Jump to content

Dylan Alcott

Listen to this article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Monkbot (talk | contribs) at 23:15, 24 January 2021 (Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 34 templates: hyphenate params (1×);). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Dylan Alcott
2016 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of Alcott
Country (sports)Australia
ResidenceHampton East, Victoria, Australia
Born (1990-12-04) 4 December 1990 (age 33)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Turned pro2014
PlaysQuad, Right-handed
Singles
Career record214–53
Highest rankingNo. 1 (29 June 2015)
Current rankingNo. 1 (16 March 2020)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
French OpenW (2019, 2020)
WimbledonW (2019)
US OpenW (2015, 2018)
Other tournaments
MastersW (2018)
Paralympic GamesW (2016)
Doubles
Career record96–38
Highest rankingNo. 1 (9 September 2019)
Current rankingNo. 1 (16 March 2020)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2018, 2019, 2020)
French OpenW (2019)
WimbledonW (2019)
US OpenW (2019, 2020)
Other doubles tournaments
Paralympic GamesW (2016)
Basketball career
Dandenong Rangers
PositionGuard
LeagueNational Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL)
Career information
Playing career2004–2012
Career highlights and awards
  • NWBL Low Point MVP (2010)
  • 4x Wheelchair Sports Victoria Junior Athlete of the Year (2004–2006 and 2008)
  • Junior National Championships MVP (2010)
  • Dandenong Rangers Most Improved Player (2007)
Medal record
Men's wheelchair tennis
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Men's Quad Singles
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Men's Quad Doubles
Men's wheelchair basketball
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Team Competition
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Men's wheelchair basketball
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2010 Birmingham Team

Dylan Martin Alcott, OAM (born 4 December 1990)[1] is an Australian wheelchair basketballer, wheelchair tennis player, radio host and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team, known colloquially as the Australian "Rollers". At the age of 17 he became the youngest "Rollers" gold medal winner for wheelchair basketball, and was the youngest to compete in the Wheelchair Basketball competition.[2] In 2014, he returned to wheelchair tennis with the aim of participating at the 2016 Rio Paralympics,[2][3] at which he won gold medals in the Men's Quad Singles and Doubles.[1][4] He was named the 2016 Australian Paralympian of the Year due to his outstanding achievements at Rio.[5] Alongside his sporting career, he hosted the weekend afternoon radio show on Australian radio station Triple J, and the ABC live music show The Set, as well as being a commentator for the 2019 Australian Open. He also was a member of the panel on the AFL Footy Show in 2019. He is the only man to complete the Calendar-Year Grand Slam in quad doubles, winning all four major titles in 2019; in addition he has also won a non-calendar year Grand Slam in quad singles.

Early life

Dylan Alcott was born in Melbourne, Victoria, to parents Martin and Resie. He has an older brother named Zack.[2] He was born with a tumor wrapped around his spinal cord which was operated on during the first few weeks of his life.[6] The tumor was successfully cut out; however, it left Alcott a paraplegic, requiring him to use a wheelchair.

Alcott attended Brighton Grammar School from grade 6, and competed for Victoria in swimming, and Australia for wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. Alcott graduated Brighton Grammar school in 2008.[6]

Alcott's first sport of choice was wheelchair tennis, where he represented Australia on numerous occasions, reaching a ranking of 100 in the world by age 16 (4th in the world for under-18s).

Basketball

Alcott in a game versus Great Britain

Alcott played his first game of wheelchair basketball aged 14.[2] Alcott made his debut for the Rollers at the World Championship, where they won a bronze medal. Alcott continued to hold his spot and was a member of the Rollers who travelled to the Beijing Olympic warm-up tournament in January 2008. Alcott made his name in basketball through his performances in the national league competition, competing for the Dandenong Rangers and being selected in the all star team for 2008. He has achieved success through junior competition as well; being named the Most Valuable Player at the Junior National Basketball Championships.[citation needed]

Alcott was part of the gold medal winning Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team at the 2008 Summer Paralympics,[7][8] for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia.[9] In his first Paralympics Dylan was quoted; "To be 17 and win gold... well it just doesn't get any better than that".[10]

In 2009, Alcott accepted a scholarship at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he went on to win the College Championship division with the University of Illinois wheelchair basketball team. After one year of study, he decided to move back to Melbourne to train for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

In 2010, Alcott was a part of the Rollers success at the 2010 World Championships in Birmingham, England. It was the first world championship the Australian wheelchair basketball team had ever won, and Alcott was named in the World All Star 5 for the tournament.

