‘Dylan Alcott effect’: Rising teen tennis star to make Australian Open debut

In 2018, eight-year-old Jin Woodman tossed the coin in the first round of the Australian Open men’s quad singles, bright-eyed and beaming.

He never thought that seven years later, he would be competing in the main draw himself.

But following in the paths of his childhood inspirations, Dylan Alcott and Heath Davidson, that dream will become a reality after he earned a wildcard spot in his home Grand Slam next year — at only 15 years old.

It was an impressive run at the 2024 Australian Wheelchair Tennis National Championships in November that did it, where he won three titles and climbed to number 20 in the world.

He’s number four in juniors and the youngest player in the top 25.

“To be very young … it means a lot,” Woodman told ABC Sport.

“[To have] have friends, family, whoever supporting me, on the side. [It] doesn’t matter if I win or lose, it’s going to be a great success for me.”

Woodman will also headline the inaugural junior wheelchair tournament at the Open, which comes off the back of growing popularity in the sport. 

The rising popularity is something Tennis Australia puts down to the “Dylan Alcott effect”.

Wheelchair tennis has experienced about a 50 per cent increase in the past five years in its elite junior pathway, resulting in Australia currently having more ranked players in wheelchair tennis than any other country.

In the junior rankings, Australia has four players inside the boys’ and girls’ top 10 — four boys and one girl.

Davidson, who has four Australian Open quad doubles titles and two Paralympic medals alongside Alcott, said the sport had grown immensely since he was Woodman’s age.

“As the years have gone on, and given the fact that Dylan was probably one of the most popular wheelchair tennis players around, it’s just drawn so many young kids into our sport,” Davidson said.

“Which is awesome, because wheelchair tennis is probably the biggest sport for disability at the moment. We get the most worldwide recognition [and] we play in Grand Slam tournaments, just like the able-bodied players do.

Tennis Australia’s chief tennis officer Tom Larner, said it wasn’t just Alcott and Davidson, but David Hall before them, who claimed 17 Grand Slam singles titles over his 20-year-old career in wheelchair tennis.

“It’s really pleasing to see we’ve got people players behind him that are continuing to keep that momentum in the growth of the sport,” Larner said.

“And [Jin at] 15 years old, that’s pretty amazing. [There are] not many Australians who play in main draw in the Australian Open at 15 in any form. So to achieve that …there’s going to be huge crowd behind him.”

Reflecting this growing popularity, Wimbledon and the Australian Open increased wheelchair tennis draw sizes.

In 2024, men’s and women’s wheelchair draws doubled in size at the All England Club.

“We’re really pushing and breaking, as one of my best mates Dylan likes to say, glass ceilings down,” Davidson said.

“And we’re showcasing that we’re professional athletes, just like able-bodied athletes. We put in the work and we deserve to be recognised like them, too.”

There’s a chance Davidson and Woodman could meet each other in the main draw at the Open, a prospect the latter is more excited about than the former.

“I’m starting to get a little bit scared of this young man. He’s starting to take over the reins, so it’s sort of like I’m not quite ready to pass on the torch,” Davidson said.

“But I mean, if he gets any better, I think he might just come and grab it off me to be honest.

“He’s just fearless on the tennis court. He goes for his shots, and he’s passionate. He loves the sport.”

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