Meet Mpho – the town’s wheelchair tennis prodigy
The Randfontein Herald recently joined Mpho Mhlongo during his training session to tap into what the day in the life of a wheelchair tennis player is like.
Mpho Mhlongo proved that having a disability is a blessing a disguise.
• Also read: Mohlakeng teen makes name for himself in the wheelchair tennis world
The 22-year-old from Mohlakeng was born without legs after he was diagnosed with a congenital deformity before birth. The Randfontein Herald joined him during his training session on Tuesday, to tap into what the day in the life of a wheelchair tennis player is like.
“I started playing tennis at the Mohlakeng tennis court in 2013. I was still at Matlapaneng Primary School at the time.
Someone then introduced me to the sport and I didn’t even know that one could even play tennis while in a wheelchair. I decided to give it a try, and have never looked back,” said Mpho.
He added that he was fortunate to go on camps in his first year of training and was he already ranked number two in the national wheelchair tennis junior competition shortly thereafter. Hard work and determination over the years then saw him occupying the number eight spot in the world in terms of junior wheelchair tennis, a position he only dreamt of.
Mpho went on to play in the junior masters in France in 2018 and recently played in the 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup. This is the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) flagship wheelchair tennis team event which took place in Portugal in May.
Although he didn’t come out victorious at the event, he went head-to-head with a giant in wheelchair tennis, Stéphane Houdet – former singles and doubles world number one.
The highlight of my career was when I took on the great Stéphane. I lost that match but I found him to be an exceptional player. Locally, I also look up to South African wheelchair tennis player, Alwande Skhosana.”
He added that he dreams of being in the world’s top 16 in wheelchair tennis and participating in the Paralympics.
His manager and coach Msingathi Langa spoke highly of him.
“The science behind playing wheelchair tennis is way different to someone who is not disabled. A person without legs has to use a lot of strength around their waist and limbs for mobility. They have to roll to hit the ball and that needs a lot of coordination. This makes him a special case because he has super strength. His strength is unbelievable and has a speed of 251km per hour.
He is on top of his game,” Msingathi concluded.
