Donald Ramphadi of SA is set to make his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open

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South African wheelchair tennis star Donald Ramphadi (Picture Café)

South African wheelchair tennis player Donald Ramphadi is set to make his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park later this month.

Ramphadi, 28, was awarded a wildcard in the quad’s main draw of the first year in four Grand Slam tournaments.

The 28-year-old who hails from Tzaneen in Limpopo has announced that he is ready to make his mark on the biggest stage in the world.

“This wildcard means a lot to me. I have worked hard over the past 10 years of playing tennis and I always have hope that one day I will achieve it,” Ramphadi said.

“Now that I’ve been given the golden opportunity, it’s amazing and I feel like I’m ready to compete at the Grand Slam level.”

Ramphadi will battle it out for singles and doubles titles at Melbourne Park from January 23-27.

“I will compete with the top 7 ranked players in the world, so I know there won’t be easy battles,” he said.

“I feel mentally and physically ready to compete at that level. I have been competing with some of these top players at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup and I managed to beat some of them. So, I am ready to play them again.”

Ramphadi had a great finish in 2021 despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which became the semi-finals of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) level 2 events in France and Italy.

He then went on to win the SA Spring Open singles title in Johannesburg and finished the year 18th in the world.

Last October, Ramphadi led the SA quad team, which won a bronze medal at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Sardinia.

Prior to his Grand Slam debut, Ramphadi will warm up for the Australian Open by playing the Victorian Open ITF 1 Series from January 8-12 and Melbourne Open Super Series from January 15-19.

She will fly the SA flag high with the country’s top women’s player and four -time grand slam finalist, Kgothatso Montjane in the wheelchair event.

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