Tennis Australia has awarded the Newcombe Medal to Dylan Alcott after his trifecta of gold medal performances at the Rio Paralympics.
Alcott became the first wheelchair player to claim the top prize. Alcott wasn’t to be denied again after a dominant 2016 in which he successfully defended his Australian Open title, won singles and doubles gold at the Rio Paralympics and was crowned Australia’s Paralympian of the Year.
Bad boys of Tennis, Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic were snubbed after their controversial seasons.
Tennis great John Newcombe told media that Kyrgios and Tomic failed to meet the criteria and didn’t receive a nomination.
“It’s not just about your ability to play tennis … it’s (also) about how you’ve conducted yourself during the year,”
“It’s not just dependent on your tennis results, it’s a whole package of what’s gone on and how you’ve represented yourself out there.”
The Newcombe medal was awarded to Alcott in what was a moment for not just tennis but Australian sport in general. Alcott told the Today Show how he felt and what he meant to him.
“These big top awards are normally reserved for the best able-bodied athlete, to be honest so to have a disabled athlete there, a Paralympic athlete, is just a massive glass ceiling-smashing effort by Tennis Australia,” Alcott said.
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I am the sports editor for the Macleay Newsroom. I enjoy cooking and watching sport intently.
