It’s been a killer few days for Australian athletes abroad. As Daniel Ricciardo secured McLaren’s first Formula 1 victory since 2012 at the Italian Grand Prix – ending his own three-year drought with a well-deserved shooey – Dylan Alcott has become the first man in any form of tennis to earn a calendar year Golden Slam at the US Open (his 15th Grand Slam title in Singles tennis). That’s all four major events as well as a Paralympic gold medal.
The 30-year-old Melbourne native won in decisive fashion against rising Dutch talent, Niels Vink, recording straight sets of 7-5 and 6-2 over the course of 75 minutes in the Quad Singles Wheelchair Final. As you’d expect, emotions were high, and only elevated to higher levels with the announcement this could very well be Alcott’s final appearance at Flushing Meadows.
“I’ve got to be upfront… I don’t know whether I’ll be back here, so I really appreciate everything,” says Dylan Alcott.
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“I just can’t believe I just won the Golden Slam. I used to hate myself so much, I hated my disability, I didn’t even want to be here anymore.”
“I found tennis and it changed and saved my life. Now I’ve become the only male ever in any form of tennis to win the Golden Slam, which is pretty cool.”
“To everybody at home, I love you. Hopefully, this puts a smile on your face. Better times are around the horizon. To everybody in New York, I feel honoured and privileged to be out here on this court.”
“Thanks for making the dreams of a young fat disabled kid with a really bad haircut come true because I can’t believe I just did it.”
This represents the second Golden Slam earned by Dylan Alcott after his 2019 season run in Wheelchair Men’s Doubles tennis.
