Alexander Zverev beat a tricky opponent in the second round at Australian Open 2026 on Wednesday, but not before an injury scare.
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Last year’s finalist took the unusual step of calling for the trainer mid-game in the fourth set as part of his entertaining 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4 win against Alexandre Muller at John Cain Arena that was briefly interrupted by rain.
The world No.3 still managed to close out the affair on his “favourite court” in Melbourne, once again ensuring passage to the third round.
The lone time since 2019 the German failed to get that far came in 2023 in his comeback from the severe right ankle injury he suffered at the French Open.
On Wednesday night, Zverev motioned to his left foot at his bench after stopping at 2-1, 15-0 in the fourth.
Zverev moved gingerly the rest of the game and almost fell over in a rally.
He steadied, however, and moved better towards the latter stages, evidenced by how he chased a nasty net cord on his first match point.
“I took a pain killer and it was fine after that,” Zverev said post-match.
“I’m not someone that takes a lot of medical timeouts, but I was a bit scared because it was towards the Achilles tendon and there have been a lot of Achilles tendon injuries in the past on tour. I was a bit afraid,” he added, perhaps thinking of Holger Rune.
“I just wanted the physio to check it out, but after the medical timeout I was playing fine. I was moving fine. I hope tomorrow it’s going to be fine as well.”
When the draw for AO 2026 surfaced, Zverev wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of facing Gabriel Diallo.
MORE: AO 2026 men's singles draw
But after he avoided being upset by the huge-serving Canadian in the first round, he acknowledged that beating such a dangerous opponent to start could set him nicely on his way.
Based on his early performance against Muller, that appeared to be the case.
Zverev’s counterpunching skills are well known and admired but he ripped forehands, too, especially in the first set and a half.
Was Muller somewhat jaded after his late night, four-hour win over Sydney native Alexei Popyrin on Monday that stretched to a fifth-set tiebreak?
Maybe. Yet as the world No.52 told French media afterwards, beating Zverev previously gave him confidence.
It was in their last duel and came on Zverev’s home soil in Hamburg last year, with the Frenchman claiming another final set tiebreak – this one in the third set, not the fifth.
His win over Zverev in Hamburg comprises one of three lifetime victories against the top 10.
Muller set the tone by cracking a pair of backhands down the line in the first game. The Frenchman has played long enough to know the importance of taking chances when they arise against the elite, so will rue missing out on two break points in the ensuing game.
The first one saw Muller send a forehand into the net – a theme on his break points. The pressure soon ramped up on Muller and Zverev pounced for 4-3.
Zverev and the rest of the men’s pack are chasing Jannik Sinner – who swept past Zverev in the 2025 final – and Carlos Alcaraz. If he is to get the better of the two and beat one in a major final, his much-discussed forehand perhaps needs to generate more sting.
Zverev duly began the second set with a rocketed cross-court forehand that drew gasps from the crowd, while in the next game, he drilled one down the line.
It was 3-0 in a flash in the second set – but then things changed.
Muller opted for a one-handed backhand instead of his customary two-hander to produce a highlight-reel passing shot in a game where Zverev was broken from 40-15. Muller eventually won six games in a row as the outlook changed.
Muller is no stranger to pulling off comebacks, even before the rally against Popyrin. Last year in Hong Kong, he became the first man in the Open Era to win a title after coming back from a set down in all five of his matches.
He was, he said, further spurred on against Popyrin by his newborn daughter.
Yet Zverev surged in the third set, reintroducing the serve and volley, which drew applause from his opponent.
Zverev led 4-2 in the third set when the rain came, prompting a delay of roughly 35 minutes. It didn’t alter the momentum as the match re-started under the roof.
Zverev’s zip returned. Muller double faulted for 0-1 and despite the trainer’s visit, Zverev didn’t wane.
“He played amazing tennis,” said Zverev, who combined 45 winners with 45 unforced errors.
“I thought it was a very high level match.”
Zverev will now hope for no after-effects.