US EditionKenya tennis body admit mistake in granting wildcard to viral 'worst-ever' debutant
Tennis Kenya admitted the wildcard was a mistake after 21-year-old Abdelkader lost 6-0, 6-0 with 20 double faults at the ITF W35 tournament, sparking widespread criticism.
- Wednesday, Tennis Kenya acknowledged it erred in granting a wildcard to Hajar Abdelkader at the ITF W35 tournament in Nairobi, saying `In hindsight, this wildcard should not have been granted`.
- A short-notice withdrawal opened a main-draw slot, which Tennis Kenya filled after Abdelkader submitted a formal request and flew into Nairobi on Tuesday morning to keep the draw full.
- Match data — including 20 double faults and an 8.3% first-serve rate — underscored the gulf in level as Abdelkader lost 6-0, 6-0 in 37 minutes, winning only three points against Germany's Lorena Schaedel.
- The ITF and Tennis Kenya said they contacted Hajar Abdelkader and Lorena Schaedel to prioritise their wellbeing, and Tennis Kenya vowed to prevent such rare occurrences in the future.
- In recent years there has been a constant outcry over wildcard allocation practices at lower-tier ITF events, with Jon Wertheim and other commentators saying the episode harmed the tournament's integrity and could draw scrutiny onto the ITF.
72 Articles
72 Articles
Pro Tournament Let Her Play. It Did Not Go Well
They make movies about plucky underdogs who get their shot in the pros and conquer all. This is not one of those stories. Instead, this plucky underdog entered a women's tennis tournament in Nairobi and lost in spectacular fashion. The underdog was 21-year-old Egyptian Hajar Abdelkader, who—how to put...
An Egyptian tennis player had received a wild card for a professional tournament. However, a video of the match raised doubts as to whether the 21-year-old had ever played tennis before. Now the associations reacted.
Egyptian tennis player makes 20 double faults, organisers clarify
Nairobi: An Egyptian tennis player gained attention after her strangely embarrassing performance at the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) W35 event held in Nairobi, Kenya, where she made 20 double faults (two mistakes in the same point while serving) in a match, prompting the organisation to issue a statement acknowledging the error. The 21-year-old player, Hajar Abdelkader, was given a wildcard entry and lost 6-0, 6-0 in 37 minutes in a f…
A W35 tournament in women's tennis usually does not receive much attention. But the match in Nairobi between an Egyptian and a German makes headlines. The reason is bizarre.
It could have been a tennis game that went unnoticed. Instead, it went viral instantly on the internet.
Associated Press News
Tennis Kenya admits to error in granting a wildcard after player's performance goes viral
Tennis Kenya has acknowledged it erred in granting an Egyptian player entry to a professional tournament after video of her dismal performance circulated on social media.
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