Naledi & Ntungamili Raguin

Naledi: Our dad cleaned up some abandoned courts at a tennis club in Francistown, where we grew up, and he opened a school of tennis for the community. That’s how we started playing tennis. We used to spend all our days at the tennis courts.

Ntungamili: I was four when I started, and Naledi was six. Initially, we didn’t play tennis together because she is two years older than I am, and I was still very small. I used to play with the racket and a ball with my friends, and she would have real training with the coach and other kids.

Naledi: We were quite competitive when we were younger. We used to cry sometimes when one of us would lose a match against the other. But I’d like to think we’re a bit more mature now. We don’t take it to heart anymore, and now we enjoy playing together.

Ntungamili: Well, off the court, it’s good because she helps me in tournaments. She coaches me, and tells me things that I didn’t do in matches so that I’m better in the next match. I don’t train with her anymore, but before, there was more of a rivalry.

Naledi: When I hit winner shots against him, it feels good because right now his level is higher than mine. He grew—he’s taller, bigger, and he’s a boy, so it does mean a lot to me when I manage to make things difficult for him. But, sometimes, there are moments of frustration when I play with him because he pushes me to my limits.

Ntungamili: My sister is always aggressive on the court, and I need that. I tend to wait for others to make mistakes, and my coach keeps saying I should play like her—I should move forward and try to finish the points.

Naledi: They are the reason we started tennis, and they’ve always supported us. My dad used to make it possible for us to go and compete in countries such as South Africa and Zimbabwe, and we used to go by car. I remember we drove 15 hours just to go to one tournament. We didn’t really have a lot of money, and it was expensive to go to tournaments, so they would save up the money we had and put the priority on tennis.

Ntungamili: Off the court, my mom helps balance my life with tennis. She wants me to have friends and lets me go out and everything so I have a life outside of it. My dad is more into tennis, so he’ll always be there at tournaments. He coaches us mentally and talks a lot at dinner, briefing us. My mom calms him down when he’s angry about a game [laughs].

Naledi: I really have a strong connection with Botswana because I grew up here. When we left, all my friends were here along with my family on my mother’s side—my aunts, cousins, and grandparents. We were really close with the family here in Botswana. I liked coming back to Botswana to see the people and feel the support, and I just felt much better when I was here.

Ntungamili: We’re really proud of playing for Botswana because it’s unique. The people here are always supportive of us, and every time people ask me, I’m happy to say that I play for Botswana. Sometimes, people don’t know about Botswana, so we introduce them to the country.

Naledi: I’ve been to many countries in Africa, thanks to tennis, and I’ve seen that Botswana is well-off. From my experience, it is one of the best countries in Africa when it comes to sports facilities and schools—and that is thanks to diamonds. De Beers and the government have used the money to really take Botswana to the next level.

Naledi: My ultimate dream is to represent Botswana in the Grand Slams and win. I would like to make my country proud. Letsile Tebogo’s win has inspired me, and now I want to participate in the Olympics and win there too.

Ntungamili: I want to win a Grand Slam and be an Olympic champion. I need to pass through many paths to get there, such as going through Junior Grand Slams, passing the Futures, and winning them to go up in the ranking so that I can start playing Grand Slams.