Kenya’s tennis star Okutoyi appeals to fans for funds to chase pro dreams

Kenya’s tennis sensation Angella Okutoyi has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds as she prepares to transition to a full-time professional career.

In a statement on her crowdfunding page on Monday, February 9, 2026, Okutoyi shared her journey from Nairobi to the international tennis stage and appealed to fans for support to help her compete at the highest level.

The 22-year-old, who made history in 2022 as the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title in Junior Girls Doubles at Wimbledon, said professional tennis is both competitive and costly.

She explained that only the top 125 players in the world can cover their own playing expenses, making financial backing essential for players from less-funded systems.

“Professional tennis is a fiercely competitive sport – of the tens of thousands of players who start out with the ambition of making it to the top, only the Top 125 in the world are able to cover their playing costs, “she said.

Early life and rise

Okutoyi detailed her early life on a school compound in Nairobi, where she and her twin sister Rosy were introduced to tennis at the age of four by their uncle, Allan, now a professional tennis coach.

She joined the East African ITF Junior Tennis Academy at 11, becoming the youngest student ever, and went on to win multiple African junior titles.

Over the past three years, she has studied at Auburn University in Alabama on a full sports scholarship while playing select ITF tournaments.

Since November 2022, she has reached 26 finals, winning 17, and achieved career-high rankings of 414 in singles and 223 in doubles.

She is currently ranked seventh in Africa in singles and won a gold medal at the 2024 All-Africa Games in Accra, defeating Egypt’s Maya Sherif, who was ranked 70th in the world at the time.

Okutoyi said that competing professionally requires approximately Ksh 40 million. per year to cover coaching, travel, accommodation, living costs, medical insurance, and other essential expenses.

“in order for me to compete on a level playing field with these other girls, I will need in the region of US$300,000 (close to Shs40m) per annum to cover the costs of my coaching team, my travel and accommodation costs to play 25+ tournaments a year across” she wrote.

While she has one corporate sponsor and a world-class support team lined up, she said a funding gap remains, which she hopes to fill through her crowdfunding initiative.

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