"My dream is to play against Serena Williams and beat her" - Angella Okutoyi after becoming Kenya's first-ever Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon
Despite being knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon 2022 after being on the sidelines for almost a year, Serena Williams continues to inspire youngsters around the world.
The latest in the lost list is Angella Okutoyi, who became Kenya's first-ever Grand Slam champion when she and Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp won the girls' doubles crown at Wimbledon this year.
While being interviewed by Citizen TV Kenya, Okutoyi stated that her dream is to win a match against Williams.
“My dream is to play against Serena Williams and beat her", Okutoyi said.
The 18-year-old asserted that her journey will inspire Kenyan kids from all backgrounds to achieve their dreams.
"I believe with this win, it's going to inspire more young kids now in Kenya and give them the belief that they can also do it because I did not come from a good background but I have made it," she said.
"Most players in Kenya tennis are not well off and they may be able to come out of that background and achieve it. I am a good example to them that nothing is impossible," she added.
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win the Girls's Doubles final making Angella the FIRST Kenyan player to win a Grand Slam!
History has been made 🇰🇪!
Angella Okutoyi 🇰🇪 and Rose Marie Nijkamp 🇳🇱 win the Girls's Doubles final making Angella the FIRST Kenyan player to win a Grand Slam!
#Wimbledon | @tennis_kenya https://t.co/gISp6njiua
Recalling her childhood, the teenager stated that she would have been adopted after being in an orphanage had it not been for her grandmother.
"My biological mum passed away when giving birth to me and my twin sister. So, we were in an orphanage and we were lucky enough that our grandmother came to take us from the orphanage minutes before we were adopted. So, she really rushed to pick us and i am really grateful to her."
Angella Okutuyi and the Williams sisters, stories of similar struggles through formative years
The film King Richard recently threw light on the formative years of the Williams sisters, and Angella Okutoyi's story mirrors a similar struggle.
Over the course of her interview, the teenager revealed that she was lucky to have survived her childhood years.
"There were times when we didn't eat. The last meal was supper and maybe that supper would be water. I mean we survived and thank God that I am here now and I am really grateful to my grandmother and my uncle for all the sacrifices," Okutoyi said.
At the Australian Open earlier this year, the youngster became the first Kenyan to win a junior girls' singles Grand Slam match. She advanced to the third round before losing to Lola Radivojevic of Serbia.
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Okutuyi began playing tennis at the age of 4 and became the youngest player to win the Kenyan Open in 2018.
The youngster asserted that she was determined to win at Wimbledon even before she arrived for the tournament.
"I had the belief because I did well in Australia and also at the French Open. I didn't travel to Wimbledon just to participate. I wanted to win and that was my goal. I wanted to be a Grand Slam champion and I had the motivation and the belief," she stated.
Okutoyi's idol Serena Williams made her professional debut at the age of 14, in 1995, before going on to win a record 23 Grand Slam titles.