A professional women’s tennis match in Nairobi, Kenya, went viral because of how badly one of the players played. Videos of the match, with Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader looking like it was the first time she played tennis, sparked debate, jokes, and some outrage on social media, as they couldn’t believe how somebody clearly without professional experience had been allowed to enter the competition.
Abdelkader, 21, barely knew how to hold a racket, missed most of her serves, and sometimes even didn’t know from which side was supposed to serve. The match, against German player Lorena Schaedel, ended 6-0, 6-0, with Abdelkader making 20 double faults, and only winning three points… caused by faults by her opponent.
Images of the match went viral, and prompted the Kenyan tennis federation to explain what happened. Abdelkader was given a wild card entry in the ITF W35 Nairobi tournament, meaning a special invitation given when one of the qualified players from the main draw withdraw. She was reportedly the only person signed to receive a wildcard invitation, and had told the organiser that she had the appropriate level of competitive experience.
“At the time, Ms Abdelkader was the only 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. In hindsight, Tennis Kenya acknowledges that this wildcard should not have been granted. The Federation takes note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happen again”.
Lastly, seeing how Abdelkader was mocked online, the Federation adds that “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”, saying they offered support to both players.
