The phrase โhard work beats talentโ is an interesting one, because it suggests youโll only ever have one or the other. For the most part, that holds up to be true, but very rarely, someone is born with ample lashings of both coveted traits, which fuse together in a double helix of championship DNA. Dylan Alcott is one of those rare people, winning Paralympic medals across two sports, founding multiple disability advocacy organisations and winning all four tennis Grand Slams in a single year.
Over the course of his sporting career, Alcott has amassed more silverware than most sovereign states. He first represented Australia in wheelchair basketball at the age of 15, and went on to play at the Beijing Olympics just two years later, where Australia won gold.
At the 2012 London Olympics four years later, Alcott was on the team again, where the Australian team left with the silver medal in the bag. He retired from wheelchair basketball the following year, believing his time as a professional athlete would come to an end, but some talents just need to be explored, and Alcott quickly returned to his childhood sport of tennis.
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It was in 2014 that Alcott returned to the tennis court, winning the Australian Open Singles Championship for the first time the following year. Since his first Grand Slam win in 2015, Alcott hasnโt lost a single Australian Open Singles Championship.
In fact, over the last seven years of his career, Alcott has won 15 Grand Slams playing singles and another eight Grand Slams playing doubles, with some pretty incredible numbers behind those victories. His current singles results stand at 240 wins and just 54 losses (81.6% win rate), while his career doubles results are 106 wins and 44 losses (70.7% win rate). Heโs just that good.
While Dylan Alcott is one of the most successful Australian athletes of all time, he somehow still finds the time for more. He founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation in 2017, which works to build the self-esteem of young Australians with disabilities, and the year after launched the Ability Fest music festival, which aims to make live music more accessible for everyone.
In 2021, Alcott became the first person to ever win the menโs wheelchair tennis Golden Slam, after he won all four Grand Slams in a single year. After winning the fourth Grand Slam at the US Open, he announced his retirement from tennis, promising he would play a final tournament at the Australian Open this year.
I was lucky enough to sit down for an interview with Dylan this week, ahead of his final Australian Open, to chat about winning the Golden Slam, his retirement and more.
The last 12 months have been pretty massive for you, winning the Golden Slam and announcing your retirement from tennis. Could you talk us through what the last year has been like on a personal level and how it compares to other moments in your career?
It was incredible. It was almost as cool as when I first got on Boss Hunting, back in 2015 when I was crown surfing in my wheelchair. But, if youโd asked me that (a Golden Slam) was a possibility when I came back playing tennis in 2013โฆ I mean, are you joking? I didnโt even know what the golden slam was!
Iโm really grateful for the fact that I got to go overseas and do my job last year. If youโd asked me in 2020, โWould you win the Golden Slam?โ I would have said, โMate, weโre not even going to play tennis. Itโs not happening.โ So I think I really just felt lucky that we were even playing. I think that took a bit of the pressure off, so I just really enjoyed it.
I also sneakily knew I was never going to go back to the Paralympic games. I didnโt know if I was going to fully retire, but I knew I wasnโt going to do another Paralympics, because I didnโt have another three years in me. So when I won the Golden Slam, I took a moment to just really enjoy it. When I won the gold in Rio, I donโt even remember the ceremony, because I was just relieved I didnโt lose.
So to actually suck it in and enjoy it, that was probably the biggest lesson that I learned in 2021. Enjoy the moment for when it happens, because you never know if itโs going to be your last. I really did that.
What led to the decision to retire after the Australian Open? Are you at the top of your game and youโve achieved everything you want to in the sport?
When I retired from basketball in 2012, I thought I was retiring from sports in general, but then I became a tennis player. Iโve been a full-time professional athlete since I was 14 years old, which is a long time. But, if youโre going to do this, youโre all in, right? If you start not going โall inโ, one, you are going to lose. And two, youโre not going to be the best version of yourself.
I also couldnโt retire at the US open because itโs not my home. The Australian Open is my home, where I train every day. The Australian people have got around me so incredibly well, I wanted to do it here. Another reason to retire was I donโt want to be getting injured. Iโm getting a bit older. Iโm not old, but I feel a bit washed up, at 31.
I want to do other things, like the work we do at the Dylan Alcott Foundation, which I love. At the moment, I donโt have enough time to do it. Iโve also got a consulting firm where we educate governments and corporates about disability called GSA. I want to do a bit of acting, I want to do a bunch of different stuff. I canโt keep spinning all these plates.
I also hog the limelight a bit, and I donโt want to do that. I want people to know other athletes with disabilities, so Iโm just really excited. I think itโs the right time, and I wonโt be doing a John Farnham tour, coming back every year. This is it.
Kia has been a key player in the Australian Open for two decades now, and this year theyโre going electric! How important do you think it is for brands associated with the Australian Open to be more environmentally friendly?
