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TNT Sports commentator Nick Mullins has been forced to apologise after Alexander Zverev's angry outburst during Friday's Australian Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz. The German was furious after accusing Alcaraz of taking a medical timeout over cramp.

Alcaraz won the first two sets 6-4, 7-6(5), and the scores were level at 4-4 in the third before the Spaniard began crouching down and feeling his quad after missing a backhand. The world No.1 held serve for 5-4 before receiving medical treatment at the sit-down.

And Zverev reacted with fury - swearing at a tournament official while sharing his belief that the treatment was due to cramp. Rules state that a player cannot take a medical timeout for cramp, as it falls under conditioning rather than an injury.

Alcaraz was still able to compete for the rest of the set and took it to a tie-break. But the German won it 7-6(3) with his opponent receiving more treatment in between sets.

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Commentators were also divided over whether the six-time Grand Slam champion was cramping or if he'd picked up a more serious issue. "Can you take a medical timeout, say it's a quad or knee?" Wally Masur asked when Alcaraz first pulled up.

Robbie Koenig replied: "He could, to answer your question about saying it's a knee problem. It's very difficult for the physio to tell the difference, is it cramp or is it an actual injury? He's just a game away now, is Alcaraz, but it's all happening here deep in the third."

Both players are looking to achieve career firsts at Melbourne Park this fortnight. Alcaraz would become the youngest male player in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam with victory in this year's tournament Down Under.

The 22-year-old has already won two French Open, two Wimbledon and two US Open titles in his career. Alcaraz has never reached an Australian Open final, with his previous best performance being a quarter-final.

Zverev, meanwhile, is chasing his first Grand Slam title, having lost last year's Aussie Open final in straight sets to Jannik Sinner. The German has lost three Slam finals in total and served for the match in the 2020 US Open final before losing in five sets to Dominic Thiem.

The winner of Friday's first semi-final will face either Sinner or 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. The pair will play after Alcaraz and Zverev's match.

The Italian will fancy his chances of reaching another final, given his excellent record against the ageing Serb in recent seasons. Sinner leads the head-to-head 6-4 and has won their last five meetings - including the previous nine sets between them.