Wheelchair ace who dominated tennis reveals his plan to retire
Australian wheelchair champion Dylan Alcott has announced his retirement from tennis.
Alcott, who won a rare calendar year āgolden slamā earlier in the year after taking all four major titles and Paralympic or Olympic gold at the US Open, will quit tennis after Januaryās Australian Open.
āThere no way I could finish my career [in New York] a few weeks ago because the US Open was not my home,ā an emotional Alcott said announcing his retirement at Melbourne Park on Tuesday
āThis is my home and the Australian Open changed my life. I owe it everything.ā
The 30-year-old Melburnian said he would save his ābig thank-yousā for when he did retire, āwhich is not today, it is just the announcement. I feel like John Farnham announcing today, one more timeā.
āThe time has come, I feel redundant, I feel old, washed up. The next generation is here, and it is their turn to dominate and get the recognition they deserve,ā he said.
He had already announced that this yearās Tokyo Paralympics would be his last, after he clinched gold in the quad singles final.
Alcott started his Paralympic career as a teenager, winning gold with the menās basketball at the 2008 Beijing Games, and declared 2021 was his fourth and final.
Stay informed, daily
He finishes with four gold and two silver medals from his tennis and basketball entries.
āIām not coming back to the Paralympics ever again and I love it so much, it means so much to me,ā he told Channel Seven after the medal ceremony in September.
āWhen I was 17 I got to go with the Rollers and we won gold and it was life-changing but Paralympic sport in general, it saved my life.
āIt was the best thing that ever happened to me and I owe it so much so I took a moment to look around because Iām so grateful it came into my life.ā
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
