Khololwam Montsi: 'If you come from Africa and make it, you're someone big'

The 17-year-old South African tennis star on climbing the world rankings, meeting Nick Kyrgios and finding his self-belief

Khololwam Montsi has always been a dreamer. Before he had ever entered a tennis tournament, he was imagining himself winning Wimbledon. In lieu of any role models or a path trodden before them, dreams are what black African tennis players have. They are to be held on to and guarded. So when people have attempted to tread on Montsi's aspirations, questioning whether a 5ft 5in player like him can succeed, he simply used it as further motivation.

Me wanting to prove people wrong, I was like: OK, I'm gonna do this thing and I'm gonna work hard every day. I'm gonna beat everyone that I can,'" he says. If I lose, I lose, I go back to the drawing board. But I'm on a mission, really."