Dylan Alcott bids farewell to his Australian of the Year title

Between advocacy work and non-stop television interviews, wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott is ready for a break and to see more of his beautiful girlfriend, Chantelle Otten.

Dylan is preparing to officially hand down his Australian Of The Year title after a busy twelve months.

“You can hear my voice, it’s a bit croakier than normal because all I’ve been doing is talking for a whole year,” he told 9Honey.

“I wouldn’t say I’m relieved to pass it [Australian of the Year] on, but I’m relieved to see my bed a little bit more and see my girlfriend, see my dog and see my friends.”

Dylan revealed he had only spent a handful of nights in his own bed since August 2022. In a final goodbye to his title as Australian of the Year, Dylan confessed he had attended more than 300 appearances and spent over 200 days on planes.

“Big love to the next Australian of the year, and the ones that came before me for all the support – I’ll be here to help anyway I can,” he wrote.

“It’s time for a little sleep”.

There is no denying Dylan deserves a break, but he remains grateful for the incredible platform he has earned.

“Just the sheer amount of interest in disability and people wanting to get better and listen and learn has been incredible. We’re still getting hundreds of speaking requests every day,” he said.

“Probably the biggest change this year has been that every single person I pass on the street stops and says hello and congratulations, which is pretty cool.”

His sporting achievements are never-ending, after winning 15 Grand Slam tennis quad singles titles, eight in doubles. Plus, he was the first man in tennis history to achieve a Golden Slam – which is where a player wins all four major titles and gold at the Paralympic Games.

But after retiring at the 2022 Australian Open, Dylan reveals he “hasn’t missed playing tennis”.

“Which has been refreshing. I was worried, not in a bad way… but some athletes never get that, they always have that itch to play,” he said.

“I’m just really happy with what we’re doing at the moment. I’ve been enjoying the other side of it, all the TV and speaking and just getting to see a few mates do their thing.”

Profile Tia Thomas Senior Digital Content Producer

After completing a Bachelor of Communication, majoring in Journalism and Media Production, Tia began her career in media 2022. She writes on the Now To Love website, particularly for the legacy brand TV Week and manages its social media platforms. She is currently the Senior Digital Content Producer on Now To Love, writing predominately for TV Week while managing all its social media platforms. It is here she can combine her professional and personal passions for reality TV, drama, celebrity, Australian and International TV – and donning her favourite clothes for a red carpet to interview some of television’s best.