A wildcard tennis player’s performance has left social media users wondering if she had ever played before entering a professional tournament with a $30,000 (£22,000) prize.
Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader, 21, went up against German opponent Lorena Schaedel, 25, at the W35 event in Nairobi, part of the Women’s World Tennis Tour. She served 20 double faults on her way to a 6-0, 6-0 defeat, with footage showing her struggling to serve.
Tennis Kenya said Abdelkader was granted a wildcard after submitting a formal request” after another player withdrew.
“At the time, Ms Abdelkader was the only other player who had requested a wildcard,” the organisers said, adding that it was granted “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 happens again,” it added.
