12 July 2019
Lapthorne misses out on Wimbledon double
For Andy Lapthorne, there was to be no fairytale ending to his first Wimbledon.
The 28-year-old lost 6-0 6-2 to Australian Dylan Alcott in the quads singles final, just over 24 hours after the pair had teamed up to take the doubles title.
The three-time Paralympic medallist was left to rue his performance in front of a bustling court 12 crowd, watching on as his in-form opponent lifted the inaugural title.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing here – [I’m] just really disappointed with how the final went,” he said.
“When Dylan plays like that and I play like I did, that was always going to happen.
“He just outplayed me. if I don’t bring my A-game when I play Dylan, I get my butt kicked. I didn’t bring my A-game, didn’t bring my B-game, and it’s just one of those things.
“I had a bad start, needed to get a game on the board – once Dylan, gets a lead it’s always going to be difficult.
“I have to go away, rebuild, and try and find some self-belief from somewhere in these big matches.”
After downing No.2 seed David Wagner in the semi-finals, Lapthorne knew that Alcott would present an altogether different challenge in the showpiece.
The Aussie underlined his proficiency in Grand Slam finals, looking to stretch his proud record, having won all eight that he has featured in, and raced into the lead, taking the first set 6-0.
It was more of the same in the second, as Alcott built a commanding 5-0 advantage – and though Lapthorne looked to mount an improbable comeback, his doubles partner prevailed to seal the second 6-2.
While it may have been a bitter way to bid farewell to the All England Club for the summer, Lapthorne will take plenty of positives from a historic Championship.
“The support has been fantastic, even today,” he said.
“It’s just so tough when you’re out there and you want to give people something to get behind, and the guy was just all over me.
“It probably looked at times like I wasn’t trying but I wanted that game so badly to get to 5-3 (in the second) and bring the crowd into it.
“It’s just not how I dreamt it. He’s a very good player. He’s winning everything for a reason.
“I’ll take away the support, I’ll take away the love from everyone. This one’s going to be hard to deal with because everyone was watching.
“You have to go away, rebuild, and try and come back stronger and go again.”
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