Players are frequently asked what they might do once the curtain falls on their tennis career, but Sloane Stephens was keeping her cards close to her chest: “Mind your business, girl,” said the American in giggles. Australian Sam Stosur triumphed on home soil in the women’s doubles, 13 years after losing in the final at Melbourne Park: “I kind of welled up a little bit in the semi, then nothing today. I only played in nine events and had to retire from two, and I was not able to play professional match since the US Open. If you would have asked me during the off-season, ‘You're going to play Rafa in the quarterfinals on Rod Laver with Rod Laver watching,’ I probably would have laughed. As a tennis fan, first and foremost, everyone loves Wimbledon, so be able to pull the whites on, and hang out there and get to play, it was unbelievable.”.
“I’m a sucker for an opportunity, I love doing all kinds of different things, so when these opportunities keep coming up I just keep taking them. “That, tonight, right there, was my destiny,” said an emotional Lapthorne after winning his semi-final. I've never seen a player have this. At the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Dylan became one of only a few athletes to win two gold medals in two different sports across two different Olympic or Paralympic. Alcott won his fifth grand slam title at Melbourne Park this year before adding a sixth at the US Open. With Ash Barty, Alex De Minaur and John Millman, Alcott was one of four finalists for Tennis Australia’s highest individual award, the Newcombe medal. The title is the philosophy the dauntless Alcott lives by, and “able” the message he remains determined to spread. As I said on the court, I didn't know if I going to hold the racquet again. I pretty much have done everything that I could to try to get my hip feeling better. “I don’t get out of bed every day to play to win a tennis tournament, I honestly don’t.
The sequel came as the Sussexes mingled with various politicians, celebrities and sports stars in Sydney last month. The support is overwhelming, so for me just to be here, I want to enjoy it and represent my continent really well.”, Official Website of the Paralympic Movement • IPC. Alcott is ‘absolutely loving’ his life at the moment. Tennis-wise, two events in the past 12 months are hard to separate: the quads’ long-awaited All England Club invitation, which ended six years of personal lobbying and has led to fully-integrated singles and doubles status in 2019; and the Australian Open. “But, in saying that, playing at Wimbledon meant so much to me, just to be there and to be included.
“There is a lot of pressure in order to represent the continent with pride. I do it because I love it, but it also provides me with a platform to do what I really want: which is to continue to change the perceptions around disability.”. Aniek van Koot claimed doubles gold and singles silver at Rio 2016, four years after winning two silvers at London 2012. Here is what they had to say. Tsitsipas reflected on the shock triumph of prevailing past defending champion Roger Federer: “That moment is definitely something that I will never, ever, ever forget. Oh, my goodness.
The coach is being very serious, I love that," said Federer watching the footage on the big screen.
I don't pull those out often, the high-waisted tights look.”. The 30-year-old advanced to the second round before she was beaten.
“I’ve never felt like that before and I will probably never feel like that again.”, Aniek van Koot – Women’s singles and doubles. That's the bare minimum.
I was told to smile and I didn't. To be standing now here managing to win this title and three of the four Slams is truly amazing. The trailblazing 2016 winner lost out to Barty and De Minaur this time, but is proud that the line between athletes with a disability and those without is becoming more blurred every year. Whatever that means, I don't know,” said the former US Open champion with a chuckle. “I love the ability to help people, so the work I do with my company, Get Skilled Access, and the work that I do at my foundation but also the work that I do in the media, which normalises disability, is really important to me as well, so it’s hard to split them.
By doing so much else, he was not devoting enough time to training. I didn't think any of this was going to happen. The six-time grand slam winner opens up on his ‘super busy’ life and how he strives to change perceptions around disability, Last modified on Wed 12 Dec 2018 05.27 EST. Kgothatso Montjane was the only African female wheelchair tennis athlete competing at Rio 2016. You don't see me … I don't think they care.”. So I was pretty happy with that.”, Alcott is similarly thrilled with so much in what he describes as a “super-busy” existence. She was a part of the Dutch dominance once again as the Netherlands claimed singles and doubles gold and silver for the third successive Games. “I would love to win gold. Just because I have my ankles taped, so I don't want to pull some hairs out ...”. heelchair tennis great Dylan Alcott likes to say he has seven jobs, although the release of his autobiography means bestselling author may soon qualify as No 8. He says, "At the time, it offered an incredible lifeline and break for my family and I, and one that we are forever grateful for." The gregarious Dylan Alcott clinched a fifth successive Australian Open Quad wheelchair singles title, and was honoured to have his final broadcast in prime-time on TV: “That meant the most. Roger Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic was spotted mucking around with the Swiss maestro’s son Lenny, who was poking the towering Croatian in the face, in the player’s box during a victory over Taylor Fritz: "There he goes. Priority-wise, the dual-sport Paralympics gold medallist still considers himself a tennis player first – but with a caveat. I would call that a talent.”. “I love having a disability and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Photograph: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for PTTOW, Dylan Alcott: 'I don’t get out of bed every day to win a tennis tournament'. “I could never have dreamed of having such a good year,” said Reid. That is where I'd like to stop playing.”. Wheelchair tennis great Dylan Alcott likes to say he has seven jobs, although the release of his autobiography means bestselling author may soon qualify as No 8. Djokovic reflecting on his recent journey clutching the trophy: “I'm trying to contemplate on the journey in the past 12 months. “I would be wasting my life if I won 20 grand slams and that’s all I did,” says Alcott, who owns six in singles – including this year’s Australian and US Opens – and one in doubles and will reassess his competitive future after the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, having debuted as a basketballer in Beijing in 2008. But no longer. A despondent Stefanos Tsitsipas struggled to understand the demolition delivered by Rafael Nadal in their semifinal: “It felt like a different dimension of tennis completely. “It was funny, had to smile when I saw Lenny in the first row, did not even know they would come, but it’s great, they can eat lunch here and meet their friends.”. Reid eases to title with win over doubles partner, All set for a final Super Saturday at Rio 2016, Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany. On the day of this interview, he has just finished 90 minutes of boxing and then two hours on the court. I feel pretty happy about it.
Priority-wise, the dual-sport Paralympics gold medallist still considers himself a tennis player first – but with a caveat. He plays just a different game style than the rest of the players. "I remember when I was 14-years-old and I was lying in bed and all I wanted to do was make it in the mainstream some way. I'm holding it, so that's good.”.
“I'm going to be thinking about that for the rest of today.”. “I went from ‘you might have known my name’ to ‘you probably couldn’t really get away from me’ during the Open,” he laughs. To broadcast it live to the world, never been done in a final, that's huge for the movement of parasports, everything that I believe in … it meant a lot.". Top seed Simona Halep joked what it is like to face the force from the racquet of Serena Williams: “I felt like I’ve been hit by the train in the first set, everything was too fast.”. Nadal was sent into raptures of laughter after an Italian journalist fell asleep during his press conference: “It’s not very interesting today,” quipped the Spaniard. I had surgery exactly 12 months ago. I don’t like wearing orange at all, but in events like the Paralympics I’m super proud to wear it,” said van Koot.