28 January; Matt Roseby
After becoming the first person with a disability to be awarded the Australian of the Year on Tuesday night, Commerce alum Dylan Alcott OAM sounded off on an unrivalled tennis career at the Australian Open on Thursday.
Despite falling to world number two Sam Schroder in the Quad Wheelchair Singles Final, Dylan finished his tennis career as a peerless competitor in the sport, holding 15 Grand Slam titles.
Albeit it is Dylan’s impact and presence off the court that earned him the Australian of the Year Award for 2022. Co-founder of ‘AbilityFest’, Australia’s only fully accessible music festival, Dylan also published his best-selling autobiography ‘Able’ and founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation, providing scholarships and grant funding to marginalised Australians experiencing a disability.
Dylan has frequently shared his experience of growing up in a world with little visibility and representation of people with disabilities; now, as a regular commentator throughout Australian sport, a recurring guest on radio shows and podcasts alike, and co-host of his own television show ‘The Set’, Dylan has helped develop and enhance the presence of people with disabilities in the media.
Despite his remarkable feats of athletic ability and perseverance, the world number one’s career is challenged, if not eclipsed, only by his efforts in furthering the recognition, perception, and representation of people with disabilities throughout Australia.