There was much revelry as the golden boy of local tennis, Kevin Anderson, smashed his way to the Wimbledon final. But did you know about Kgothatso Montjane?While Kev was busy on centre court, 32-year-old from Limpopo was breaking boundaries as the first black SA woman to play at Wimbledon and the first woman in post-apartheid SA to make it all the way to the singles semifinals. And she managed to do both, alone, and in a wheelchair.She lost a leg when, as a baby, the poorly developed limb was amputated. She was first introduced to the world of tramlines and racquets in 2005, when her high school provided facilities for wheelchair tennis. By 2011, and inspired by the Williams sisters, she’d decided to turn her passion into a career, and has since played in more than 30 major tournaments.Compared with the support and money for able-bodied players, there is shockingly little in the world of wheelchair tennis. You get £2.25m for an able-bodied Wimbledon win, as opposed to £40,000 for th...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.