Opinion: Kenya's rawness was greatest sporting experience of my life
I’m going to let you into a secret. I was never a huge tennis fan.
That said, since joining the ITF over six years ago, I have grown to appreciate, respect and, yes, thoroughly enjoy the sport.
When I decided to embark upon a career change back in 2012 and become a sports journalist, my dream was to cover English Premier League football matches and an Ashes cricket series – I did this and more.
But then an opportunity to work in tennis emerged and I was intrigued, concluding that if I could land some blows in a sport which was not necessarily one of my favourites, I could certainly do it within the sports I do love.
But now more than half a decade has passed, and I have been fortunate enough to cover tennis all around the world, help promote the sport across the planet and interview some of its biggest names.
Last week, however, was special. The ITF are producing a multi-episode YouTube series which goes behind the scenes and puts the player at the heart of coverage.
We have produced episodes with the world's top-ranked boy and girl, Joel Schwaerzler and Renata Jamrichova respectively, while more recently we flew to Nairobi to film with Kenyan history-maker Angella Okutoyi.
Filming in Nairobi was one of the best experiences of my professional career, more than the Grand Slams, Champions League matches, Test matches, World Cups I have covered. Why? Let me tell you.
Kenya is not a powerhouse tennis nation. Only four Kenyans have ever recorded a match-win in the main draw of a Grand Slam across singles and doubles.
The last player to do so was Paul Wekesa, who claimed a first-round victory in the men’s doubles at the 1993 Australian Open alongside Mark Knowles of the Bahamas. I suspect, however, that even the biggest tennis nerd would be hard pushed to conjure that name in a quiz.
All that could be about to change with the emergence of Okutoyi, who won the women’s singles at the African Games earlier this year, which gave her a chance of qualification for the Olympic Tennis Event at Paris 2024.
As I say, Angella is the latest player to be featured in the Day in the Life series, which I am co-producing alongside my colleague Eric Han, and there is much excitement about her ascent.
Back in 2022 she made history by becoming the first Kenyan girl to win a match at a Junior Grand Slam, while she also won the girls' doubles title at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon that year. She has since won two professional titles and starred at the African Games.
There is still a way to go – she is ranked No. 492 in the world – but everywhere Okutoyi goes in Nairobi she is an undoubted star and treated as such.
During our visit, we joined the 20-year-old and the rest of Kenya’s Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge team at the Kenyan Olympic athletic trials, and safe to say her presence caused a stir. She posed for countless selifes and the great and the good all wanted to associate with her.
Despite this level of fame in her own country, there is a refreshing rawness to everything. Okutoyi has time for everyone – there are no limits being placed on her time and seemingly nobody is trying to cash in on her backstory, which is extremely powerful.
We sat eating ice cream with Angella, watched her dance with teammates on countless occasions and treat everyone, including often-derided journalists, with respect and as though they were friends.
Now, you could argue that when a player’s exposure to the mainstream increases, there needs to be checks and balances introduced to ensure their time is managed wisely and tennis remains their focus. Absolutely.
But these days it is sometimes difficult to promote even the most junior of junior players given the limitations placed on access. ‘You can have five minutes for this interview’ and ‘now is not the right time’ are commonly heard phrases.
All of the above is necessary in the modern world and, in some respects, a positive. But my time in Kenya was almost a throwback to a simpler, better time when the world did not take itself so seriously.
Access to players was virtually universal, there was no ‘us and them’ culture and, most significantly perhaps, absolutely everyone we came across had a smile on their face and appeared to be having fun.
The Billie Jean King Cup Group III event in Nairobi was a huge success and the scenes at the end were some of the best I have ever witnessed in tennis – and any other sport for that matter.
South Africa defeated Kenya to secure promotion to Europe/Africa Group II but, almost immediately and amid the palpable disappointment felt by the hosts, a party atmosphere burst out.
Both sets of players united on court, together with officials and ball kids, to celebrate, dance and party. The Kenyan band - strangely bedecked in Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers football shirts - which had been present among a healthy crowd all week stoked an atmosphere which sizzled intently.
It was truly remarkable, and the scenes epitomised everything which sport should be, but seldom is. That half an hour or so will be a memory which stays with me for a long time, while the whole trip to Kenya made me look at tennis in a different light.
In fact, the whole experience can be summed up in three words.....watch the video!!!! Release date - mid-July. Stay tuned.