Tennis Kenya has issued a formal statement addressing the controversial participation of Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader in the ITF W35 Nairobi tournament.
The federation acknowledged that the wildcard should not have been granted and expressed regret over the incident, which saw Abdelkader lose 6-0, 6-0 in a match where she won only three points and committed twenty double faults in the match played at Parklands Sports Club.
Footage of the match which have since circulated rapidly on social media showed Abdelkader struggling with basic technical skills, including ball tosses and court positioning.
ALSO READ:Angella Okutoyi wins 2026 ITF W35 Nairobi singles & doubles titles
Hajar Abdelkader’s participation at ITF W35 Nairobi
At several points, the chair umpire and her opponent had to guide her on where to stand to begin a point.
According to the governing body, the wildcard was originally intended for a local player who withdrew at the last minute to enter the qualifying draw.
Abdelkader was the only other individual who had requested a wildcard at that time, and the decision to include her was based on a formal request in which she claimed to have an appropriate level of competitive experience.
Tennis Kenya issues statement
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.
Ms Abdelkader was granted a wildcard for Week Two of the event after submitting a formal request and 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 other player who had requested a wildcard.
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.”
The Federation explained that the move was initially made to maintain a full draw and support the development of tennis across Africa.
However, following the circulation of viral match footage that raised serious questions about the player’s technical ability and understanding of the rules, Tennis Kenya admitted to a flaw in their evaluation process.
Both Tennis Kenya and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have since reached out to offer support to the players involved, noting that the wellbeing of these young athletes remains a primary consideration amidst the intense global media coverage.
“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.”
While the Abdelkader match dominated the headlines, the ITF W35 Nairobi tournament was actually a massive success for local fans, primarily due to the historic performance of Kenyan star Angella Okutoyi.
The tournament, which ran through the first week of January 2026 at the Parklands Sports Club, ended on a high note with Kenya’s top-ranked player, Angella Okutoyi winning both the Singles and Doubles titles.
By winning the title, Okutoyi earned $30,000 (Ksh 3.8M )in prize money.