Australian Open 2026 live updates: Alcaraz facing Zverev in men’s semifinals with Sinner v. Djokovic later
It was interesting hearing yesterday from John McEnroe, the seven-time Grand Slam champion and an ESPN (U.S.) and TNT Sports (UK) pundit at this year’s Australian Open, discussing Alexander Zverev’s chances in this match. McEnroe’s view is that Zverev has “got a shot at it (beating Carlos Alcaraz), for sure.”
Speaking during a virtual media briefing, McEnroe referenced Zverev’s win against Alcaraz here two years ago, but more importantly said that:
💬 “He seems to be in a good space, a better space than I’ve seen him for a while. Mentally and physically, in the brief times I’ve talked to him, he seems to be what we see. He feels really good about where he’s at. So he can let it all hang out. There’s a huge upside. I mean, it’s better than most people obviously, you don’t want to go down in history as the greatest male player to never win a Grand Slam.
“He said after he lost to Jannik (Sinner) in the finals (at last year’s Australian Open) these guys are at another level and that really affected him for quite a while — like most of the year actually.
“So it’s just huge for all the all these guys for different reasons, all four guys that are left. This is going to be a chance that, I bet you a few months ago Sasha was starting to wonder, get worried a little bit, I’m guessing. So he’s in a good space, he’s playing really well and he’s trying to be more offensive with his forehand, which he’s got to do.”
I personally feel like winning a set would be a pretty good performance from Zverev. He’ll have to hope that in these hot conditions (it’s 30 degrees celsius here currently) his serve will really pop and he can put some pressure on Alcaraz.
