One win away from history, Carlos Alcaraz is standing on the edge of something special. If he goes on to lift the trophy, the Spaniard will become the youngest man ever to complete a Career Grand Slam, doing so at just 22. And after that thunderous semi-finals victory on Rod Laver Arena, Alcaraz wasn’t quite done making headlines. The Spaniard even slipped in a cheeky dig at an ATP legend.

During the on-court interview after his semifinal win, four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier asked Alcaraz what it would mean to become the youngest man ever to win all four major titles. The moment the question was raised, the Rod Laver Arena crowd erupted in cheers.

Hearing the roar from the crowd, Alcaraz playfully mocked the 55-year-old and said, “Well, thank you for putting so much pressure on me right now. Kidding, kidding, don’t worry.”

Smiling, he then went on to explain how he was actually feeling in that moment, soaking it all in as he stood one win away from doing something no man in tennis history has ever done.

“You know, I’m just really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Carlos Alcaraz said. “It’s something I’ve been chasing for a long time. To have the opportunity to fight for the title means a lot to me. So far, it’s been a great tournament for me, and I feel like my level has been improving with every match.”

He also made sure to credit the fans for supporting him throughout. “One thing I have to say is that I couldn’t be standing here right now without you guys,” he explained. “You really put pressure on me in the best way possible. The way you pushed me back into the match, the way you supported me on every ball and every point, it was crazy.”

And Alcaraz definitely gave it his best shot during the grueling 5 hours and 27 minutes, especially in the third set. That was when he was clearly in distress, with cramps flaring up as he crouched down, grabbed at his quad, and somehow managed to hold serve before receiving a medical treatment during the changeover that quickly became controversial.

Wel, the controversy stemmed from tournament rules, which allow medical timeouts only for injury or illness, not for conditioning issues like cramps. Treatment for cramping is usually limited to changeovers or set breaks, unless a player is willing to give up points or games to create an opportunity.

Still, backed by the crowd, Carlos Alcaraz gradually found enough energy to extend rallies and apply pressure. He broke back just as Zverev was serving for the match and eventually turned the contest around as nerves crept into his opponent’s game. Now, he’s set to play in Sunday’s final against either his longtime rival Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic.

Carlos Alcaraz opens up on his injury scare and how he fought through it

“Believing, believing all the time,” Alcaraz said during his post-match on-court interview when asked what pushed him to fight until the very end. “No matter what you’re struggling with or what you’ve been through, you still have to believe in yourself all the time.”

Opening up further about his physical issues, he admitted the match took a serious toll. “I was struggling in the middle of the third set,” he said. “Physically, it was one of the most demanding matches I’ve ever played in my short career.”

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Still, Alcaraz leaned on experience to get him through. “I’ve been in these kinds of situations before. I’ve played these kinds of matches, so I knew what I had to do,” he explained. He’d been through pain before, and once again, he found a way out of it.

Remember, back at the 2023 French Open, Alcaraz suffered a severe cramp in his right calf early in the third set of his semifinal against Novak Djokovic? With one game still to play before the changeover, he was forced to make a tough decision.

Rather than risk further damage, the then 20-year-old chose the safer route. He forfeited his service game to receive immediate treatment from the physio on Court Philippe-Chatrier. This time, though, Alcaraz chose to fight through it.

“I think I did it. I fought until the last ball,” he said. “I knew I was going to have my chances. I was passionate in the fifth set, and I’m extremely proud of myself of how I fought and how I came back in that final set.”

Now, if Novak Djokovic gets past Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, with injury concerns of his own at 38, all eyes will be on how Alcaraz handles the final challenge. That said, do you think Carlos Alcaraz will be able to win his first Australian Open final?