Tennis icon Jimmy Connors has issued his verdict on Alexander Zverev’s Australian Open “opportunity” after the German narrowly missed the chance to beat eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Third seed Zverev was beaten 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 by world No 1 Alcaraz in a pulsating semi-final inside the Rod Laver Arena last Saturday, with the contest — which lasted five hours and 27 minutes — becoming the longest men’s singles semi-final in the tournament’s history.

2025 Australian Open finalist Zverev took advantage of Alcaraz’s physical struggles to rally from two sets down and force a deciding set, and ultimately held a 5-3 lead in the deciding set.

However, the German was broken when attempting to serve out the match at 5-4 in the fifth set, and was then broken in the final game of the match to lose the contest.

Zverev’s campaign was the first time since last year’s Australian Open that he had reached a Grand Slam semi-final, and the world No 3 certainly looked in better form after what was a challenging 2025 season, both physically and mentally.

However, this defeat again called into question his ability to get over the line in big matches, with the German still searching for an elusive Grand Slam title.

Had Zverev beaten Alcaraz, he would have faced fourth seed Novak Djokovic in the final, with the Serbian stunning two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in their semi-final showdown.

Zverev fell in straight sets to Sinner in the 2025 championship match Down Under and may have fancied his chances more against Djokovic in the final this year, though he was ultimately unable to reach that stage.

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Alcaraz went on to beat Djokovic in a four-set final on Sunday, winning his seventh Grand Slam singles title.

Zverev has a 0-3 record in Grand Slam finals, and this may have proven to be a significant opening to win his first major, having had Alcaraz on the ropes in the semi-final, before a clash against a fatigued Djokovic.

Speaking on his Advantage Connors podcast, eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Connors claimed that, while Zverev’s run could give him belief, the German may have also missed a significant chance.

“I mean, he’s had opportunities and, you know, what an opportunity he had there,” said Connors.

“I don’t know what to say about that. We’ve talked about him for five or six years now and the opportunities that he’s had — maybe this is the one he looks back on and says: ‘I know I can do it now. Just do it. Just go out, and it’s enough already.’

“To be put in that situation to play Djoker [Djokovic], who had a long match too –- the stars might’ve just aligned for him.

“But to win the tournament, you got to beat them all, and he had an opportunity to beat the best in the world at the time, playing Alcaraz. Didn’t come through, and Alcaraz goes on to win the tournament.”

Zverev was initially set to return to action at the upcoming Rotterdam Open in the Netherlands, though he has now joined world No 1 Alcaraz in withdrawing from the ATP 500 event.

The 28-year-old’s next opportunity to lift a title will be at the French Open, though the second Grand Slam event of the year does not begin until late May.

Zverev reached the final of Roland Garros in 2024, falling to Alcaraz in the final, and was also a semi-finalist at the event in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

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