Wheelchair quad men’s final to be played in primetime

Australian Open officials are hopeful of a special send-off for tennis ace Dylan Alcott with the wheelchair quad men’s final to be held in primetime.

Tennis ace Dylan Alcott could take centre stage at the Australian Open as he prepares to bow out in style at his home grand slam next month.

The wheelchair quad men’s final is scheduled to take place on Rod Laver Arena for the first time as its own afternoon session, which is expected to be in front of a capacity crowd.

The match replaces the women’s semi-finals on the second Thursday of the tournament, which are moving to prime time evening slots that night.

“If wheelchair tennis is the hottest ticket in town, if I told you that a few years ago, would you have believed it?” Alcott said.

“There’s no way, it’s just incredible. It’s just so cool that it’s just a part of it now.

“I watch TV ads and it’s like Nadal, Barty, Alcott — it’s just normal.

“This place has set the tone for all the other Grand Slams, all the other sports. And you saw that at the Paralympics, it’s changed the game. I think we did that here, I really do.”

The Australian Open is hoping to host the biggest crowd ever at a wheelchair sporting event with a capacity of 15,000 on Rod Laver Arena.

Dylan Alcott will play his final slam in Australia. Picture: AFP

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said golden slam winner Alcott deserved to be farewelled in style.

A special ticket price starting at $29 will be on offer for the session on Thursday January 27.

“The wheelchair event at the AO has become an unmissable event and has introduced fans around the world to so many inspirational players,’’ Tiley said.

“This is in no small way due to the incredible performances of our own Dylan Alcott, who is hoping to end his career on a high at the AO in 2022.

“The men’s wheelchair quad event commences on Sunday January 23 and we expect big crowds to turn out for Dylan’s first match as the fans follow him at his final tournament.

“The Australian Open was the first Grand Slam to showcase the final of the quad wheelchair event on centre court, and we hope to pack out Rod Laver Arena for this event in 2022 — who knows, we may set a record for the number of fans at a wheelchair tennis match.”

Tickets will go on sale for the wheelchair final session on Tuesday morning via Ticketmaster.

Originally published as Wheelchair quad men’s final to be played in primetime