Golden goodbye: Alcott defends singles crown in Paralympic swansong
World No. 1 Dylan Alcott signed off in style at the Paralympics, producing a scintillating surge to beat Dutch world No. 2 Sam Schroder and defend his Rio 2016 quad singles title in what he later confirmed was his final appearance at the Games.
The 30-year-old Australian hit back from 5-3 down in the first set to prevail 7-6(2) 6-1, adding singles gold to the doubles silver won three days ago alongside Heath Davidson at Ariake Tennis Park. He joins Netherlands' Esther Vergeer, Great Britain's Peter Norfolk and Shingo Kunieda of Japan in the record books as just the fourth player to successfully defend a Paralympic wheelchair singles title.
“How special to go out on top like this,” said Alcott after claiming his third Paralympic wheelchair tennis gold medal. “I’m just such a proud Paralympian, proud of my disability. I’m not coming back to the Paralympic Games, that’s it for me here. Far out, it’s meant a lot to me.
“No Paris 2024, I’m done. I’ve got a little bit left in me, but not that long.”
Victory for Alcott brings his Paralympic medal count to six: as well as his two medals at Tokyo 2020 and twin golds at Rio 2016, he claimed wheelchair basketball gold at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012.
This fourth Paralympic gold leaves him one US Open title win away from completing the wheelchair tennis calendar Golden Slam in 2021, having already won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon singles titles this season – an unprecedented feat with the Paralympics and US Open both being played in the same year for the first time.
Netherlands' Diede De Groot, winner of her first Paralympic gold medal in women's singles on Friday night, also heads to New York next week with hopes of clinching all five titles, but for now Alcott said the US Open was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I couldn’t care less right now,” he said. “I’ve got to celebrate this for what it is – which is one of, if not the biggest achievement of my career. I’m honoured to be here, and to get it done was such a team effort. I’m really thankful.
“I wouldn’t want to be a beer in Tokyo tonight, because they are going to get destroyed.”
Paralympic debutant Schroder also leaves Tokyo 2020 with gold and silver in doubles and singles respectively, topping the podium alongside Niels Vink, who claimed singles bronze on Friday – a medal haul he admitted he would have signed up for prior to the Games.
“Dylan just played really well,” said the 21-year-old. “Definitely in that second set, I wasn’t in it. A couple of unforced errors and a couple of really good balls from him was all it took to turn the momentum around towards his side. He doesn’t need a lot to turn it around.
“I could have done some more there, I think. But ultimately, he turned it around on his own strengths.”
Alcott was understandably emotional both before and after the medal ceremony on Centre Court as he revealed his decision not to play on until Paris 2024 and shared how hard the year-long delay to Tokyo 2020 had been on him as he contemplated one final Paralympic campaign.
“I was almost done after Rio, and then it just kept going,” he said. “I was in a dark place when it got delayed, because I was done. I found a second wind, my family got me through, and my team. I didn’t think I was going to make it here.
“And how good did the Dutch kids get? The extra year was so bad for me, because they got awesome. It’s the sweetest of all my wins, because I got pushed and they were awesome. I shouldn’t have won. How I won that semi [against Vink], I’ll never know.”
Alcott choked back the tears as he reflected on the journey he had taken to this point – not just since his Paralympic debut at 17 in Beijing, but beyond that to his childhood. He departs the Paralympic Movement not only as a champion but one of its most prominent spokespeople for persons with disabilities, a role he is proud to see embraced by more and more Paralympians as the years go by.
“The kid that got bullied about his disability when he was 13, he’d just be so thankful for the life that he lives,” Alcott said. “I didn’t think I had much of a life to live. I hated myself. Now I live the best life of anybody I’ve ever met, and I’m so lucky, so grateful.
“What my [Paralympic] teammates are saying when they win or lose is just blowing me away. Two hundred advocates just saying the best stuff I’ve ever heard. I’m washed up, I’m stuffed, you don’t need me anymore. I’m done.”