Australian Dylan Alcott completed the Golden Slam on Sunday afternoon when he defeated Dutchman Niels Vink 7-5, 6-2 to win the US Open quad singles title.
Alcott, fresh off capturing the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, won all four major trophies this year. The 30-year-old is now a 15-time major singles champion.
"I just can't believe I've just won the Golden Slam," Alcott said during the trophy ceremony. "I used to hate myself so much. I hated my disability. I didn't even want to be here anymore and I found tennis and it changed and saved my life. Now to become the only male ever in any form of tennis to win the Golden Slam is pretty cool."
The quad singles World No. 1 hit a sensational lob winner from well off the court to take the tight opening set after 43 minutes. With history in sight, Alcott stormed to the finish line to complete his historic achievement.
"Thanks so much to everybody involved here at the US Open, it's such an awesome event, to all the sponsors and everybody that makes it happen. Thank you for putting us on stadium courts, changing my life, changing Niels' life, but hopefully changing the lives of millions of people with disability around the world [so] that they can see themselves on the big stage doing what they love."
Earlier in the day, Diede de Groot of the Netherlands won the women's wheelchair singles title to become the first wheelchair player to complete the Golden Slam.
Alcott, fresh off capturing the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, won all four major trophies this year. The 30-year-old is now a 15-time major singles champion.
"I just can't believe I've just won the Golden Slam," Alcott said during the trophy ceremony. "I used to hate myself so much. I hated my disability. I didn't even want to be here anymore and I found tennis and it changed and saved my life. Now to become the only male ever in any form of tennis to win the Golden Slam is pretty cool."
The quad singles World No. 1 hit a sensational lob winner from well off the court to take the tight opening set after 43 minutes. With history in sight, Alcott stormed to the finish line to complete his historic achievement.
"Thanks so much to everybody involved here at the US Open, it's such an awesome event, to all the sponsors and everybody that makes it happen. Thank you for putting us on stadium courts, changing my life, changing Niels' life, but hopefully changing the lives of millions of people with disability around the world [so] that they can see themselves on the big stage doing what they love."
Earlier in the day, Diede de Groot of the Netherlands won the women's wheelchair singles title to become the first wheelchair player to complete the Golden Slam.