Kenya’s tennis prodigy, Angella Okutoyi, says she has her eyes firmly trained on capping off her stellar career with a dream maiden grand slam title.
Okutoyi, 17, made the remarks after an exhibition match organised by Tennis Kenya at Karen Country Club on Sunday to raise funds to help her achieve her dream.
Okutoyi — ranked 60th in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior rankings announced on January 3 — said she will be targetting masterstrokes at the French and Wimbledon Open tournaments.
“I will play two weeks in Italy then one week in France, at the French Open. My aim is to collect as many points as I can in Italy to increase my rankings. My expectations for the French Open is to make it to the semis and if possible, win a grand slam,” said Okutoyi.
Her coach, Francis Rogoi, expressed optimism that she will put her best foot forward when she represents Kenya in Europe.
“Our plan while going to the Australian Open was to have a feel of the international standards and learn as well. And as we head to Rolland Garros, we know what to do,” said Rogoi.
“We believe Angella will be in good hands with the ITF team, whom she has previously worked with as she targets to break into the top 20.”
Tennis Kenya head of marketing Rose Meghas appealed for more support in Okutoyi’s journey towards greatness.
“We are very happy to have been on this journey with Angella for over ten years now and seeing her make moves on the global stage is a great thing for us,” said Meghas.
"Due to her excellent performances, she has received sponsorships from the ITF for the grand slam events but in between, she needs to go to competitions. We are calling upon other companies to come in and support this journey.”
The International Tennis Federation has organised a training camp where Okutoyi will join a grand slam team in Italy for two weeks after which she will be exposed to two events whose standards are equivalent to those of the grand slam to set the mood for the French Open.
Later, Okutoyi will go on a one-week camp to familiarise herself with the grass court, which is the playing field at Wimbledon in the United Kingdom. She is also set to play in the US Open later on in September.
