Tears of joy for SA's wheelchair tennis heroine KG over sponsorships of nearly R1.5-million

22 August 2018 - 16:27 By David Isaacson
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Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa in action in the semifinals of the womens singles during day 3 of the Wheelchair Tennis Joburg Open at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre on July 04, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kgothatso Montjane of South Africa in action in the semifinals of the womens singles during day 3 of the Wheelchair Tennis Joburg Open at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre on July 04, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Image: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images

Wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane was moved to tears at a function on Wednesday to announce that more than 10 sponsors had contributed nearly R1.5-million to her cause.

She admitted there had been times she had considered quitting as she struggled without assistance.

“There were so many times I wanted to quit‚” said the 32-year-old world No 6 who on Friday will head to the US Open accompanied by her coach Gerald Stoffberg.

“It was frustrating for me not being able to win on court and all these challenges‚ having to travel under pressure.

“There were times I wanted to quit‚ but funny enough‚ I [always] woke up the following day saying I’ll still do it which and I think that shows my love for the sport.”

Her lowest moment came when she dropped out of the top eight in the world‚ a crucial ranking which earns invitations to the big events‚ including the Grand Slams.

“I knew being out of the top eight I wouldn’t have the opportunity to play in big tournaments and I live in Africa and I have to travel all over the world to get the points [needed to improve her world ranking].

“It was the most depressing thing‚ how am I going to get back to the top?”

The sponsorships‚ in cash and kind‚ will ease a tremendous amount of off-court pressure she’s previously had to endure.

“Having to worry about when is my next meal? When is my next tournament? When is my next flight? It has been stressful.

“But I would like to think that from today on I’ll be able to focus only on my tennis career.”

Montjane suffered from Amniotic Band Syndrome‚ which prevented some fingers and her legs from developing properly.

She had her left leg amputated when she was young.

Stoffberg believes Montjane can get to the top.

“She’s 100% able to win multiple slams with her all-round game and she’s physically gifted.

“Tennis is not as easy as picking up a racket and hitting tennis balls‚” he added.

“You need to book courts‚ hit balls and everyone is a potential rival so they might not always help you. It’s nice to have moral support at tournaments too.”

Emy Casaletti-Bwalya‚ CEO of marketing agency Optimize which organised the sponsorships in a matter of weeks‚ said the funders did not view her as a charity.

“This is not CSI [corporate social investment]‚ this is sponsorship.”

As the finances stand now‚ Montjane has enough to fund herself deep into next year.

Her goal is to compete at the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020.

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