18-year-old tennis ace Angella Okutoyi received a brilliant reception on her return to her home nation after becoming the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam. Along with Rose Marie Nijkamp of the Netherlands, Okutoyi won the Wimbledon 2022 girl’s doubles title. The duo beat the team of Kalya Cross and Victoria Mboko of Canada by a scoreline of 3-6, 6-4,11-9.
Angella Okutoyi receives outstanding reception on her return to Kenya
As seen in the video posted by NTV Kenya below, Wimbledon 2022 girls winner Angella Okutoyi was surrounded by fans after she returned to her home country. The Kenyan fans could be seen dancing alongside her with rackets in their hands and celebrating the 18-year-old’s outstanding achievement.
After a landmark win at the Wimbledon 2022, Okutoyi said (as quoted by wtatennis.com), “I wouldn’t know,” when asked if she was famous back home. “Maybe now I am, but I don’t put too much in my head, you know? If I am, it’s a good thing.” Okutoyi then went on to add how one of her gestures motivated her to do even better in future tournaments.
“I gave the trophy to the kids, and they were like, ‘We want to be like you one day. We want to play the Grand Slams.’ That also motivated me to do good and better. If you have the belief you can have the dream come true,” added the Wimbledon 2022 girls winner.
The 18-year-old then thanked the media for making her recognised in her own country by adding, “The media really helped me a lot. Since that time in Australia, many people started to recognize me — which was always my dream for me and my country. I have inspired a lot of players in Kenya now. A lot of people want to play,” added Okutoyi.
The Australian Open earlier this year helped Okutoyi to leave a mark on the biggest stage in tennis by becoming the first Kenyan to win a junior Grand Slam match then. The 18-year-old reached the third round before suffering defeat to Lola Radivojevic of Serbia by a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3.
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