Financial hurdles threaten Angela Oktoy’s Olympic tennis qualification – Irish Times

When the tennis competition at the African Games in Accra reached the semi-final stage last week, Kenya's Angela Oktoy stepped into uncharted territory. On the other side of the net stood Mayal Sherif (Egypt), an elite player ranked 532nd in the world and 70th in the rankings. The stakes were stratospheric, with a chance of Olympic qualification at stake for the tournament winner. Incredibly, more than four hours later, Oktoy, 20, won her 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5), giving Ghana the gold medal.

Making history has become commonplace in Oktoy's short career. In 2022, she became the first Kenyan to win a match at the junior Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, and went on to win Wimbledon 2022 women's doubles with Rose Marie Nijkamp of the Netherlands. Her hopes and dreams on the professional circuit reflect one of the most pressing questions in elite tennis. So can this sport offer black African tennis players a path to the top?

Despite tennis being such a global sport, Africa has long been a blind spot, both in terms of national presence on the tour and participation at the grassroots level. Notable exceptions are South Africa and Tunisia's Ons Jabour, one of the great pioneers of our time, who was ranked No. 2 and reached three Grand Slam finals. Sherif himself followed in Jabbar's footsteps, rising to a career-high 31st place last year.

Historically, few athletes or competitions in sub-Saharan Africa have reached the sport's elite. But over the past year, certain countries have made strides to help players step up. Burundi hosted its first professional women's event in Bujumbura last year, hosting back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments, with local favorite Sada Nahimana reaching the final as the No. 1 seed. The tournament will be held for the second time next month.

In December, Nairobi leveled up with two events, one of which saw Oktoy win his first ITF title. Meanwhile, Rwanda hosted two ATP Challengers for the first time this month.

Rwanda Tennis Federation president Teoneste Karenzi says the goal is to bring professional tennis closer to ambitious players from Rwanda and neighboring countries.

“We are talking about this with other East African countries and we want to be able to have a circuit-like circuit within the region when the players come to Rwanda. It will be easier and cheaper. That is our philosophy and the way forward.”

Although many African players have reached the highest levels of junior tennis in recent years, the transition to the professional circuit is more difficult. “Juniors are fine, we can accommodate quite a few.” [of tournaments] There is no prize money,” said Wanjiru Mbugua, Kenya Tennis Secretary-General and African Tennis Confederation vice president. “But when it comes to professional events, there is very little funding because they require even more money to operate. So athletes who need to earn points have to go abroad.”

Professional events are also held in North Africa, including Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, but Mbugua points out that even these events are difficult to attend. “Remember, for us on this side of Africa, to get back to Africa you have to go to Europe or go to Dubai or go to Qatar before you go to Tunisia. [flight] root. It's basically the same as flying to Europe. ”

Kalenzi also highlighted the perennial challenge of securing visas as a further barrier to success for African athletes. “European tickets and visas can be a big challenge in these countries. Some of these young people [players] There is little sponsorship from the private sector. They don't have the means, so the problem is money to travel around the world and complex visa issues in some countries in Europe and the United States. ”

While players often play in front of small crowds on the ITF World Tennis Tour, each of the recent new tournaments has drawn local crowds. After the Rwanda Challenger Tournament ended, the visit of tennis player and President Paul Kagame attracted even more attention.

Former French Open champion Yannick Noah was also invited to the tournament as an ambassador. In 1971, Arthur Ashe discovered 11-year-old Noah during a trip to Cameroon. Noah moved to France and became the last Frenchman to win the Roland Garros singles title since his 1983 victory. His presence reminded me of another missing ingredient: inspiration and the example of successful people before me.

“He did clinics with our players, young players, and told his story,” Kalenzi said. “It's very important for a star like him, who is a professional player and a Grand Slam winner, to talk to them and let them know it's possible and meet them one-on-one.”

In an interview with Regis Isheja in Rwanda, Noah compared his tennis success to long-distance running. “I would like to say that for an African tennis player, his journey is comparable to a marathon. For a European or American player, the marathon is 42 miles for him. For an African child, the marathon is 49 miles.”

For those who are talented and have hopes of climbing to the top of the rankings, the marathon can seem even longer. After his junior success, Oktoy enrolled at Auburn University and competed in the NCAAs on a full scholarship, rather than jumping headfirst into the pro tour like many of his peers.

Some of the standout African players have been lucky enough to reach number 12 in the junior rankings and break into the top 250 on the WTA Tour last year, as well as Ivorian Eliaquim Coulibaly, who reached number 16 in the junior rankings. Some were able to receive assistance. He posted a junior performance and a career-high 378 points on the ATP Tour last year, both of which earned him invitations to train at the Mouratoglou Academy in France.

However, in Oktoy's case, Tennis Kenya did not have the resources to fund her professional career immediately after junior. Her university system has provided her with the ideal foundation in terms of coaching and she hopes to have a great foundation when she graduates from university and turns professional.

“She was more than we could offer,” Mbugua says. “I did the math for her to turn professional and found it would be about $200,000 a year. Even if I could find that money, there were a lot of other things I needed. It helps with travel and accommodation costs, but we also needed to find a coach and a sparring partner. She's going to need physical therapy, all the preparation.”

But her victory at the African Games changed everything. The Olympic spot she secured has a catch. For Oktoy to qualify for the main event, she must rank within the top 400 by June 10, the Olympic deadline.

Between college competitions, work, and all the financial challenges that come with competing regularly on tour, she, her team, and Tennis Kenya found a way to give her the best opportunity to reach Paris. Must be. “I couldn't sleep,” Mbugua says with a laugh. “Because I thought: 'Now we've won, now we have to do the impossible.' – The Guardian