“I really love clay,” Alcott told reporters after winning his 13th Grand Slam singles title. “I love Roland-Garros. I feel very lucky to be here at the moment with everything going on in the world.”
Although Alcott thoroughly enjoys life on Tour and winning titles, his main aim in life is to change people’s minds about disability.
“People think that my purpose in life is winning Grand Slams and tennis tournaments and gold medals and stuff like that,” said Alcott. “But my real purpose in life is trying to change perceptions so people with disability can do whatever they want to do.”
Alcott was born with a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord. Although the lump was removed when he was a few days old, it left him paraplegic. Having been bullied at high school in his early teens, he found solace in wheelchair basketball.
He was so good he ended up playing for the Australian wheelchair basketball team that won gold at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics and silver at the London 2012 Paralympics.