Kgothatso Montjane: Wheelchair tennis star grateful for support after mother’s death

Now that she has returned to the court, Montjane’s focus is on picking up where she left off in south-west London.

She made a victorious return at the Masters event in the Netherlands – which is for the best-ranked players of the year – beating Aniek van Koot in three sets in the singles before a doubles win with her Wimbledon partner Yui Kamiji.

However, Montjane could not progress from her group in the singles competition and she and Kamiji exited the doubles in the semi-finals.

“This year hasn’t been easy for me, but because I love the game I always try my best to make sure that I stay at the top,” Montjane said.

“The Masters are a benchmark of your year-end results. It’s important for the top players to take it up among themselves to show greatness.”

Polokwane-born Montjane has been consistently rated among the top ten wheelchair tennis players over the past decade, and is now ranked seventh in singles and fourth in doubles.

Her women’s doubles win at Wimbledon alongside Kamiji followed their Grand Slam successes at the French Open and US Open last year, while the pair were beaten finalists at January’s Australian Open – the only Grand Slam title that still eludes Montjane.

She regards her passion for the game as being a key factor behind her success.

“It’s just a matter of keeping yourself motivated,” she said.

“Tennis is not an easy sport but you really need to stay interested and have that edge to always want to do better. Love for the game is going to help you stay consistent.”

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