Nairobi: Hajar Abdelkader, a 21-year-old tennis player, found herself at the centre of global attention after a crushing defeat at the ITF W35 tournament in Nairobi — a match that quickly went viral and ignited debate across the tennis world.
Abdelkader, who entered the tournament via a wildcard, lost 6-0, 6-0 in just 37 minutes to Germany’s Lorena Schaedel, a player ranked around 1026 in the world. According to The Times of India, Abdelkader managed to win only three points in the entire match and committed 20 double faults, statistics that shocked viewers and professionals alike.
Clips from the match spread rapidly on social media, with many users branding it one of the poorest performances seen at this level of professional tennis (The Times of India). The backlash, however, soon shifted focus from the player to the system that allowed her entry.
Tennis Kenya later acknowledged an error in granting the wildcard, admitting that the decision should not have been made. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also stepped in, describing the performance as “unacceptable” for a Women’s World Tennis Tour event and confirming that the wildcard selection process would be reviewed, as reported by Reuters and cited by The Times of India.
Questions were also raised about Abdelkader’s competitive background, with reports stating that the Egyptian Tennis Federation distanced itself from her participation, clarifying that she was not officially registered with them (The Times of India).
While the result itself was lopsided, the episode has opened a wider conversation about safeguarding professional standards — and protecting young players — in international tennis.
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