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Alcott was part of the Australian men's wheelchair team that won silver.[11]

Tennis

Alcott during the 2014 Swiss Open in Geneva

In 2014, Alcott returned to wheelchair tennis.[12] At the age of 16, he was ranked inside the top five juniors in the world.[12] In July 2014, he defeated world number three Andy Lapthorne 7–5, 6–1 in the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championship final in Nottingham to win his first Super Series crown.[13] Early in the year, he won the New Zealand Open in just his second tournament appearance.[13] In January 2015, he won the quad wheelchair Australian Open title by defeating David Wagner in straight sets.[14] It was his maiden grand slam title.[14] At the conclusion on 2015, he was ranked number 1 after winning eight titles including two grand slam singles titles.[3]

Alcott teamed up with Heath Davidson to win the Men's Quad Doubles gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.[1] They defeated the reigning champions David Wagner and Nick Taylor in the gold medal match 4–6, 6–4, 7–5.[1] The day after winning gold in the Men's Doubles, he defeated Andy Lapthorne 6–3, 6–4 to win the gold medal in the Men's Quad Singles.[1]

In 2018, Alcott won his first Wheelchair Tennis Masters title in the Quads singles event.[15]

Personal life

Alcott has a Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne. He currently works as a motivational speaker and as a radio host on Triple J.[16] In his spare time, Alcott attends music festivals, and has become known for his "wheelchair crowdsurfing".[17] In 2018, he launched Ability Fest, a universally accessible music festival, featuring pathways for wheelchairs, quiet areas for people with sensory disabilities, and Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreters.[18] Alcott was a panel member on the AFL Footy Show until the show was cancelled in 2019.

Alcott's advice to young people with a disability is: "The biggest thing is that for every one thing you can’t do, there are 10,000 others you can. For every one idiot to give you a hard time, there are 10,000 others worth your time."[2]

In 2017, Alcott established the Dylan Alcott Foundation "with the core purpose of helping young Australians with disabilities gain self-esteem and respect through sport and study".[19] In September 2017, Alcott was appointed Australian Patron for International Day of People with Disability.[20]

The book Able: gold medals, grand slams and smashing glass ceilings, written with Grantlee Kieza, was published by ABC Books in 2018.[21]

Alcott's partner is sex therapist Chantelle Otten.[22]

Tennis career statistics

Grand Slam performance timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Current through the 2020 French Open.

Quad singles

Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 SR
Australian Open RR W W W W W W 6 / 7
French Open Not held W W 2 / 2
Wimbledon Not held W NH 1 / 1
US Open A W NH RR W F F 2 / 5

Quad doubles

Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 SR
Australian Open F F F F W W W 3 / 7
French Open Not held W F 1 / 2
Wimbledon Not held F W NH 1 / 2
US Open A F NH F F W W 2 / 5

Grand Slam finals

Quad singles: 13 (11 titles, 2 runner-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 2015 Australian Open Hard United States David Wagner 6–2, 6–3
Win 2015 US Open Hard United States David Wagner 6–1, 4–6, 7–5
Win 2016 Australian Open (2) Hard United States David Wagner 6–2, 6–2
Win 2017 Australian Open (3) Hard United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne 6–2, 6–2
Win 2018 Australian Open (4) Hard United States David Wagner 7–6, 6–1
Win 2018 US Open (2) Hard United States David Wagner 7–5, 6–2
Win 2019 Australian Open (5) Hard United States David Wagner 6–4, 7–6(7–2)
Win 2019 French Open Clay United States David Wagner 6–2, 4–6, 6–2
Win 2019 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne 6–0, 6–2
Loss 2019 US Open Hard United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne 1–6, 0–6
Win 2020 Australian Open (6) Hard United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne 6–0, 6–4
Loss 2020 US Open Hard Netherlands Sam Schröder 6–7(5–7), 6–0, 4–6
Win 2020 French Open Clay United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne 6–2, 6–2

Quad doubles: 15 (7 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2014 Australian Open Hard South Africa Lucas Sithole United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 4–6, 4–6
Loss 2015 Australian Open Hard South Africa Lucas Sithole United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 0–6, 6–3, 2–6
Loss 2015 US Open Hard India Gauri Sharma United States Nicholas Taylor
United States David Wagner		 6–4, 2–6, [7–10]
Loss 2016 Australian Open Hard United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne South Africa Lucas Sithole
United States David Wagner		 1–6, 3–6
Loss 2017 Australian Open Hard Australia Heath Davidson United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 3–6, 3–6
Loss 2017 US Open Hard United States Bryan Barten United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 5–7, 2–6
Win 2018 Australian Open Hard Australia Heath Davidson United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 6–0, 6–7(5–7), [10–6]
Loss 2018 US Open Hard United States Bryan Barten United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 6–3, 0–6, [4–10]
Win 2019 Australian Open (2) Hard Australia Heath Davidson United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 6–3, 6–7(6–8), [12–10]
Win 2019 French Open Clay United States David Wagner Brazil Ymanitu Silva
Japan Koji Sugeno		 6–3, 6–3
Win 2019 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne Japan Koji Sugeno
United States David Wagner		 6–2, 7–6(7–4)
Win 2019 US Open Hard United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne United States Bryan Barten
United States David Wagner		 6–7(5–7), 6–1, [10–6]
Win 2020 Australian Open (3) Hard Australia Heath Davidson United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne
United States David Wagner		 6–4, 6–3
Win 2020 US Open (2) Hard United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne Netherlands Sam Schröder
United States David Wagner		 3–6, 6–4, [10–8]
Loss 2020 French Open Clay United Kingdom Andy Lapthorne Netherlands Sam Schröder
United States David Wagner		 6–4, 5–7, [8–10]

