 2025 portrait of Alcott | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country (sports) | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Residence | Hampton East, Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-12-04)4 December 1990 (age 34) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Quad, right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official website | https://www.dylanalcottfoundation.com.au/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 245–55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No.1 (29 June 2015) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (2019,2020,2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (2019,2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (2015,2018,2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Masters | W (2018) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic Games | W (2016,2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 108–46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No.1 (9 September 2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (2018,2019,2020,2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (2019,2020) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic Games | W (2016) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dandenong Rangers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2004–2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Last updated on: 27 January 2022. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dylan Alcott,AO (born 4 December 1990) is an Australian formerwheelchair tennis player, formerwheelchair basketball player, radio host, actor, foundation founder, business owner and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of theAustralia 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, at the2008 Beijing Paralympics, and was the youngest to compete in thewheelchair basketball competition. In 2014, he returned to wheelchair tennis with the aim of participating at the2016 Rio Paralympics, at which he won gold medals in the Men's Quad Singles and Doubles. He was named the 2016Australian Paralympian of the Year due to his outstanding achievements at Rio.
Alcott is the only man to complete theGolden Slam in quad singles, winning all four majors and theParalympics in 2021. In addition, he also won a separatenon-calendar-year Grand Slam in quad singles between 2018 and 2019. He is also the only man to complete theGrand Slam[broken anchor] in quad doubles, winning all four major titles in 2019.
Alongside his sporting career, Alcott hosted the weekend afternoon radio show on Australian radio stationTriple J, and theABC live music showThe Set, as well as being a commentator for the2019 Australian Open. He also was a member of the panel on theAFL Footy Show in 2019 until its cancellation.
In 2022, Alcott was namedAustralian of the Year and was made anOfficer of the Order of Australia.[1] A portrait by Felix von Dallwitz titledDylan Alcott, AOTY was a finalist in the2022 Archibald Prize.[2]
Dylan Alcott was born inMelbourne, Victoria, on 4 December 1990[3] to parents Martin and Resie. He has an older brother named Zack.[4] He was born with a tumour wrapped around hisspinal cord which was operated on during the first few weeks of his life.[5] The tumour was successfully cut out; however, it left Alcott a paraplegic, requiring him to use a wheelchair.
Alcott attendedBrighton Grammar School from year 6, and he competed for Victoria in swimming, and Australia for wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. Alcott graduated Brighton Grammar school in 2008.[5]
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).
Alcott played his first game of wheelchair basketball aged 14.[4] Alcott made his debut for theAustralia men's national wheelchair basketball team, the Rollers, at the 2006Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, where the team won the bronze medal. Alcott continued to hold his spot and was a member of the Rollers when the team 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 (no affiliation with the female team of thesame name) 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.[6]
Alcott was part of the gold medal-winning Rollers team at the2008 Summer Paralympics,[7][8] for which he received aMedal of the Order of Australia.[9] In his first Paralympics, Alcott 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 theUniversity 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 the2012 London Paralympic Games.
In 2010, Alcott was a part of the Rollers' success at the2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship inBirmingham, 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]
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 threeAndy 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 defeatingDavid 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.[15]
Alcott teamed up withHeath Davidson to win the Men's Quad Doubles gold medal at the2016 Rio Paralympics.[3][16] They defeated the reigning championsDavid Wagner andNick Taylor in the gold medal match 4–6, 6–4, 7–5.[3] The day after winning gold in the Men's Doubles, he defeatedAndy Lapthorne 6–3, 6–4 to win the gold medal in the Men's Quad Singles.[3]
In 2018, Alcott won his firstWheelchair Tennis Masters title in the Quads singles event.[17]
In 2021, Alcott became the third professional tennis player and only male player to win the calendar-year Golden Slam, winning singles titles in theAustralian Open,French Open,Wimbledon,US Open and the singles gold medal at the2020 Summer Paralympics.[citation needed] He joined fellow professional wheelchair tennis playerDiede de Groot in achieving the feat in 2021. They were the first two professional tennis players sinceSteffi Graf in 1988 to accomplish the feat.
After winning the Paralympics gold medal, Alcott announced he would not be featuring in the2024 Paris Paralympics, retiring from the competition.[18] In November 2021, Alcott announced his intention to retire from professional tennis entirely following the January 2022 Australian Open.[19]
Alcott has hostedInvictus Games Today, alongsideChris Bath andAnthony "Lehmo" Lehmann, and ABC's live music showThe Set withLinda Marigliano. He is a TV WeekLogie award winner.[20]
Alcott's return to wheelchair tennis after playing basketball resulted from an injury sustained in the lead-up to the 2012 Summer Paralympics. At an event, an inebriated person attempted to lift Alcott out of his wheelchair, leading to a fall in which Alcott sustained cuts from broken glass on the floor. He required a full hand reconstruction; once rehabilitated, he became eligible for a quad classification in tennis.[21]
Alcott has a Commerce degree from theUniversity of Melbourne. He currently works as a motivational speaker and as a radio host onTriple J.[22] In his spare time, Alcott attends music festivals, and he has become known for his "wheelchaircrowdsurfing".[23] In 2018, he launched Ability Fest, a universally accessible music festival, featuring pathways for wheelchairs, quiet areas for people with sensory disabilities, andAuslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreters.[24]
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."[4]
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".[25] In September 2017, Alcott was appointed Australian Patron forInternational Day of People with Disability.[26]
Alcott's autobiography,Able: Gold Medals, Grand Slams and Smashing Glass Ceilings, written with help by Grantlee Kieza, was published by ABC Books in 2018.[27] Alcott has also released the book in audiobook form, reading the book himself.[28]
Alcott's partner issex therapist Chantelle Otten.[29]
On 10 October 2023, Alcott was one of 25Australians of the Year who signed anopen letter supporting the Yes vote in theIndigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatristPatrick McGorry.[30][31]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Current through2021 US Open.
