Sithole, Ramphadi: Africa has first Paralympic wheelchair tennis medal
The continent of Africa has a Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis medal to celebrate for the first time in history after Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole triumphed in the quad doubles bronze medal match.
South Africans Ramphadi and Sithole dispatched Leandro Pena and Ymanitu Silva, who themselves were bidding to become the first Brazilian players to claim a Paralympic medal in any wheelchair tennis category, 6-2 4-6 10-8 following a tense match tiebreak.
South Africa has become the 13th nation to win a Paralympic medal since 1992 when wheelchair tennis became a full-medal Paralympic sport, and Ramphadi and Sithole are rightfully proud of their trailblazing Paris 2024 heroics.
“This is my best moment,” said Ramphadi, who is making his Paralympic debut at Paris 2024.
“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.”
At times like this, it is important to consider the backstory of players who have proceeded to achieve great things in their career and Sithole, who finished fourth in the quad singles at Tokyo 2020, falls into that category.
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The 37-year-old was born and raised in Kwa-Zulu Natal in the east of South Africa. When he was 12, he was helping a friend’s uncle who was a freight 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, while he now has a Paralympic bronze medal for good measure.
“Paralympic bronze medallist sounds really good,” said Sithole.
“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 whiskey.
“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.”
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Everything changed for Ramphadi before his teenage years also. Up until the age of 12 he was fully able-bodied but subsequently developed osteogenesis imperfecta, otherwise known as brittle bone disease.
During the next five years, Ramphadi's mobility deteriorated to the point he was unable to walk. It was an exceptionally difficult time although 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 passed away, with Ramphadi assuming responsibility for his two younger sisters as head of the household.
By this stage Ramphadi was studying at Filadelfia Secondary School in Soshanguve where his love for wheelchair tennis developed, although 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’s quad division. From there, he has built a career which has led to this moment.
“This venue is something special,” added Ramphadi. “Last year I won my first Grand Slam here [quad doubles title with Andy Lapthorne] on my birthday, now I have a Paralympic bronze medal. For me, to he here and winning a medal is crazy – I am just going to enjoy the moment.”
A full list of results from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event can be found here.