Tennis Kenya acknowledges that viral Egyptian player's wildcard 'should not have been granted'

Hajar Abdelkadar went viral for all the wrong reasons after her display at an ITF W35 event.

A statement from Tennis Kenya has clarified a bizarre wildcard handed to Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader, who went viral after winning just three points during an ITF match.

The 21-year-old served 20 double faults in a 0-6, 0-6 defeat lasting 37 minutes at an event in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving the tennis world stunned as to how she was accepted as a wildcard.

"Tennis Kenya is aware of concerns regarding the participation of Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader in the ITF W35 Nairobi tournament, following the circulation of a video on social media that raised questions about her level of play," the statement read.

"Ms Abdelkader was granted a wildcard for Week Two of the event after submitting a formal request after she flew in on Tuesday morning. The slot became available following a short-notice withdrawal by the originally awarded main draw wildcard recipient, who opted into the qualifying draw. At the time, Ms Abdelkader was the only player who 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 has taken note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happen again."

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The Federation then went on to add background information about the process of wildcard handouts.

"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 wrote.

"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.

"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."

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Egyptian Tennis Federation confirmed that Abdelkader "is not registered with the Egyptian Tennis Federation and is not listed on any of our official player rosters."

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