Africa remains in many respects a wild, unexplored territory, light years ahead of the countries of the developed world. Tennis does not escape it. Removing the few exceptions of countries with a long tradition such as Morocco or South Africa, in the rest the appearances of relevant tennis players are really punctual. And not to mention a nation like Kenya, which has always specialized in the world of athletics, in which it is undoubtedly a world power. Well, from Kenya comes one of the most curious stories of this last Wimbledon. That of Angella Okutoyi, women’s doubles champion in the junior event. A whole country behind her, a whole country attentive to tennis, an unprecedented milestone in Kenyan tennis.
Huge news for the world of tennis and for its greater globalization has undoubtedly been the success it has had in Wimbledon the young Angella Okutoyi. She was proclaimed at the All England Lawn Tennis Club as champion in the junior women’s doubles event together with the Dutch Rose Marie Nijkamp. A success that in the vast majority of countries would have gone almost unnoticed but that in Kenya has had the country pending a match, and a victory that was going to be a before and after in the history of Kenyan tennis and in the most prestigious in the world.
The figure of the pioneer is always key, whether it appears sooner or later, but in this case it is essential for a sport to make its way in a nation that at a sporting level is almost entirely focused on athletics. Various African countries are appearing in the world of tennis with increasing force, see Tunisia or Egypt, but in the Horn of Africa it was not yet expected. Although it should be noted that, for example, the Ymer brothers have Ethiopian ancestry, although they play for a country far away from there, such as Sweden.
Kenya already appears on the world tennis map
Angella Okutoyi could say that she has had many of her compatriots glued to the various mobile devices to see her final doubles duel, but it has not been like that. And she has not been like that in relation to the means used to follow her evolution. As Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani tells ITF.com via WTA, Secretary General of Tennis Kenya, “I have to say that right now we don’t have any ‘livestreams’ in Kenya. Although we were able to follow what Angella was doing through the ‘livescores’ ‘. From athletes from other disciplines to government officials, we were all following her.”
We can say that the 18-year-old has placed Kenya on the already extensive world tennis map, although there are still many gaps to fill. “Just the fact that Angella is playing Grand Slams has made a huge impact for Kenya. And I can dare to say that in the future all of this is going to be incredible. Now a lot of people are leaving able to do things because Angella has taught them that it is possible to make them,” explains Mbugua-Karani. It is true that Okutoyi had already given her joy to Kenya in the last Junior Australian Open when she was able to stand in the third round. Obviously, the first time something like this had happened for this African country. Wimbledon has already had a much greater impact, of course.
It has not been an easy life, far from it for Angella. She raised by her grandmother along with her twin sister since her mother passed away giving birth to them. When she was only four years old, her uncle already put a racket in Angella’s hand, when she was in a Catholic school in Nairobi, the country’s capital. A better gift could not be given to that four-year-old girl. She is now 18, getting all of Kenya excited about having a player on the professional circuit. She dreams of being the next Serena Williams, like so many others, but for many compatriots, she is already making a few dreams come true. And those that are yet to come.
