 30, 2026

So close, yet so far again for Alexander Zverev in his quest for greater glory. The third-seeded German fell just three points short of beating Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Friday night, but was unable to close as Alcaraz came from 3-5 down in the fifth set to win.

After a loss that lasted five hours, 27 minutes, the longest semifinal in the tournament’s history, an exhausted Zverev revealed his latest Grand Slam woes.

“Unbelievable fight, fight. It’s a bad ending for me, but to be honest, I had absolutely nothing left in me,” said Zverev.

“To be honest, I think I’m too tired to be emotional right now, so like two days, I’ll probably have more, but right now I’m just tired,” the German continued later. “I think we both reached our limits completely, so in a way I’m proud of myself, the way I held on and came back from two sets to love.

“Yes, it’s disappointing, but this is the beginning of the year, so if I continue to play like this, if I continue to train the way I’m training, if I continue to fix the things I’ve been working on in the offseason, I believe it will be a good year for me.”

Zverev was chasing a fourth major final and a second consecutive Australian Open title. After getting two points down, the 28-year-old looked poised to complete the comeback and hand Alcaraz his second loss in the fifth set.

However, the 28-year-old’s regret after the match did not come from his inability to play at 5-4 but his lack of composure more than three hours earlier in the second set.

“The second set, that one, I felt like I had to win,” Zverev said. “Especially working for it, I didn’t play a good game working for it. Funny enough, I don’t have a lot of regrets about the fifth set, because I was waiting for dear life, to be honest. I was tired. But the second set. I think going up, being one set, and starting to focus on the third set, that probably would have made the difference.”

Alcaraz struggled with physical issues deep into the third set but found a way in during a thrilling fifth set. The Spaniard now holds a record of 15-1 in matches that have gone the distance but this was not something that Zverev was particularly concerned about when he made his decision.

“I know my five-set record is pretty good. But, no, it’s not,” Zverev said. “It’s not what you think about playing 5-4. I had other thoughts in my mind. I really didn’t want to fall in the game.

“No, it’s not something I think about, but I know he’s fit, I know he’s very strong, and it’s hard to beat him in long matches. He proved that last year in Paris, I think, and so did Jannik. I always feel that physically I’m good too.”

Alcaraz now leads Zverev 7-6 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series and will face either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.