Is it fate's fault or his own? Zverev once again missed a golden opportunity and suffered a heartbreaking comeback loss.

For Zverev, Grand Slam glory remains just within reach, yet he has once again come up short. In Friday night's Australian Open men's singles semifinal, the No. 3 seed from Germany was only three points away from defeating Alcaraz but ultimately failed to seize the chance, allowing his opponent to complete a comeback from a 3–5 deficit in the final set.

After this 5-hour and 27-minute defeat—the longest semifinal in Australian Open history—the exhausted Zverev reflected on yet another heartbreaking Grand Slam experience. "It was an incredible battle, a tough fight. The outcome was unlucky for me, but honestly, I had no energy left," Zverev said. "To be frank, I’m so tired right now that I have no emotions. Maybe in two days I will, but at this moment, I’m just completely drained. I think we both gave it our all, so in a way, I’m proud of myself for coming back from 0-2 down and staying in the match."

“Of course, the result is disappointing, but this is just the start of the year. If I can keep playing like this, maintain my training routine, and continue doing what I’ve been working on during the off-season, I truly believe this will be a great season for me.”

Zverev was originally chasing his fourth Grand Slam final and a second consecutive Australian Open final appearance. After winning two sets in a row, the 28-year-old German seemed very likely to complete a huge comeback and hand Alcaraz only his second loss in a deciding set.

However, Zverev’s post-match regret wasn’t about failing to hold serve at 5–4 in the final set, but rather about not showing enough aggression earlier in the second set, more than three hours before.

“In the second set, I felt like I should have taken it,” Zverev said. “Especially when I was serving for the set—I didn’t play that game well. Strangely, I don’t have many regrets about the fifth set because honestly, I was just hanging on, completely exhausted. But the second set was different. If I had leveled it to 1-1 then, and he started cramping in the third set, that might have really changed the course of the match.”

Alcaraz clearly struggled with physical issues late in the third set, but he still found a way to push through in the thrilling fifth set. The Spaniard now holds a 15-1 record in full-length matches, though this was not something Zverev thought about much in the decisive moments.

“I know my record in five-set matches is pretty good too,” Zverev said, “but when you’re serving at 5-4, you don’t think about that. All I’m thinking is not to collapse on the court. Of course, I know he’s very fit, strong, and very hard to beat in long matches. He proved that last year in Paris against Jannik Sinner. I always felt I had no issues with my fitness either.”

That night, Zverev once again stood on the doorstep of a Grand Slam but couldn’t take the final step. However, this epic semifinal proved he still has the strength to challenge the world No. 1.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)