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | RR | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | F | 7 / 9 | 29–4 | |||||||||
| French Open | Not held | W | W | W | A | 3 / 3 | 6–0 | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | Not held | W | NH | W | A | 2 / 2 | 4–0 | |||||||||||||
| US Open | A | W | NH | RR | W | F | F | W | A | 3 / 6 | 18–4 | |||||||||
| Win–loss | 1–2 | 7–1 | 4–0 | 6–1 | 7–1 | 11–1 | 9–1 | 10–0 | 2–1 | 15/20 | 57–8 | |||||||||
| Year-end championship | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wheelchair Tennis Masters | F | A | A | A | W | A | NH | A | A | 1 / 2 | 7–1 | |||||||||
| Paralympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Summer Paralympics | Not held | G | Not held | G | NH | 2 / 2 | 8–0 | |||||||||||||
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | F | F | F | F | W | W | W | W | SF | 4 / 9 | 5–5 | |||||||||
| French Open | Not held | W | F | F | A | 1 / 3 | 1–2 | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | Not held | F[a] | W | NH | F | A | 1 / 3 | 1–2 | ||||||||||||
| US Open | A | F | NH | F | F | W | W | F | A | 2 / 6 | 2–4 | |||||||||
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 8 / 19 | 9–13 | |||||||||
| Paralympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Summer Paralympics | Not held | G | Not held | S | NH | 1 / 2 | 4–1 | |||||||||||||
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2015 | Australian Open | Hard |  David Wagner | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 2015 | US Open | Hard | David Wagner | 6–1, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 2016 | Australian Open(2) | Hard | David Wagner | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2017 | Australian Open(3) | Hard |  Andy Lapthorne | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2018 | Australian Open(4) | Hard | David Wagner | 7–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 2018 | US Open(2) | Hard | David Wagner | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Win | 2019 | Australian Open(5) | Hard | David Wagner | 6–4, 7–6(7–2) |
| Win | 2019 | French Open | Clay | David Wagner | 6–2, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 2019 | Wimbledon | Grass | Andy Lapthorne | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2019 | US Open | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 2020 | Australian Open(6) | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | 6–0, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2020 | US Open | Hard |  Sam Schröder | 6–7(5–7), 6–0, 4–6 |
| Win | 2020 | French Open(2) | Clay | Andy Lapthorne | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2021 | Australian Open(7) | Hard | Sam Schröder | 6–1, 6–0 |
| Win | 2021 | French Open(3) | Clay | Sam Schröder | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 2021 | Wimbledon(2) | Grass | Sam Schröder | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2021 | US Open(3) | Hard | Niels Vink | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2022 | Australian Open | Hard | Sam Schröder | 5–7, 0–6 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2014 | Australian Open | Hard |  Lucas Sithole | Andy LapthorneDavid Wagner | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2015 | Australian Open | Hard | Lucas Sithole | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 0–6, 6–3, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2015 | US Open | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | Nicholas Taylor David Wagner | 6–4, 2–6, [7–10] |
| Loss | 2016 | Australian Open | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | Lucas Sithole David Wagner | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2017 | Australian Open | Hard |  Heath Davidson | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2017 | US Open | Hard | Bryan Barten | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 2018 | Australian Open | Hard | Heath Davidson | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 6–0, 6–7(5–7), [10–6] |
| Loss | 2018 | US Open | Hard | Bryan Barten | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 6–3, 0–6, [4–10] |
| Win | 2019 | Australian Open(2) | Hard | Heath Davidson | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 6–3, 6–7(6–8), [12–10] |
| Win | 2019 | French Open | Clay | David Wagner |  Ymanitu Silva Koji Sugeno | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 2019 | Wimbledon | Grass | Andy Lapthorne | Koji Sugeno David Wagner | 6–2, 7–6(7–4) |
| Win | 2019 | US Open | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | Bryan Barten David Wagner | 6–7(5–7), 6–1, [10–6] |
| Win | 2020 | Australian Open(3) | Hard | Heath Davidson | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 2020 | US Open(2) | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | Sam Schröder David Wagner | 3–6, 6–4, [10–8] |
| Loss | 2020 | French Open | Clay | Andy Lapthorne | Sam Schröder David Wagner | 6–4, 5–7, [8–10] |
| Win | 2021 | Australian Open(4) | Hard | Heath Davidson | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 6–2, 3–6, [10–7] |
| Loss | 2021 | French Open | Clay | Sam Schröder | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 6–7(1–7), 6–4, [7–10] |
| Loss | 2021 | Wimbledon | Grass | Sam Schröder | Andy Lapthorne David Wagner | 1–6, 6–3, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2021 | US Open | Hard | Heath Davidson | Sam SchröderNiels Vink | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2016 | Summer Paralympics | Hard | Andy Lapthorne | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Gold | 2021 | Summer Paralympics(2) | Hard | Sam Schröder | 7–6(7–2), 6–1 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2016 | Summer Paralympics | Hard | Heath Davidson | Nick TaylorDavid Wagner | 4–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Silver | 2021 | Summer Paralympics | Hard | Heath Davidson | Sam SchröderNiels Vink | 4–6, 3–6 |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 One Plus One: Dylan Alcott, One Plus One,ABC News |
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