AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 16, 2021

Dylan Alcott

Heath Davidson

Press Conference

ALCOTT-DAVIDSON/Lapthorne-Wagner

6-2, 3-6, 10-7

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations. Four times in a row Australian Open champions. Talk us through the match, what it means to have won this title four times in a row.

HEATH DAVIDSON: It's really awesome to have won this title four times in a row, especially this year what Tennis Australia has gone through to get everybody here. We're really grateful to be able to play, so pretty happy, nice.

DYLAN ALCOTT: Yeah, I get to play tennis with one of my best mates. Not many people can say that. We don't just hang out in tennis, we hang out in everyday life, too.

20th anniversary of us meeting this year. Funny photo that I'm sure will be in the media today because our coaches just sent it to the media, where we're both super fat, I'm 10, he's 13. That was our first tournament at the tennis open outside Albury 10 years ago pretty much to the day.

I have four Australian Open titles. Pretty awesome. Very proud of Heath, where he's come from. To be able to do it at a time when not everybody is getting to do their jobs and things, we feel pretty lucky.

Q. That match in particular, quite the challenge out there.

HEATH DAVIDSON: Yeah, definitely. I felt like we both started really strong. Dylan kept his level up. I have no idea what happened to me in the start of the second set. I just decided to really freak out, not play tennis very well.

Big props to Dyl for giving me a little bit of a pep talk and getting in my ear and getting me back on track for the match tie. Yeah, those boys played pretty well, picked up their level. I think that's the third doubles final in a row that's gone to a match tiebreaker against those two.

I'm just stoked to be getting the win today, yeah, thanks to Dylan for throwing me on his shoulders.

DYLAN ALCOTT: I think it was eight deciding points in the match. We won all in the first one, they won all in the second one, which was close. We won the first set 24 to 21 points even though we won 6-2. Close match. Credit to them, they played really well.

You might have seen me running my wheelchair into Heath halfway through. In basketball if you're nervous, just hit someone, not aggressively, just foul somebody, go tackle someone, get contact.

I could see Heath glassy-eyed, just like he was looking through me, not at me. Needed a bit of a circuit breaker. Gave him a wheelchair tap, a chest bump for us wheelchair players.

I was really proud of his comeback. Think he played really well.

Q. Did it work?

HEATH DAVIDSON: Expected a left hook.

Yeah, definitely woke me up a bit. We've known each other, as Dylan was saying, for 20 years. We know each other well enough that he knows when I'm like that, I do get like that, just to snap me out of it. Took a little bit longer than expected today. Sure enough, we did the job in the end.

Yeah, just really happy.

DYLAN ALCOTT: Normally it's a laugh that gets him out of it. He didn't find me very funny today. I tried to get him to laugh. Had to do something else.

Q. (Question about supporting Andy Lapthorne.)

DYLAN ALCOTT: He had some mental health issues. He wasn't just talking about us. He was talking about the public. People know how he is, after we broadcast and things like that, which how awesome is that? You know what I mean?

After I won gold in Rio for the singles, I beat Andy, we actually all went out together and had beers, he and his family, my mates.

A few of my friends saw he put up a post he was struggling, they got in touch, which is awesome. He's great for the sport. I think he was talking about not coming here at one point. I'm glad he did. They almost beat us today. It was a great match. Broadcast again and things like that.

Lovely speech I thought he made. I think being vulnerable is important, respect him talking about it. I think a lot of people struggle with their mental health at the moment. I think a lot of people are pretty stoic and don't talk about it. To put yourself out there is a positive thing in my opinion.

Q. What's next?

HEATH DAVIDSON: What's next? We're hoping the other three Grand Slams decide to have eight quads as well. Which is I think awesome. We just want to keep moving forward. We showcased today the tennis is improving. We can all play tennis.

We're not too sure what this year looks like moving forward. A lot of cancellations for a lot of tournaments. We'll keep training and be ready for whatever comes.

DYLAN ALCOTT: Well said. Men's, women's quads, tennis all around the world at the moment... Australian Open, you guys, everybody who reports on us is leading the way, changing the world to be honest. They really are. Other countries are seeing this, following suit.

For the next generation... There are a lot of great Paralympic athletes all over the world, names you don't know when you should. Shout-out to tennis which is leading the way. I think it's awesome for other sports.

Q. You've spoken a lot this week about gratitude. Talk about this victory in context of everything that's happening in the world at the moment.

DYLAN ALCOTT: We are so lucky to be playing tennis at the moment. We aren't taking that opportunity for granted. I feel very grateful to be here. When other people can't do their jobs, lost loved ones, lost their jobs, can't travel, in lockdown, et cetera.

When you are grateful for the moment, I think you can relax. Win, lose or draw, who cares. I'm just lucky to be here. I'm thinking like that. I think the same way tomorrow, whenever it is, the singles final, Wednesday or Thursday, whenever we're scheduled to play.

At the moment just going to enjoy this, go out and have some lunch together. Heath might have a beer, I'm on the waters. He's done, I'm not.

I think all of us tennis players are lucky to be out here doing what we're doing. There's no complaining up here from us, none at all. I just feel grateful to be able to do what I love to do.

HEATH DAVIDSON: Dylan pretty much summed it up. We're lucky to be here. Really thankful for everyone that is allowing this to happen and stuff like that. Yeah, I'll have a cheeky beer with our lunch.

DYLAN ALCOTT: Free nachos and free burgers in the players cafe. He's going to spank them down.

HEATH DAVIDSON: I will obviously come out and support the big man tomorrow, be as loud as I possibly can, make it sound like there's a full stadium out there.

DYLAN ALCOTT: Yeah, I love it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.