Wildcard player’s poor performance at Kenya pro tennis tournament goes viral, sparks questions

A wildcard entrant's performance at a professional women's tennis tournament has raised questions over how she was allowed to compete, after videos went viral online this week.

Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader, 21, lost 6-0, 6-0 in a first-round match at the tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday (Jan 7).

The match was part of an International Tennis Federation W35 tournament hosted by Tennis Kenya, the sport's governing body in the country.

Abdelkader served 20 double faults and won just three points in the 37-minute match against Germany's Lorena Schaedel, who is ranked 1,026th in the world.

In tennis, a double fault occurs when a server fails to make two consecutive legal serves, resulting in the opponent winning the point.

Footage circulating online shows Abdelkader moving awkwardly and failing to make several serves. Viewers also pointed to moments where she appeared unsure of where to stand when serving.

In a statement on Jan 8, Tennis Kenya, the tournament's organiser, said the controversial wildcard should not have been granted.

It said Abdelkader had applied to enter the tournament as a wildcard and was given a place at the last minute following the withdrawal of another player.

The organisation said she was allowed to compete to maintain a balance of players and nationalities represented in the tournament, but added that in hindsight she should not have been permitted to play.

"The federation has taken note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happens again," it said.

Tennis Kenya also said it has jointly reached out with the International Tennis Federation to Abdelkader and Schaedel to offer its support.

"This is a young person and given the extent and nature of coverage of this match, Tennis Kenya and the ITF recognise the need to keep the wellbeing of both players as a primary consideration," the organisation said.

The Egyptian Tennis Federation said on Thursday that Abdelkader has never been registered with the national body as a player, and that it played no role in her nomination or entry as a wildcard.

In a statement published on Facebook on Jan 8, the federation said that based on information available to it, Abdelkader is currently residing in Kenya and took part in the tournament after being granted a wildcard by Tennis Kenya.

It added that Abdelkader is not included in any of its official player lists and that it played no role, directly or indirectly, in the nomination, request or approval of the wildcard, or in the player's entry into the tournament.

According to Abdelkader's profile on the International Tennis Federation website, the match in Nairobi was the first professional match of her career.