Tennis Kenya admits wildcard given to Hajar Abdelkader should not have been granted'

"The 21-year-old won just three points and served 20 double faults on her way to a 6-0, 6-0 defeat against German world No 1,026, Lorena Schaedel. Videos shared on social media showed the Egyptian struggling to serve and position herself on the court. While the practice of favouring local players when awarding wildcards is widespread, including in grand slam and WTA tournaments, Abdelkader's level of play has raised question marks about the wisdom of awarding her a place in a tournament sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)."

"Ms Abdelkader was granted a wildcard for week two of the event after submitting a formal request, after a short-notice withdrawal by the originally intended recipient. At the time, Ms Abdelkader was the only other player who had requested a wildcard, the federation said, which was therefore granted to her based on the information provided by the player and in the interest of maintaining a full and balanced draw while supporting the development of tennis in Africa."

Hajar Abdelkader, 21, lost 6-0, 6-0 to German world No 1,026 Lorena Schaedel, winning only three points and serving 20 double faults. Social media videos showed her struggling to serve and position herself on the court. The wildcard was granted after a short-notice withdrawal; Abdelkader was the only other player to request it and received the spot to maintain a full and balanced draw and support tennis development in Africa. Tennis Kenya acknowledged the wildcard should not have been granted and committed to preventing a recurrence. The ITF noted that invitation decisions were the responsibility of Tennis Kenya, and Abdelkader is not listed on Egyptian federation rosters.

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