Dylan Alcott tight lipped about Golden Slam prospects

As Dylan Alcott contemplates the possibility of a Golden Slam, the Aussie tennis star was reminded in Tokyo just how thin the line between victory and defeat is.

Dylan Alcott after his Wimbledon win. Picture: Getty Images

Don’t even try talking to Australian wheelchair tennis star Dylan Alcott about the Golden Slam.

He’s not superstitious but he’s heard all that before and is pretty sure nothing good comes from speaking out about the holy grail of his sport.

“I don‘t think about it. Everyone talks about it, but I don’t think about it,” he said.

“I‘ll do my best to win it, but if I don’t win it, I still got a great girlfriend, a great life, a great family. The sun will come up tomorrow.”

To complete the golden slam, Allcott needs to win the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Paralympic singles titles in the same calendar year.

Dylan Alcott is going for singles gold in Tokyo. Picture: Getty Images

He’s already won in Melbourne, Paris and London and on Thursday, he plays for the Paralympic gold medal in Tokyo, against Dutchman Sam Schroder. Then it’s off to New York for the final leg.

He’s the overwhelming favourite to win gold in Tokyo but isn’t taking anything for granted because he’s been down that path before.

“I had a chance to win the Grand Slam in 2019. I won Australia, won French, won Wimbledon, and at the US, I got to the final and got pumped.

“I got smashed because I was thinking about it. So I learned my lesson. Never again.

“It was devastating. Because I built it up, I had an expectation to win.”

Australia's Dylan Alcott after his Australian Open win in January. Picture: AFP

No matter how hard he tries to play things down, the pressure on Alcott to complete the Gold Slam is immense.

Already one of the greatest players of all time, with 14 singles and eight doubles grand slam titles under his belt, he also won two gold medals at the last Paralympics in Rio but is already 30 and being pursued by a new crop of talented youngsters.

The player he beat in the semi-finals, Dutchman Niels Vink, is just 18 and pushed the Aussie all the way before going down in three sets, and if Alcott needed a reminder of how difficult his quest is, he only needs to look at Novak Djokovic, who has won the first three grand slam events in 2021 but slipped up at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sam Schroder (R) and Niels Vink of the Netherlands celebrate winning the gold medal against Australia’s Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson. Picture: Getty Images

“Everyone was talking about Novak, and it didn‘t go as well for him, so I’m not talking about it,” Allcott said.

“I think about everything else in my life, and that helps my tennis because it made my tennis.

“It might sound strange, but it means less to me now because of everything else that I have and I do. To advocate for people with disabilities is more important to me than winning tennis tournaments. I can do that with or without the Golden Slam.”

He got another blunt warning when he teamed up with Heath Davidson in Wednesday’s doubles final against Schroder and Vink and the Dutch pair won 6-4, 6-3.

“We got pumped tonight. No excuses,” Allcott said.

Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson have won silver in the doubles in Tokyo. Picture: Getty Images

No rain, no room closure, no me being tired. They were better than us. They deserved it and good on them.

“To be that young and to bring it to us was impressive. Win, lose or draw Heath is my best mate.

“Medals come and go but that friendship stays forever and I couldn’t care less to be honest. I’m gutted and we wanted to win gold but I’m still so proud of Heath.

“I know he’s proud of me and even though I’m the one in the singles final it’s ‘we’ out there because we are a team,” he said.

“I’m gutted about now but I’ll cross that bridge tomorrow. You’ve got to suck it in for what it is. Yeah we lost and in a two-horse race it doesn’t feel like you win silver, you lose golds, but we still won silver.

“We’re proud of that and will be forever. I’m going to rest and recover and make the whole of Australia proud tomorrow with my effort. We’re going to do it together that’s for sure.”

Originally published as Dylan Alcott tight lipped about Golden Slam prospects