Sithole, Ramphadi add Team SA’s fourth medal at Roland-Garros

Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole have made history as the first South Africans to win a medal in wheelchair tennis at the Paralympics, winning a thrilling bronze medal match 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 against Brazil’s Ymanitu Silva and Leandro Pena.

South Africa became the 13th nation to win a Paralympic wheelchair medal since 1992 when the discipline became a full-medal sport.

“This is my best moment,” Ramphadi said. “It is always a big deal for me to carry the nation’s flag on my shoulders, and to put South Africa on the Paralympic wheelchair tennis map, I will never, ever stop being proud of this moment. I will talk about it until my last day.”

It is important to consider the backstory of players who have achieved great things. Sithole, who finished fourth in the quad singles at Tokyo 2020, falls into that category.

The 37-year-old was born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal. When he was 12, he was helping a friend’s uncle who was a train driver and was on the way back to the train after successfully switching lines.

As he tried to board the train again, Sithole slipped under the moving wheels, losing both of his legs and his right arm. After years of depression, Sithole found wheelchair tennis, which offered him solace and provided much-needed goals.

He has since competed at five Grand Slams, winning the US Open quad singles title in 2013 and the doubles title at the Australian Open in 2016, and he now has a Paralympic bronze medal for good measure.

“Paralympic bronze medallist sounds really good,” Sithole said. “It is our first big medal playing together and we’re very happy to write history. It is the first Paralympic wheelchair tennis medal for Africa and we’re very happy.

“It is very big for both of us but also the people of South Africa, and the kids who look up to us — I hope it inspires them.

“I was so happy to play with Donald today. He brought his A-game, even though he was nervous and made double faults — he owes me a whisky.

“But one of the most important things was just having fun and that’s what we did and how we won. We were here to win today, not just represent. We made mistakes — we’re human beings — but we kept hitting those balls and we’re so happy.”

Everything also changed for Ramphadi before his teenage years. Until the age of 12 he was fully able-bodied but he developed osteogenesis imperfecta, otherwise known as brittle bone disease.

In the next five years, Ramphadi’s mobility deteriorated to the point he was unable to walk. It was a difficult time though things slowly improved after his mother encouraged him to start walking with a cane she collected from a nearby forest.

Nevertheless, his disability remained and personal tragedy followed when his mother died, with Ramphadi assuming responsibility for his two younger sisters as head of the household.

At the time Ramphadi was studying at Filadelfia Secondary School in Soshanguve, outside Pretoria, where his love for wheelchair tennis developed, though his life continued to lack stability in the ensuing years.

Now a father, Ramphadi’s life changed forever when at the age of 25 he received a telephone call from Tennis South Africa in relation to classification for wheelchair tennis’ quad division. From there, he has built a career which has led to this moment.

Their win brings Team SA's medal tally to four — a gold and three bronzes.