Wimbledon Debutant Kg Montjane: I am a Sponsor’s Dream

I am grateful for the opportunity of life, and for not seeing my disability as a barrier.

I was born with a disability, which was regarded as a curse in my village, but my parents saw me as a gift from God. They gave me a chance to live life fully rather than hide me at home for people not to see that I exist.

I was introduced to wheelchair tennis by Wheelchair Tennis SA, which opened me up to the tennis world and gave me the opportunity to become the best player on the continent. Through the financial support of Airports Company South Africa, I am able to travel the world and improve my global ranking.

My greatest ambition is to be able to make an impact in society and be a good role model.

The Sport and Olympic Confederation of South Africa (SASCOC) makes sure that I know the value of becoming a Paralympian through goal setting and also financial support which helps me build up to the Paralympic Games every four years.

The Women’s Development Bank became my savour recently when they made it possible for me to get to Wimbledon and become the first Black African woman to participate in the tournament. I won my debut match and made it to the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament, playing for the first time on grass.

Being at Wimbledon was amazing and to be there for the first time was really great, just to experience the tradition of the tournament.

The tournament hosts made it memorable for me by awarding me an opportunity to meet the British Royal family. I don’t think I could have asked for a more memorable experience. It felt like a dream come true.

For me to succeed going forward, I need sponsors. Having sponsors will help me get all the necessary resources that I need to become world number 1. It will also take away the worries and stress of all financial constraints that I have at the moment.

I want to focus on playing better rather than wonder what’s going to happen next with my career. Sponsors will help lift up my motivation…

Being the top ranked women’s wheelchair tennis player in South Africa means everything to me. I’m one player who was not crafted from a young age but who just picked up a racket and figured out how to play.  So it took lot of perseverance and hard work and sacrifices to get where I am.

I want to be involved in community projects and engage with young girls and people with disabilities, to help them realise their abilities.

Thank you for your love and support!

Photo 1 caption: Newly returned to an ITF ranking one point away from her career best, SA no. 1 wheelchair tennis champ Kgothatso Montjane is on a remarkable mission to be the best she can be. Photo: Supplied

Photo 2 caption: In the prevailing climate of women’s sports becoming the new cool, sponsors’ ears are picking up on the news that Montjane is making huge and very visible strides in her professional career, notable in the SA no.1 reaching tournament semi-finals on her debut entry to the Wimbledon Grand Slam this year. Photo: Supplied

Photo 3 caption: Four-times Swiss Open champ Montjane is no flash in the pan, this dedicated athlete is on the road for the long game, and it’s remarkable to hear a sporting professional of her calibre saying, “My greatest ambition is to be able to make an impact in society and be a good role model.” Photo: Supplied 

Sponsorship Queries: Emy Casaletti-Bwalya emy at optimize dot org 

With editing by gsport