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South African tennis star celebrated at Tennis Black List Awards

South African tennis star celebrated at Tennis Black List Awards

Leader Live15-06-2025
Khololwam 'Kholo' Montsi, originally from East London, is coming off the back of his second season at Oklahoma University and enjoyed an incredible 28 singles match-winning streak in 2019, yielding 6 junior titles and 37-1 record.
For his incredible achievements at collegiate level, Montsi received the College Player award at this year's edition of the Tennis Black List awards, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA
He was one of two names to receive the award, alongside Nigerian and Florida International University student Barakat Oyinlomo Quadre.
'I'm truly honoured and grateful to accept this award,' said Montsi. 'To be recognised amongst many talented and hard-working student-athletes is truly humbling.
'To everyone that has helped me get to this point in my career, I'm truly grateful and I cannot thank you guys enough.
"I am truly grateful.'
Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers.
Taking place in the run up to The Championships at Wimbledon, the Tennis Black List recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations from grassroots level up to the professional game in Britain and internationally.
It follows the example set by the successful and respected Football Black List, created by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and Rugby Black List which have demonstrated the power that celebrating black excellence can achieve in sport.
The event was an opportunity to inspire the next generation in the tennis community, with the commitment shown by the winners on and off the court.
Awards were handed out in ten categories across the evening at the ceremony, with several recipients present at the The Queen's Club.
Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.'
Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
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