Recognition

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Dylan Alcott". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e McLachlan, Hamish (7 November 2015). "Hamish McLachlan: What you didn't know about paralympian Dylan Alcott". Herald Sun. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Fan favourite Alcott defends quad wheelchair title". AustralianTennis Open website. Retrieved 30 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Paralympic glory in sight for Australia's wheelchair tennis athletes". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Alcott crowned Paralympian of the Year". Australian Paralympic Committee News. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b A c h i e v i n g S u c c e s s I n L i f e, L e a r n i n g & S p o r t : Eight School Aged Athletes Share Their Journey. Melbourne: Victorian Institute of Sport. 2008.
  7. ^ McGarry, Andrew (4 September 2008). "Event guide: Wheelchair basketball". ABC. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Basketball Chronology". Basketball Australia. 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)". ABC News. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Athlete Profile – Dylan Alcott". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Men's Wheelchair Basketball Results". London 2012 Paralympic Games. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Australia's Dylan Alcott returns to first love". International Paralympic Committee News, 10 February. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Dylan Alcott wins the British Open Tennis Crown". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 21 July 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  14. ^ a b Morgan, Liam. "Alcott claims maiden Grand Slam title in front of home crowd at Australian Open". Inside the Games, 31 January 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Dylan Alcott wins first title". Paralympics. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  16. ^ Wilmoth, Peter (17 July 2017). "The extraordinary life of paralympian-turned-DJ Dylan Alcott". The Weekly Review. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  17. ^ Te Koha, Nui (14 December 2014). "Paralympian Dylan Alcott wows crowd at Meredith Music Festival". Herald-Sun. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  18. ^ Asher, Nicole (7 April 2018). "Melbourne's first Ability Fest launched by Paralympian Dylan Alcott". ABC News. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  19. ^ "What we do". Dylan Alcott Foundation. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Dylan Alcott announced as Patron for International Day of People with Disability". Dept. of Social Services website. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  21. ^ Alcott, Dylan; Kieza, author.), Grantle (2018). Able : gold medals, grand slams and smashing glass ceilings. Sydney, NSW : ABC Books. ISBN 9780733339875. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Dylan Alcott's partner Chantelle Otten shares sex confession about the couple's first time". News.com.au. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  23. ^ McGowan, Marc (24 November 2015). "Dylan Alcott's Newcombe medal snub a bad look following Kyrgios/Tomic excuse". Adelaide Advertiser. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  24. ^ "Australian Tennis Awards Honour Roll". Tennis Australia website. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  25. ^ "Victorian Champion Wins VIS Sport Of Excellence Award". Minister of Sport and Recreation Media Releasr.
  26. ^ "The Best of the Best Honoured at the Victorian Sports Awards". Best of the Best Honoured at the Victorian Sports Awards.
  27. ^ "'The Don' 2016 Finalists Announced". Sport Australia Hall of Fame website. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  28. ^ Walsh, Scott (8 December 2016). "Dylan Alcott wins double at Australian Paralympic Awards". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  29. ^ "Alcott awarded 2016 Newcombe Medal". Tennis Australia website. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  30. ^ "Mighty Mack wins Award of Excellence". Victorian Institute of Sport website. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  31. ^ "Alcott named ITF wheelchair quad world champion". Tennis Australia website. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  32. ^ Idato, Michael (30 June 2019). "ABC, Ten win big, Tom Gleeson takes gold at Logie Awards". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  33. ^ "James goes back-to-back". Victorian Institute of Sport website. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  34. ^ "Australian Tennis Awards winners honoured in Melbourne". Tennis Australia. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
Listen to this article (2 minutes)
Spoken Wikipedia icon
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 1 January 2012 (2012-01-01), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help · More spoken articles)
External videos
video icon One Plus One: Dylan Alcott, One Plus One, ABC News


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dylan_Alcott&oldid=1002542027"