MELBOURNE – Alexander Zverev shouted his accusation on centre court at the Australian Open: the powers that be in tennis are ‘protecting all the time’ Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“This is fucking bullshit. It’s unbelievable that they’re treating him for cramps, it’s bullshit. You’re protecting these two guys (Alcaraz and Sinner) all the time,” shouted the world number three on Friday as the Spaniard received medical attention during the third set of a match he would go on to win 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4) and 7-5 to advance to the only Grand Slam final he had yet to play.
Zverev’s annoyance with the two-time Roland Garros champion was because he was receiving medical attention for cramps, even though this is not allowed, as cramps are not considered an injury.
In Sinner’s case, Zverev’s discomfort may have been related to the fact that in the third round of the tournament, the roof of Rod Laver Arena was closed when the Italian was suffering from cramps and losing 4-6, 6-3, 1-3 to American Eliot Spizzirri. Or perhaps it was because of the lenient treatment he received when he tested positive for doping.
The anger shown on the court faded when Zverev arrived at the press conference.
“To be honest, that was 17 hours ago (smiles), and I don’t remember it at all. I’m sure someone recorded it and you can check it out. I don’t want to talk about it now, because I think this was one of the best battles ever seen in Australia. It shouldn’t be the topic of discussion right now,” said the 2025 Australian Open finalist.
Beyond his amnesia or prudence, the truth is that Zverev could do little to control the narrative. His complaints were already circulating all over the internet, and some tennis legends were beginning to debate the issue.
‘Sascha (Zverev) believes that Sinner and Alcaraz are being protected in these cases. We must pay attention to what rules apply to them and how they differ from those of other players,’ said Boris Becker in his role as an analyst for Eurosport.
The six-time Grand Slam champion empathised with his compatriot: ‘He’s absolutely right; anyone would have been angry in that situation. If Alcaraz had continued playing, he wouldn’t have been able to do so, but he was smart: he said he felt a twinge and they treated him. The umpires can’t do anything.’
Alcaraz, for his part, dismissed any attempt to take advantage: “At first, I didn’t even think it was a cramp. I didn’t know exactly what it was. I went for a forehand and started to feel it in my right adductor, so I asked for the physio, because it was at that precise moment. With all the stress of not knowing what was happening, of not knowing if it was going to get worse or not, everything built up. At that point, I spoke to the physio and he decided to call for medical attention.”
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