Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz critical of performance after defeat to Alexander Zverev – ‘I have to improve’

The Spaniard was highly fancied to prevail but quickly gave himself a mountain to climb when he dropped the first two sets in little more than an hour.

From the brink of defeat in the third, he bounced back to win it in a tie-break and extend the match before he was eventually beaten 6-1 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4.

“I think I had chances at 4-3 in the fourth set and I didn’t take them,” Alcaraz said. “I think I played good tennis in the fourth set, obviously not my best level but good. I didn’t take my chances, a lot of ups and downs with my level, I didn’t find a good serve and he was returning very well.

“It was tough to deal with that pressure he put on me with every point on my serve. I have to improve, to work on it and let’s see in the future. It’s a shame my level today.

“It has been a good tournament for me, making the quarter-finals and playing good tennis. I am sad with my level today because I have been playing good tennis, the round before this with a lot of confidence, serving pretty well.

“In general I leave the tournament happy, forgetting about today’s level, I did a pretty good tournament in general. I played great matches and a quarter-final of a Grand Slam is good. It is not what I am looking for but it’s not bad.

“With the level I was playing before coming into this match with a lot of confidence, knowing I am playing good tennis, it’s a shame that I started the match the way I did and ended it the way I did. But that’s tennis.”

There were glimpses of the player that clinched two Grand Slams by age 20 during the third-set comeback that saw him rally to force a fourth set.

With Zverev serving at 5-3 for a straight-sets victory, Alcaraz found the breakthrough he needed before recovering from losing the opening two points to hit some dazzling passing shots and win a thrilling tie-break, much to the delight of the fans in attendance inside the Rod Laver Arena.

“There was a fourth set because of the crowd and the way they bring energy to me is crazy,” Alcaraz added. “I was totally down and they didn’t stop supporting me. It was crazy.

“I wanted to thank them, to stay there, believing in me, supporting me in every ball. The comeback in the third set was thanks to them. Without them I would probably have lost in three sets.”

He takes on Jannik Sinner for a place in another Grand Slam final and is the strong favourite to go all the way and add to his legacy, but Alcaraz believes anyone left in the tournament has the capability to dethrone the Serbian.

“The players in the semi-finals have the level to beat him,” Alcaraz continued. “Let’s see. It’s not easy to beat Novak in a tournament but it’s even tougher at a Grand Slam.

“Jannik Sinner is playing an unbelievable game, he has not dropped a set yet, that means he has the level and the capacity to beat Novak.

“I am going to watch the matches of course and I think the players that are in this stage have the level to beat him.”

Nick Kyrgios heaped praise on Zverev for what he described as an “insane” win but said Alcaraz didn’t look like himself on court.

Instead of the confident, aggressive style we’ve seen on his rapid ascent to the top of the sport, he looked unsure of himself at various stages against an in-form Zverev.

“Those first two sets were something we haven’t seen from Alcaraz for a while,” Kyrgios said. “He looked human; he was making so many unforced errors.

“I was telling all my mates that Zverev had a chance to win. Alcaraz looked human this tournament; he wasn’t unbelievable.

“He was a bit edgy. He came out swinging and a bit too hard, spraying the ball all over the place, [and] that was some clean tennis by Zverev.”

The foundation of Zverev’s win was built on his serve. In what was arguably one of the great Grand Slam serving performances, the German made 85% of his first serves, winning 73% of points behind his biggest weapon.

Alcaraz got more of a handle on it as the match wore on but Kyrgios was surprised he couldn’t adjust to it sooner.

“When someone is in that rhythm on serve, I’ve seen guys completely open up one side of the court for me, standing on the service line or the back fence” Kyrgios added. “Just giving me a different look.

“Alcaraz waited a bit too long for that and Zverev got into a rhythm where it didn’t matter what was going on. He was so within himself, in such a good rhythm.

“I was very surprised that Alcaraz’s box didn’t say stand wide and give him the T, or stand T and give him the wide. Just something else.

“I thought Alcaraz already being a Grand Slam champion would have already realised that, but he’s 20 years old.”