Angella Okutoyi celebrates a point during an intense college tennis match
Angella Okutoyi watches as players move across the clay, their footwork and rallies echoing through the air. As a rising tennis star, the sounds are familiar. But this setting, Roland Garros, feels personal.
Just three years ago, Okutoyi made history on these same courts, becoming the first Kenyan woman to reach the second round in singles at the French Open Juniors. That same season, she captured a junior Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in girls' doubles, cementing her status as one of Africa's brightest rising stars. It was a breakthrough year that saw her journey from Nairobi's public schools to the sport's most elite arenas.
Now, Okutoyi is back in Paris, but this time as a spectator. At 21, she currently plays college tennis at Auburn University in the United States, refining her game and preparing to transition to a full-time professional career. Watching from the stands was exciting, she tells OkayAfrica, but it also reminded her how much she wants it.
"I'm looking forward to coming back here as a pro and playing with the big dogs," she tells OkayAfrica. "I know it takes time, but if I stay grounded and consistent, I believe I have a good chance of getting there one day. Hopefully, it's soon!"
While this year's French Open has celebrated legends like Rafael Nadal — a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, who was honored for his unmatched legacy on clay — another story was quietly taking shape just beyond the courts. Africa has produced standout talents like Tunisia's Ons Jabeur and South Africa's Kevin Anderson, but a new generation of players is emerging with plans to build networks, gain visibility, and signal that the future of tennis could very well be shaped on the continent.
The Swiss sports brand On recognizes this potential. The company brought Okutoyi—along with Namibia's Henry Van Schalkwyk, Benin's Gloriana Nahum, andSouth Africa'sKhololwam Montsi — to Paris not just to watch the qualifiers but also to mix and mingle at Clubhouse Nights, a star-studded cultural event sponsored by On. The event blended elite tennis with music, fashion, and storytelling. There, the players met former world No. 1 Iga Świątek and caught a surprise performance byBurna Boy.
"The goal is to push the boundaries of traditional tennis and make it more diverse and immersed in contemporary culture," Navalayo Osembo, Director for Africa at On, tells OkayAfrica. "Tennis often has an elitist image, tied to exclusive clubs. To change that, we need to actively integrate the sport into the vibrant cultural fabric of global communities."
From left to right: Navalayo Osembo, Angella Okutoyi, Gloriana Nahum, Iga Świątek, Kholo Montsi, and Henry van Schalkwyk during Clubhouse Nights hosted by On.
Photo by On
Such moments are vital for players from regions where tennis is still in its early stages of development. As Osembo points out, the sport is often perceived as elite and inaccessible, commonly associated with wealth or expatriate privilege.
"I do hear people saying that it's a rich man's game," says Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani, Secretary General of Tennis Kenya and Vice President of Confederation of African Tennis (CAT). However, we are working on demystifying this idea because tennis is for everyone. [The sport] has a lot of money, so it can be a whole career."
Okutoyi's story reflects that effort to break down barriers. Raised by her grandmother in Nairobi, she discovered the sport through Kenya's Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI), a grassroots program that introduces tennis to children in underserved areas. Her earliest training sessions were improvised, and she would look forward to the JTI coach coming to her school for free lessons. "I would always wait for those days to come," Okutoyi says.
Her talent stood out early. At just ten years old, she caught the attention of visiting International Tennis Federation (ITF) scouts during a junior tournament in Nairobi, which led to her placement at the ITF training center in Burundi. The transition from local promise to international competitor, however, was anything but smooth. Training on Nairobi's rough murram courts, a type of court surface made from compacted gravel or crushed rock, hardened Okutoyi mentally, but left her technically disadvantaged compared to her peers who had access to professional clay, grass, and hard courts.
Angella Okutoyi in action during day six of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon.
Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images
Indeed, her rise wasn't driven by privilege but by sheer persistence. And while her story is inspiring, it drives home a broader challenge: the lack of systemic investment in African tennis. Without steady funding, access to elite coaching, or regular international competition, many promising players never reach their full potential.
And although grassroots programs in Kenya now reach tens of thousands of children, the path to elite levels remains narrow. The challenge isn't a lack of talent but a lack of access to consistent support.
"Tennis requires a lot of infrastructure. You can start without it, but at some point, you will need it," says Mbugua-Karani. "We are producing players, and we are producing good players. The key now is how do we get high-performance centers in Africa so that we don't have to keep sending them [abroad]."
Even for Okutoyi, the journey has involved difficult trade-offs. At Auburn, she competes in the U.S. collegiate tennis circuit on a scholarship. While the NCAA system offers structure and strong match play, it limits the number of professional tournaments she can enter. That restriction directly affects her world ranking, which determines eligibility for global events.
Last year, Okutoyi missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite winning gold at the African Games. Her world ranking wasn't high enough because she hadn't competed in enough professional tournaments. As a college athlete committed to her team's schedule, she couldn't freely travel to chase ranking points.
"I had signed to play for [my university] first, so I couldn't just leave their matches to go fight for my ranking points," she explains.
Angella Okutoyi competes for Auburn University in the U.S.
Photo byAuburn University
She hopes the qualification rules will change and that updates come early enough for players to plan around them. "If this rule had been in place before the African Games, or even two years ago, I would have prepared myself accordingly and been ready for the Olympics," she adds.
Mbugua-Karani describes Okutoyi's Olympic near-miss as "painful." She says there are discussions with ITF to review the criteria. "The ITF had not envisioned a time when a player with a lower ranking could qualify through the regional pathway," she explains, highlighting the need for more inclusive systems that reflect the realities of emerging tennis regions.
Still, Okutoyi stays focused on her long-term vision. She hopes to return to Grand Slam stages as a pro. And she's equally committed to ensuring others have an easier path. "I've always had this idea in mind. If everything goes well, I want to open an academy with multiple courts where people can come and train for free," she says. "Those who want to pay can contribute, but the goal is to create a space where anyone can access training without worrying about cost."