ITF scandal: Wildcard for Hayar Abdelkader ends with zero serves
Women’s ITF tournament in Nairobi at center of major scandal (photo: Getty Images)
The women’s ITF tournament in Nairobi has become the center of a major scandal following a match involving Egyptian tennis player Hayar Abdelkader, who was granted a wildcard by the organizers. The level of her play sparked widespread outrage within the sports community and raised suspicions of a possible violation of tournament regulations.
Why the player’s participation raised questions
In professional tennis, wildcards are usually granted to players who do not qualify for a tournament based on ranking but have sporting or marketing grounds for participation. This may include well-known players returning after long breaks or local tennis players.
However, in Nairobi, the special invitation was given to Egypt’s Hayar Abdelkader, who had zero points in the world rankings before the start of the tournament. This fact, along with what later unfolded on court, became the trigger for the scandal.
Match lasts less than 40 minutes
In the first round of the tournament, Abdelkader faced Germany’s Lorena Shadel, who is ranked 1,026th in the world. The match ended in just 37 minutes and was remembered not for competition, but for serious issues in the Egyptian player’s performance.
During her service games, she struggled to take the correct position on court on her own and appeared to receive outside prompts.
Abdelkader also frequently failed to make contact with the ball after the toss and was unable to send it over to her opponent’s side of the court. Similar difficulties were evident on return, as she repeatedly missed the ball following her opponent’s shots.
Over the entire match, the Egyptian player committed 20 double faults and won only three points: two due to double faults by Shadel and one after the German player hit the ball out.
Reaction from sports community
Footage from the match quickly spread across social media. On X, Barstool Sports described Abdelkader’s performance as “possibly one of the worst we have ever seen.”
This sparked suspicions that the wildcard granted to the player may have violated regulations. The sale of wildcards is strictly prohibited under rules set by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
Hajar Abdelkader entered a low level tennis tournament in Africa as a wild card
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 7, 2026
She might be the single worst athlete we’ve ever seen
pic.twitter.com/pHb6Tzz14m
Harsh criticism of organizers
The Nairobi tournament is classified as a W35 event, with total prize money of $25,000. Against the backdrop of the situation, organizers have faced strong criticism from figures within the tennis industry.
“This doesn't even need to be investigated. It's just a straight up disrespect to the integrity of the sport and the promoter needs to be replaced immediately and kicked out of the sport. This was a MAIN DRAW wild card entry into a W35 and the player is from Egypt,” wrote Randy Walker, tournament director at VeroFutures, on his X account.
The scandal in Nairobi has already drawn widespread attention within the tennis community and may have further consequences at the level of governing bodies.
This doesn't even need to be investigated. It's just a straight up disrespect to the integrity of the sport and the promoter needs to be replaced immediately and kicked out of the sport. This was a MAIN DRAW wild card entry into a W35 and the "player" is from Egypt https://t.co/gUAOHXF0Yl
— Randy Walker (@TennisPublisher) January 7, 2026
