发布时间: 1/9/2026
Image caption,
Per Hajar Abdelkader’s official biography on the ITF website, she first picked up a tennis racket at the age of 14
The Viral Tennis Match That Sparked Organizer Accountability
If you’ve been scrolling through sports social media lately, you’ve probably seen the clips: a wildcard player in a professional women’s tennis tournament—part of the same international circuit that features top competitions like the Davis Cup—putting on a performance so underwhelming that viewers were left questioning if she’d ever played the sport before. That’s exactly what happened at the ITF W35 tournament in Nairobi, where Egyptian amateur Hajar Abdelkader made her debut—and quickly became the center of a viral controversy. Tournament organizers have since stepped forward to admit they made a mistake in letting her compete, marking a rare moment of accountability in the world of professional tennis.
The Lopsided Match That Took Over Social Media
The 21-year-old Abdelkader faced off against Germany’s Lorena Schaedel, ranked 1,026th in the world, in the first round on Wednesday. What followed was a 37-minute match that ended in a brutal 6-0, 6-0 whitewash. Abdelkader served a staggering 20 double faults, winning only three points total—two of which came from Schaedel’s own double faults, and one from an unforced error by the bewused German opponent. The footage spread like wildfire across Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, with fans and tennis analysts alike debating how a player with such limited skills could earn a wildcard spot in a professional event. Many viewers joked that she looked like she’d never held a racket before, while others expressed concern about the impact the public humiliation might have on her.
Tennis Kenya Apologizes and Takes Responsibility
The tournament was hosted by Tennis Kenya, the governing body for the sport in the country, as part of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit. In the wake of the viral backlash, Tennis Kenya released a statement acknowledging that Abdelkader never should have been allowed to take the court. They explained that she had applied for a wildcard entry, which was granted at the last minute after another player withdrew, in an effort to maintain a balance of participating nations and promote tennis across the region. But in hindsight, they admitted the decision was a mistake that compromised the integrity of the competition.
Tennis Kenya also revealed that they’ve reached out to both Abdelkader and Schaedel to offer their support, given the intense and often harsh online coverage of the match. “The federation has taken note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happens again,” the statement read. They reaffirmed their commitment to “fairness, transparency and the integrity of competition, as well as to the continued development of tennis in Kenya, East Africa, and across Africa.”
Egyptian Tennis Federation Distances Itself from the Controversy
Adding another layer to the story, the Egyptian Tennis Federation told the BBC that Abdelkader is not registered as an official player with them, nor did they nominate her for the tournament. Technical director Dia Nabil Loutfy clarified that Abdelkader, who previously resided in Kenya, secured the wildcard independently through Tennis Kenya. “The Egyptian Tennis Federation had no role whatsoever, whether directly or indirectly, in the nomination, approval, or issuance of this wildcard, and we were not involved in the player's entry into the tournament in any capacity,” Loutfy said. The federation also stated they have no records of Abdelkader ever being affiliated with their organization, further emphasizing that her participation was a standalone incident unrelated to their official player development programs.