Investment in Montjane can catapult her to top of the world, says coach
NEARLY a dozen sponsors have thrown their weight behind South African wheelchair star Kgothatso Montjane, raising her chances of becoming the world’s number one player.
Montjane made headlines last month when she became the first black African woman to play at Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals.
The Seshego-born player’s plight received countrywide attention when it emerged that she had reached the pinnacle of her sport despite financial difficulties.
She had travelled to Wimbledon without her coach Gerald Stoffberg and maintained a top 10 ranking despite missing a few crucial tournaments on the international circuit. On Tuesday it was announced that Montjane’s expenses for this year and a large part of the 2019 season would be covered thanks to the generous involvement of a host of sponsors.
Contributions ranging from R10 000 to R150 000 with the support of over 10 sponsors amounted to a total of R1.5million in cash and other support.
“There were so many times when I wanted to quit because it was tough. It was frustrating for me not being able to win on the court with all these challenges and travelling under pressure,” Montjane said.
“Yes, there was a time that I wanted to quit but funny enough, I woke up the following day and carried on because of my love for the sport. If I didn’t love what I was doing, I don’t think I would have had the motivation and the will to do it.”
Montjane said she reached a low point in her career when she dropped out of the top eight in the world, battling to beat some of the players she had beaten in the past.
The four-time Swiss Open champion reached a career-high fifth place in the world rankings in 2013 and moved to sixth following her Wimbledon heroics when she beat Germany’s Katharina Kruger in the quarter-finals. Only the top seven players in the world get invited to the grand slams with an eighth wildcard joining them.
“When I dropped out of the top eight it was the toughest thing because I know I wouldn’t get an opportunity to play in big tournaments,” Montjane said.
“I live in Africa and I have to travel all over the world to gain all those points.
“The most depressing thing was thinking how I would get back to the top.”
Stoffberg believes the investment in Montane is the shot in the arm they need to catapult her to the top of the world rankings.
“What we’ve been working on is the fact that she has a sense of belief, firstly that she belongs there and secondly that she is able to compete with the best of the world,” Stoffberg said.