Kenyan tennis player Angella Okutoyi has launched a fundraiser to sustain her transition to full‑time professional tennis, saying the high cost of competing on the international circuit threatens to slow her career.
The 22-year-old is seeking to raise Ksh10 million through an online crowdfunding campaign as she prepares to turn professional from June after completing her studies at Auburn University in the United States.
In a statement on the fundraising page, Okutoyi says professional tennis is one of the most expensive sports in the world, with only the top 125 players globally able to cover their own playing costs.
Angella Okutoyi Seeks Financial Support
According to Angella Okutoyi, players outside that bracket must fund travel, coaching, accommodation, medical care and insurance largely on their own.
She estimates the annual cost of competing at a level that allows regular tournament entry and ranking progression at about $300,000 (Ksh40 million).
While she has secured one corporate sponsor and has a coaching team lined up, she says a significant funding gap remains.
“But there will remain a funding gap, which I am hoping to fill through this Crowdfunding,” she stated on her campaign page.
Okutoyi rose to prominence in 2022 when she became the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title, claiming the Junior Girls’ Doubles crown at Wimbledon.
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She was also the first Kenyan to reach and win a Grand Slam final.
Okutoyi’s Campaign
Her fundraising campaign sets out clear contribution thresholds linked to specific rewards.
Supporters who donate more than Ksh30,000, or US$250 for international contributors, will receive a special edition Team Angella T‑shirt as a token of appreciation.
Those who contribute above Ksh60,000, or US$500 internationally, will receive either two Team Angella T‑shirts or one hoodie, depending on their preference.
According to Angella Okutoyi, donors who give more than Ksh90,000, or US$750 for international supporters, will receive either three T‑shirts or two T‑shirts and one hoodie.
She says the funds raised will help cover her coaching team, travel, and accommodation for more than 25 tournaments a year across at least three continents, living expenses at her training base, as well as medical and insurance costs.
Her campaign had raised Ksh7,060 so far, with 81 days remaining.
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Okutoyi says her motivation is to repay her family for the sacrifices they made to support her career and to give herself a fair chance to compete on equal terms with players from better‑funded systems.
Okutoyi’s Journey
Angella Okutoyi was introduced to tennis at the age of four while growing up on a school compound in Nairobi, where she was raised by her grandmother.
She later joined the East African ITF Junior Tennis Academy at the age of 11, becoming its youngest intake at the time.
Her junior career included multiple continental titles, and in 2022, she made global headlines by becoming the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title, claiming the Junior Girls’ Doubles crown at Wimbledon.
She was also the first Kenyan to reach and win a Grand Slam final.
Following her junior success, Okutoyi moved to the United States on a full sports scholarship at Auburn University, where she combined college tennis with selective appearances on the professional ITF circuit.
Since November 2022, she has reached 26 ITF finals, winning 17 of them, and has continued to improve her world ranking.
She has recorded career‑high rankings of 414 in singles and 223 in doubles and is currently ranked seventh in Africa in singles.
In March 2024, Angella Okutoyi won a gold medal at the All‑Africa Games in Accra, Ghana, after defeating several higher‑ranked opponents, including Egypt’s Maya Sherif, who was ranked 70th in the world at the time.
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