Alexander Zverev defended by Patrick Mouratoglou as coach slams ‘not good enough’ criticism
Patrick Mouratoglou has come to the defence of Alexander Zverev after the German faced criticism for the manner of his Australian Open semi-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
Third seed Zverev narrowly missed the chance to defeat eventual champion and world No 1 Alcaraz in the last four in Melbourne, falling 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 to the Spaniard in the Australian Open’s longest-ever men’s singles semi-final.
Alcaraz was cramping significantly at points during the match, and Zverev was 5-3 up in the deciding set, but failed to serve out the victory at 5-4 — ultimately losing the final four games of the match to taste defeat.
Zverev is often considered the greatest male player of the Open Era to have never won a Grand Slam title, and many have framed this Australian Open exit as another missed opportunity for the German.
The 28-year-old has often been accused of failing to get over the line in big matches, most notably failing to serve out the 2020 US Open final versus Dominic Thiem.
Zverev has a 0-3 record in Grand Slam finals, and would have faced a fatigued Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final had he managed to defeat Alcaraz.
However, the world No 4 has now found a voice of defence in the form of Mouratoglou, who defended the German in a new post on LinkedIn on Monday.
He wrote: “Carlos Alcaraz cramps. Wins anyway.
“And suddenly, some people say Alexander Zverev ‘is not good enough.’
Tennis News
ATP Dallas Open draw: Fritz and Tiafoe on collision course, Shelton could face Paul
Carlos Alcaraz’s Calendar Grand Slam hopes dismissed by former world No 1
“This is exactly the kind of conclusion that shows how misunderstood tennis still is.
“Have you ever played against someone who has cramps or is injured? It’s one of the hardest situations in tennis.
“You’re two sets down. You don’t want to miss because you expect the other guy to miss. But if you slow down too much, you lose control of the rally.
“Meanwhile, the player who can’t move anymore is relaxed, he has nothing to lose. He goes for his shots, hits winners, and puts even more pressure on you.
“That’s exactly what happened in that Australian Open semi-final. And tennis history is full of matches where great champions played badly because their opponent was physically struggling.”
Mouratoglou further echoed the example of Michael Chang, who overcame cramping to beat heavy favourite Ivan Lendl in the fourth round of the 1989 French Open — before going on to win the title.
He added: “Let me remind you of 1989. Roland-Garros.
“Michael Chang, 17 years old, cramping badly… and still beating Ivan Lendl, the world No 1, in five sets. No one said Lendl wasn’t good enough. They understood how complex tennis really is.
“Back to Melbourne. In the fifth set, Carlos was physically back. Completely. At 5/4, Zverev served for the match, got tight, like so many champions before him, and Carlos took advantage of it. And on the big points, when it mattered most, he was better.
“So no, Zverev is not ‘bad’. He’s a very good competitor. But Carlos Alcaraz is an exceptional one.”
Zverev’s next opportunity to win a Grand Slam title will come at the 2026 French Open, which starts in May.
The German was the runner-up to Alcaraz at the tournament in 2024, and also reached the last four in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Read Next: ATP Rankings: Felix Auger-Aliassime +2, Alex de Minaur -2, Carlos Alcaraz loses 500 points
