 "Tennis Kenya explains reason behind embarrassing wild card pick who served 20 double faults in double-bagel loss")
Tennis Kenya has admitted to making a mistake in their wild card selection after the video of an Egyptian player named Hajar Abdelkader went viral due to her embarrassing performance at ITF’s W35 event in Nairobi this week.
Abdelkader had been thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Germany’s Lorena Schaedel in the match where the Egyptian could only win three points. Two of these points were due to Schaedel’s double faults and the other from an unforced error. Abdelkader served 20 double faults and was defeated in just 37 minutes.
Videos of her poor performance went viral on the Internet with questions being raised over her entry into the competition as she seemed to lack even the most basic skills needed to play professional tennis.
Tennis Kenya explains Abdelkader’s inclusion
Tennis Kenya, the body which organised the tournament, has said that since Abdelkader was the only one who had applied for a wild card entry, she got one. However, the governing body said that the move now looks like a mistake.
What did I just watch? An ITF Tennis tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.
— Hrach Khachatryan (@hrachoff) January 7, 2026
A player, Abdelkadar, who received a wildcard, didn’t seem to know how to play tennis — how to serve, from which side to serve — it looked like it was her first time on a court.
She won just 3 points and made 20… pic.twitter.com/rfEdkutq5I
“At the time, Ms Abdelkader was the only other player who had requested a wildcard, and the decision was taken on the information provided and in the interest of maintaining a full and balanced draw while supporting the development of tennis in Africa,” the federation said.
“In awarding wildcards, Tennis Kenya considers factors such as player development priorities, competitive balance of the draw and information provided by applicants with emphasis on Kenyan, East African and African players,” Tennis Kenya explained.
“In this instance, Ms Abdelkader indicated that she had an appropriate level of competitive playing experience, and the wildcard was issued based on the information provided.
The organisation also said that both Tennis Kenya and International Tennis Federation were concerned about the well being of the player due to the intense online reaction.
“Tennis Kenya and the International Tennis Federation also stressed the need to prioritise player welfare amid the intense online reaction.
“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. Both organisations have reached out to the two players to offer support,” the governing body said.
The federation also said that it will ensure such incidents do not take place in future.
“The federation has taken note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happens again,” it said.
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