Retiring wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott has pledged to enjoy every last second he has remaining on the court after surviving a scare at the Australian Open.
Playing in his last tournament, Alcott came back from a set down against Dutch teen Niels Vink to book a spot in the semi-finals with a 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-2 win, with the marathon match taking close to three hours.
Alcott was as candid as ever in the moments after his win, paying tribute to a large contingent of family members and friends he had in the stands inside Kia Arena.
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“I thought my dad was going to have a heart attack in the front row. I loved it,” he said.
“I hated myself growing up and the reason I don’t [anymore] is them. So I’m very thankful.”
Alcott played in front of a sizeable crowd and was taken aback by the support he received.
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“Melbourne, we deserve this. I’m just so thankful and grateful that everybody came to watch me,” he said.
“I was trying to downplay it a bit, but I think I should lean into how awesome this is. I’m never going to be here again.
“Rather than pretend like it’s another match, it’s one of the coolest things I’m ever going to do. I really don’t care if I win; I just want to celebrate how awesome this is for disabled sport, wheelchair tennis, Paralympians everywhere.
“I know I’m the lucky one and I started to enjoy myself in the end and played better. So that’s going to be one of my rules going forward – just to enjoy the moment because I’m never going to be back out here.
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“We’ve done so much change together and I feel like I play a very small part in that. It’s everybody here, it’s everybody watching on TV, it’s everybody getting around it. I’m glad I’m still alive and I can keep doing it.”
Alcott will face Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne in the semi-final as he aims to retire with an eighth straight Australian Open title.