The three South African tennis sensations with over 200 titles
South Africa has firmly established itself on the global wheelchair tennis stage, boasting not one but three active Grand Slam champions.
Leading the charge is Kgothatso Montjane, a trailblazer in women’s wheelchair tennis; Donald Ramphadi, a rising force with Paralympic success; and Lucas Sithole, a seasoned champion who has left an indelible mark on the sport; boasting a combined 212 tennis titles.
Montjane has 42 singles titles, mostly on hard court but also on clay. She also boasts 64 doubles titles, including four Grand Slams: two French Opens, one Wimbledon and one US Open.
Sithole has 41 singles titles, including the 2013 US Open Grand Slam Championship. He also owns 37 doubles titles, highlighted by the 2016 Australian Open Grand Slam, and a bronze medal in quad doubles from the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Ramphadi has 15 singles titles across hard and clay courts. He also has 13 doubles titles, including a French Open Grand Slam, and a bronze medal in quad doubles at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Together, their achievements tell a story of resilience, excellence, and a nation punching well above its weight in the world of wheelchair tennis.
Kgothatso Montjane
Kgothatso “KG” Montjane was born in 1986, in Seshego, near Polokwane, Limpopo. Born with a congenital disorder affecting both her hands and a foot, Montjane faced significant challenges early in life.
At age 12, she underwent an amputation of one leg. “I couldn’t go anywhere because everything was quite far, to be honest. It was tough growing up with a disability,” said Montjane in an interview with the Paralympics.
“I was different from other kids, they used to just stare at me and they didn’t want to play with me,” she added.
It wasn’t until she was 19, during her final year of high school, that she discovered wheelchair tennis at a clinic hosted in Pretoria.
Encouraged by a high school sports coach who recognised her natural talent, she began playing competitively, traveling from Limpopo to Pretoria in taxis with her wheelchair to compete.
“Then when I went to university in 2006, wheelchair tennis was the only sport for people with physical disabilities at that university. It left me with no choice because I loved playing sports. I love being active.”
Her tennis career took off with the support of the Airports Company South Africa, which provided facilities for wheelchair tennis in her community.
Montjane quickly fell in love with the sport, competing in tournaments worldwide.
Her Grand Slam success includes four doubles titles: the French Open in 2023 and 2025, the US Open in 2023, and Wimbledon in 2024, all alongside her close partner, Japan’s Yui Kamiji.
Doubles has been her specialty, with 64 titles and a high of world No. 1 (now ranked second).
With 39 singles titles and a career-high ITF ranking of No. 4, Montjane has her sights set for much more. A singles Grand Slam title remains a key goal, as does a Paralympic gold medal.
Her 2021 Wimbledon singles final appearance, where she lost to world No. 1 Diede de Groot, is motivation for more.
Beyond the court, Montjane’s impact is profound. She founded a foundation to support her former school, Helen Franz, and other disadvantaged communities by providing sports facilities and equipment.
In 2025, she spearheaded the construction of a multipurpose tennis court at Lethaba Special School in Tzaneen, ensuring young athletes from similar backgrounds don’t face the same barriers she did, like playing without proper courts.
A BSc graduate from the University of Venda, Montjane aspires to become a successful businesswoman while continuing to advocate for better support for individual athletes in South Africa.
Her mantra is simple: “Your situation doesn’t define you.”
Donald Ramphadi
Ramphadi was born in 1993, in Mogapeng, Limpopo. Nicknamed “Dona,” he was fully able-bodied until age 12, when he developed osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), which severely limited his mobility.
He said that his late mother played a central role in his early life, encouraging him to adapt and persevere, shaping the determination that would later drive his career.
Ramphadi discovered wheelchair tennis in 2009 at Lethaba Special School in Tzaneen, initially skeptical of the sport.
But after trying it, he fell in love with the game and soon began competing seriously.
By 2018, he was cleared to compete in the quad division, and his career quickly gained momentum.
Training with TuksTennis in Pretoria while studying at the University of South Africa, he rose to a career-high ITF ranking of No. 3 in singles and No. 3 in doubles.
Ramphadi’s breakthrough came in 2023 when he won the French Open quad doubles title with Britain’s Andy Lapthorne, becoming the first South African, able-bodied or wheelchair, to win at Roland Garros since 2000.
That same year he reached the Australian Open quad doubles final with Brazil’s Ymanitu Silva.
In 2024, he and Lucas Sithole made history at the Paris Paralympics, winning Africa’s first wheelchair tennis medal with bronze in quad doubles.
Ramphadi called it “the greatest moment of my life,” dedicating the medal to his late mother.
In 2025, he added a Wimbledon quad doubles final appearance with Britain’s Gregory Slade, earning silver, as well as another French Open doubles silver with Ahmet Kaplan.
With 28 singles and doubles career titles and multiple Grand Slam semifinals and finals, his record cements him as one of South Africa’s leading wheelchair tennis players.
His success has not come easily. Ramphadi has struggled with financial barriers, at times funding his own travel and competing in a secondhand wheelchair until Aspen Pharmacare provided him with professional equipment in 2024.
Despite these hardships, he has remained focused, motivated by his family and his desire to inspire young South Africans to believe that “nothing is impossible.” He continues to advocate for greater support for para-sport.
Lucas Sithole
Sithole was born in 1986 in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. “I was a naughty little boy before my accident. I liked to run around in the streets with my friends, playing soccer,” he said in an interview with the ITF.
At 12, his life changed when he fell under a train, losing both legs and most of his right arm.
The accident plunged him into deep depression, compounded by social rejection as friends distanced themselves, unable to play soccer together.
In a 2024 interview with SABC Sport, Sithole reflected on this period, saying, “I thought my life was over. I was in a dark space, you know, I didn’t want to live anymore”
After a period of depression and isolation, he discovered wheelchair tennis in 2005, a turning point that gave him renewed purpose.
Competing internationally from 2006, Sithole endured a tough start but quickly rose through the ranks.
In 2013 he became the first African to win a wheelchair Grand Slam, claiming the US Open quad singles title by defeating world No. 1 David Wagner. “I didn’t know I made history until later on when people started talking about it,” he recalled.
Three years later he added the Australian Open quad doubles title with Wagner, cementing his status as one of the world’s best.
In 2024, alongside Donald Ramphadi, Sithole made history again by winning Africa’s first Paralympic wheelchair tennis medal, a bronze in quad doubles at the Paris Games.
It was a redemption moment after narrowly missing out on a medal at Rio 2016. Though his dream remains Paralympic gold, he described the Paris triumph as a career highlight.
Over his career he has accumulated 78 titles, a peak world ranking of No. 2 in singles and 3 in doubles, as well as victories over every top-10 quad player.
Off the court, Sithole is equally dynamic, studying sports management at the University of Johannesburg, composing and singing uMaskandi music, and planning to open a sports center for people with disabilities.
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