MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, January 21st, 2025
11.00: Bumped into Newk (John Newcombe) as he was walking into Club 1905, which is named after the Australian Open’s inaugural year. An important part of the AO’s history, Newk, who has an AM and OBE for contributions to tennis and the community, especially to young people and those with physical disabilities, was the second last Australian to win the Australian Open in 1975. He said he couldn’t wait to see what Irresistible Magazine came up with, and he was looking forward to seeing Lesley and “Tex” (Bill) Bowrey, French Open and Australian Open Grand Slam winners respectively, who arrive today from Sydney. It seemed only fitting given Newk’s achievements that he was off to dine on a three- course meal and have a few drinks at Bar 1905 with his mates.
12.00: It was great to see Jim Courier walking into the media area at the Australian Open, especially after his delayed arrival in Melbourne due to staying home and supporting family and friends through the devastating wildfires. Upon arriving, Courier found himself amidst the Novak Djokovic-Tony Jones drama, which had resulted in Djokovic refusing to take part in his on-court interview with Courier. Djokovic had deemed Tony Jones’ comments on Channel 9 to be offensive towards himself and the Serbian fans. Jones has since apologised and Djokovic has confirmed that he will go back to doing the on-court interviews. It was a shame as it had nothing to do with Courier and he’s probably still reeling from the drama he was facing in the US.
13.30 We had a chance to catch up with Dylan and Zach Alcott at Topcourt today. Dylan was inundated with fans and he’s a wealth of stats and information on the amazing things Tennis Australia are doing for people with disabilities at the AO. There are 100 people with a disability employed and working across the Australian Open and not just in the wheelchair tennis space. The Australian Open held the first ever Grand Slam for wheelchair tennis players, during the second week of the tournament, which led the way for the other Grand Slams to follow. The AO is now running the first AO Junior Grand Slam event further cementing its commitment to inclusion. He remembers when he played, an extraordinary 15,000 people were in the stands for the finals on Rod Laver Arena in its first year, with many more watching on TV.
What made Dylan most emotional though was seeing 500 wheelchair kids watching. He spoke about how proud he was of being “Australian of the Year” in 2022, and that was a result of being the only athlete in tennis to win the Golden Slam, which is a result of winning all four Grand Slams and a Paralympic gold medal. Besides the media engagements, commentary and TV shows, Dylan and his brother founded GSA (Get Skilled Access) which is designed to help organisations with improving innovation and creativity by being able to access diversity and be inclusive in their workplace. Through the Dylan Alcott Foundation, and the funding, equipment and mentorship they provide, 16 year old Australian Jin Woodman has won through his first round of the Quads defeating Dylan’s best mate and ranked 7, Heath Davidson. Dylan is calling on other sports and festivals to follow the AO’s lead in diversifying their workforce and bringing people of all abilities into sport.
1430: Saw Nick Kyrgios’ brother, Christos catching up with friends outside the Yonex booth as we were going to see Coco Gauff’s (USA) press conference, following her shock loss to Paula Badosa (ESP) 7-5, 6-4. Coco took the loss very well saying she was “disappointed but not completely crushed”, emphasising that she is still working on her game and although some may have opinions on why she missed certain shots, that actually it’s very different when you are playing the match, so therefore “it is, what it is” and “we’ll get back to work,” she said. Badosa followed her presser and was obviously very happy with how she played given her struggles with a debilitating back injury that almost forced her into retirement last year. Badosa feels like she belongs in the semis and although this is her first time into a Grand Slam semi-final, her highest ranking was number 2 in the world in 2022. Badosa said “I’ve been through a lot. I think I was, in the past, one of the best players in the world, but now I’m a better player. I’m more mature, and I think I manage the emotions a little better—not always, but sometimes!” Badosa plays her good friend Aryna Sabalenka next.
1800: Went to the Media cocktail party. What a great way to catch up with friends from all over the world and connect on what’s happening at the AO and looking forward to the rest of the year. There were not on lot of recognisable faces from TV commentary, no doubt checking themselves after the days controversies, but a lot more of the hard working journalists from around the world, often working in their second or third language, and pushing themselves to get great content and interviews to send back home.