I think itโs really important to align yourself with organizations and sponsors who, pardon my French, really give a shit about things that you believe in too. So first and foremost, one thing I love about Kia is they really got behind my ethos, they support the Dylan Alcott Foundation, and they support Ability Fair. Theyโre really keen on accessibility in terms of their cars, but also in their workplaces. So thatโs really important to me.
I personally think itโs very important to be environmentally friendly and look after the planet, not only for our current generation, but for our kids. I also reckon itโs awesome that theyโve got the new EV6 as a part of the fleet of drivers for the Australian Open this year. Iโm really happy that they chose me to be involved, especially as theyโve got this other ambassador called Rafael Nadal. Havenโt heard of him, but heโs supposed to be pretty good.
Between your own Kia and getting to and from tennis games over the years, youโve probably spent more time in Kiaโs than most Kia owners โ whoโs the coolest person youโve ever shared a Kia with during the Australian Open?
Iโve had some pretty big people in my car! Well, Iโve had Rafa. Rafaโs pretty big. I think the coolest person Iโve had was my girlfriend, Chantelle, and my dog Sauce. Obviously, I have to say that.
As well as those two, Iโve had Peking duck in there. Iโve had Dom Dolla, Iโve had Flight Facilities, Benson has been in my car, heaps of people!
You were just named as the Victorian Finalist for Australian Of The Year for 2022, in part because of the work youโve put into the Dylan Alcott Foundation and AbilityFest โ what would it mean to you if you were Australian Of The Year?
Well, firstly, it felt ridiculous to win the Victorian Australian of the Year. I couldnโt believe it. People like you call me an advocate, but I donโt try and be an advocate, I just be me. I talk about things Iโm passionate about, and itโs just really humbling that people buy into it and want to learn about disability.
There are four and a half million people in Australia that have some form of disability, one in five people. Iโve got to use my platform to shine a light on that, and help get others opportunities, in employment, in education, in their personal lives, and beyond.
One of the crazy things when I first started playing tennis, was I went to a tennis tournament just outside of Albury. Do you know what the most amazing thing about that tennis tournament was? I didnโt know you could drive a car when you were in a wheelchair with hand controls, I didnโt know that back then.
Today, people still ask, โDo you drive a car?โ and Iโm like, โMan, I drive a car like you.โ But they just donโt know, because disability hasnโt been mainstream conversation and I think thatโs what Iโm all about changing. Am I going to be Australian of the Year? Absolutely not. No way. Zero chance, in my opinion.
This is set to be your last major tennis tournament โ what are you hoping to achieve at this Australian Open?
My best mate, Tim, asked me this other day, โHowโre you feeling? Pressure? Nervous?โ And I go, โYou know what? Iโm pumped!โ
I can see the finish line and Iโve got no regrets. Iโm ready, Iโm enjoying it, and Iโm just genuinely trying to suck it all in. Itโs more a celebration, win, lose or draw, I think. Iโm just going to go out there and enjoy it and hopefully get the job done for everyone.
You know, Iโm just so grateful that when I first played the Australian Open, there was four people there and three of them were my family. Now, weโre packing stadiums.
Apart from yourself, who else should we be paying attention to in this Australian Open?
Iโll tell you what, Iโm on Aussie watch, this Australian Open. I think there are a few young Aussies, obviously the legend Ash Barty, being one of them.
Itโs been a tough year last year, because we had to go away and stay away thanks to quarantine. We all really struggled at the end of the year, but weโve all been at home, revitalized and we are ready to go. So I think, really watch all the Aussies out there.
Apart from that, and Iโm not just saying this because heโs a Kia ambassador, but my main man, Rafa is one to watch too. If he could go 21 would be pretty special as well. There are just lots of good stories, and that annoying wheelchair tennis guy, whoโs trying to go 16 Grand Slams on his last one.
I imagine youโve had a pretty packed schedule as a professional athlete for the last decade and a half, so what have you got planned after the Australian Open and beyond?
Well, Iโm due for holiday, thatโs for sure, I want to have a couple of beers and live my life! Iโm spinning a lot of plates at the moment and Iโm looking forward to just having a bit more time to myself to focus on what I want to do next. As I said, Iโve just got a โget shit doneโ attitude. When I want to do something, I just do it, because thereโs always a way to do it.
I actually want to try a bit of acting, and Iโm in the process of creating a documentary as well. I want to write a script, but also just keep doing things that are associated with my purpose. My purpose isnโt winning tennis tournaments and never has been. Itโs changing perceptions, so people with disability can live the lives they deserve to live. Thatโs the only reason I get out of bed.
So whatever I do, itโll be doing that. Whether itโs working in the media or our foundation, whatever it is, mate, thatโs why I do what I do. That keeps me motivated, and it keeps me happy. Iโm looking forward to the next chapter, thatโs for sure.
