Dylan Alcott bolstered his reputation as one of wheelchair tennis’s all-time greats with an 11th Grand Slam quad singles triumph at Roland Garros at the expense of his former rival and double partner Andy Lapthorne
And the man who has become one of Australia’s great ambassadors and sporting pioneers was delighted to have been able to secure his 6-2, 6-2 victory at one of the sport’s major stages, Court Suzanne Lenglen at Roland Garros
« Getting us on the right track today was really cool It was really I was shocked I had no idea this was going to happen, » said the always effervescent Alcott, who continued his dominance over his British friend Lapthorne to retain crown a day after the duo lost as a team in the doubles final
« To the organizers, thank you I love clay I didn’t think I liked clay, to be honest I hate getting dirty I play well on it I think I like it now! »
Alcott was recently instrumental in convincing the US Open to turn around on its decision to exclude the wheelchair tournament in New York, his angry comments about « disgusting discrimination » sparking a wave of support from the from some of the biggest names in sport
“Oh, mate, that’s cool,” said Alcott “I can’t believe it When we originally missed the US Open I just wrote these tweets because I was really sad, to be honest As a disabled person, not being included just because of our disability was difficult
« I didn’t think anyone would listen Next thing is on the third page of The New York Times Andy Murray called me on the phone The support of the tennis world has been amazing
« I can play Rod Laver Arena in Australia, 10,000 people there, a million people watching on TV, that kind of stuff My match was live on Australian TV today, this that’s so cool «
Alcott felt that the news he would be playing on Lenglen really gave him a boost to his best tennis
« As soon as I saw this (we were going to step onto the main court for the first time) I had a spring in my step, to be honest I love a big, big occasion »
The triumph made amends for Alcott’s shocking loss to Sam Schroder in the US Open final, which was his only loss in the Grand Slam final and his only loss in 19 matches this year, adding this second French title to his six crowns at the Australian Open, two victories at the US Open and the first Wimbledon championship of last year
Dylan Alcott explains how sport transformed his early disability issues in conversation with Kurt Fearnley for One Plus One
« I stuffed the US Open, lost in the final I think winning today was worth the trip, you know what I mean? I’m really proud of the way I played. had a great time there «
The two-time Melbourne Paralympic gold medalist only experienced a first moment of worry in his 51-minute triumph, as he lost the first two games to Lapthorne to retaliate immediately
Once he recovered from the break and then caught another in a tough sixth game, the 29-year-old took control of the game to annex the set in 27 minutes
Lapthorne ultimately broke a seven-game losing streak in the second set, but after the duo traded breaks, Alcott ran with the final three games to win the 37th singles title of his stellar career
« The media, the public, the people want to watch because it is an entertaining sport It means a lot to me, even more to us, but also to the next generation of young people with disabilities, » he said
« I like winning the Grand Slam, but that’s not the reason I get out of bed. It’s not It’s to offer opportunities and try to change perceptions »
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AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time, which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
French Open, Dylan Alcott, Andy Lapthorne, Wheelchair Tennis, Grand Slam
News from around the world – AU – The superb Dylan Alcott wins the French Open to win the 11th grand slam title
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
