Wheelchair Tennis Legend Dylan Alcott Sends Out Powerful Message Ahead of Retirement at Australian Open 2022

Dylan Alcott is one of the most popular figures in all of Australia. He is a wheelchair tennis player, radio host, and motivational speaker. Moreover, he is also a wheelchair basketball player.

The 31-year old has won 15 Grand Slams throughout his career, and eight doubles titles as well. Furthermore, his crowning jewel in a much-decorated career was the Golden Slam. Alcott won all 4 Grand Slams of this calendar year, along with a Gold Medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Now, in the twilight of his career, Dylan Alcott has promised to continue fighting for disabled athletes.

Dylan Alcott will retire after the 2022 Australian Open

The upcoming 2022 Australian Open will be Alcott‘s swan song. He will be trying to win a sixteenth Grand Slam and his eighth Australian Open title.

In recognition of the enormous impact of Alcott’s career on sport for people with disabilities, the tournament officials of the Australian Open scheduled the men’s singles final at the Rod Laver Arena. In fact, with this novel and historic news, the final will also get its own afternoon slot.

His achievements have provided him with a significant public image. However, Alcott remains unhappy about the same not being the case for other disabled athletes. “I was listening to all my teammates speak and I’ve never felt more redundant in my life,” he said.

“They were all advocates and I knew they were like that, but they’ve just never been given the same platform that someone like myself,” Alcott expressed.

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Alcott talks about how there were many great tennis players who paved the path for him. However, their names are not as popular or known.

“There were so many great tennis players before me, (such as) Dani Di Toro, David Hall. Hall of famers, and people might not know their name and that’s crap. They deserve to be the same.”

Alcott talks about the future

“My time is done and other people deserve (more attention), whether it is Heath (Davidson) in tennis, or (athletes) in other sports, or whatever it is,” he said.

“I’ve got full faith in the Australian public that they’ll get behind athletes with a disability – and not just to get the warm fuzzies. You know, ‘We’re going to support the disabled athletes’.

Clearly, Alcott intends to fight more for the disabled community, as he has mentioned how a political career after sports might be in the cards.

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“If I’ve played even a very, very small role in that, then I’ve done what I was meant to do in sport. But I’ll never stop fighting for my community,” he said.