Court is in session, and two South African tennis stars are guilty of being champions, earning their Grand Slam titles!
Paris, France (11 June, 2023) — Two South African tennis stars, Kgothatso Montjane and Donald Ramphadi came, saw and conquered the French Open’s courts recently, making history in the process.
Both Montjane and Ramphadi will bring home ROLAND-GARROS titles, with Ramphadi becoming the first South African (able-bodied or adaptive athlete) to win the title in decades. Montjane followed hot on his wheels by claiming her own Roland-Garros shortly after at the French Open.
It’s a proud moment for tennis fans, disability activists and South Africans everywhere, especially those who followed both the newly anointed Grand Slam Champions Montjane and Ramphadi’s stories of determination.
Montjane who hails from Limpopo has seen single-digit rankings for her tennis skills both nationally and internationally and was ranked 1st in South Africa last year. She made the history books by becoming the first black South African woman to reach a Wimbledon singles final in 2021.
Game, Set, Match for the Next Generation
“When the young generation sees someone doing well it inspires them to take up the sport. That is my hope, to keep instilling hope and encouraging the next generation to take it up. I also want them to realise that no matter what challenges you face, as long as you want it you can always get it.”— Kgothatso Montjane.
As for Ramphadi, the tennis icon also comes from Limpopo and made his Wimbledon debut in 2022. He’s a highly ranked quad tennis player and reached his global ranking of no 4 recently.
Montjane along with her partner Yui Kamiji and Ramphadi alongside partner Andy Lapthorne made the historic moment happen this weekend—one that South Africa won’t ever forget.
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