Kenya’s Okutoyi aiming to be ‘Serena of Africa’ at French Open

Angella Okutoyi’s journey to Roland Garros’ red clay courts has been long and arduous, but the 18-year-old Kenyan has no doubts about her objective.

“The French Open is the big stage,” she told AFP.

“My goal is to do better than I did in Australia… and if I can win the tournament why not?”

High goals for a young woman who is now ranked 66 in the global junior rankings and has overcome the trauma of losing her mother when she was a baby.

She made history earlier this year when she reached the third round of the Australian Open, becoming the first Kenyan girl to win a junior Grand Slam match.

“Playing at the Grand Slam, which has always been a dream for me, was a good experience and a good lesson too,” said Okutoyi who draws inspiration from Serena Williams, her childhood idol whose style of play she has adopted.

Her coach, Francis Rogoi, believes Okutoyi is gifted and that when she begins her Paris campaign, she will do it with a powerful backhand and an aggressive baseline game, similar to Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles.

“I hope she’s successful in reaching the next level and see if we can have a Serena from Africa,” Rogoi told AFP.

Tregedy

Of all, this might be just another narrative about a tennis hopeful, but Okutoyi’s story is unique.

Instead of affluence and individual lessons, Okutoyi recounts an infant tragedy, hard work, and the devotion of a dedicated grandmother known as ‘The Drive.’

On January 29, 2004, Angella and her twin sister Roselida were born.

Their mother died shortly after giving birth, thus it was a melancholy day.

The two infant girls were initially entrusted to an orphanage, which placed them for adoption, but their grandmother Mary Ndong’a stepped in to nurture them.

“We were about to be adopted — me and my sister — by different families. You wouldn’t have known us, and maybe I wouldn’t be playing this sport,” said Okutoyi.

“That’s why I call her my ‘Drive’. I treasure her a lot and that’s why she’s my ‘Drive’,” she said.

The twins moved live with Ndong’a, aged 56, who became their mother in all but name.

They shared her cramped lodgings at the Nairobi private school where she worked as a housekeeper, and it wasn’t long before Okutoyi was lured to the tennis court.

Poor families

She first took up a racquet when she was four years old, but she has since immersed herself in the game, practising long hours, five days a week, and has risen quickly through the Kenyan tennis ranks, reaching the top of Africa’s junior circuit.

Reaching the third round in Melbourne was a huge step forward for the high school student, and she hopes to build on her success in Paris and then at Wimbledon’s junior competition.

There will be pressure as well.

This is her final year on the junior circuit, and if Okutoyi, who is presently rated 1,554 in the world by the WTA, moves up to the professional ranks next year, the competition will only grow stiffer.

But, like Williams, she has already broken down a barrier with her performance in Melbourne, and the youngster recognises that she, too, may serve as a role model for future tennis stars, particularly those from low-income households like hers.

She still lives in the workers’ quarters with Mary, where she grew up.

Her humble roots, as well as her grandmother’s influence and example, have helped her stay grounded, helping her to manage the demands that come with the territory, she claims.

“If I put it too much (in my head), it will distract me, and I might think I am better than the rest,” she said, adding: “I am the same person I was before Australia.”