Itโs been a killer few days for Australian athletes abroad. As Daniel Ricciardo secured McLarenโs first Formula 1 victory since 2012 at the Italian Grand Prix โ ending his own three-year drought with a well-deserved shooey โ 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). Thatโs 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 youโd expect, emotions were high, and only elevated to higher levels with the announcement this could very well be Alcottโs final appearance at Flushing Meadows.
โIโve got to be upfrontโฆ I donโt know whether Iโll be back here, so I really appreciate everything,โ says Dylan Alcott.
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โI just canโt believe I just won the Golden Slam. I used to hate myself so much, I hated my disability, I didnโt even want to be here anymore.โ
โI found tennis and it changed and saved my life. Now Iโve become the only male ever in any form of tennis to win the Golden Slam, which is pretty cool.โ
โTo 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.โ
โThanks for making the dreams of a young fat disabled kid with a really bad haircut come true because I canโt believe I just did it.โ
This represents the second Golden Slam earned by Dylan Alcott after his 2019 season run in Wheelchair Menโs Doubles tennis.
