There are bad days in sports… and then there are days that make the entire tennis world collectively drop its coffee. That’s exactly what happened when a clip from an ITF event in Nairobi began circulating online. At the center of the storm? 21-year-old Egyptian wildcard Hajar Abdelkader, making what should have been her long-dreamed-of professional debut. Instead, she unintentionally became the protagonist of a viral moment that left fans stunned and also a bit confused.
The disbelief wasn’t just about Abdelkader losing 6-0, 6-0 in just 37 minutes. That happens, even to the pros. For example, Iga Swiatek defeated America’s Amanda Anisimova by 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes in the 2025 Wimbledon singles final. So, that’s nothing extraordinary. But what shocked the tennis world was just how unprepared Abdelkader looked against the world number 1026, Lorea Schaedel.
Schaedel dropped only three points the entire match, and two of those came from her own double faults. Meanwhile, Abdelkader struggled with the fundamentals. She repeatedly served the ball into the net… when she connected at all. She double-faulted an astonishing 20 times out of 24 service points. In fact, on several occasions, the umpire had to gently point out where she needed to stand to begin a point.
Fans watching the video couldn’t believe it. Some paused and rewound, thinking they must’ve missed something. Others joked that she might’ve accidentally wandered onto the wrong court.
The tennis world reacts to the bizarre moment featuring Hajar Abdelkader
According to reports, Hajar Abdelkader received a last-minute wildcard after a local Kenyan player withdrew. Her ITF profile claimed she had been playing tennis for seven years. That revelation alone sent social media into another frenzy. One of the fans wrote, “That’s a girl who first grabbed a racket at 14. How is she even allowed to play pro tournaments?”
The reaction wasn’t just harsh – it was emotional. Fans love an underdog story. They celebrate grit. They cheer for long shots. But watching someone so visibly outmatched ignited a strange mix of frustration and protectiveness. Dressed in a black T-shirt and leggings – compared with the more orthodox kit of her opponent amid humid temperatures in the high twenties, Abdelkader wafted serves high in the air, which more often than not missed their mark. Seeing the video clip, another fan tweeted, “Worst athlete ever seen? 🤯 Let’s see her game at Wimbledon next!”
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While some blamed the organizers for putting her in a situation she clearly wasn’t ready for. For example, renowned tennis coach Sascha Bajin said, “I don’t think we should be bashing the player Hajar Abdelkader here but rather the organizers and officials who made/let this happen and gave her the WC.”
Questions have been raised about how Abdelkader came to take part in this competition. If we take a deeper dive, Section D.1.k of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program clearly states that no person bound by ITIA guidelines, including players and tournament organizers, shall, directly or indirectly, offer, pay, or accept money, benefit, or consideration for the provision of a wildcard to an event.
Seeing this video clip, several tennis bigwigs have even called for action to be taken if anyone is proven guilty. Another tennis bigwig, Randy Walker, tweeted, “Allowing this to happen makes the ITF World Tennis Tour look like a disgrace, and it has crossed over into the mainstream. It demeans every amazingly talented player who competes on this circuit. Action needs to be made immediately against the people that made this mockery happen.”
In the last few years, there has been a constant outcry and calls for an investigation over the wildcards handed in lower-tier matches. Remember the incident featuring US billionaire Bill Ackman, which created a similar buzz across the tennis world? Seeing Ackman managing to get himself into the 2025 Hall of Fame Open in Newport and play doubles with former pro Jack Sock made Andy Roddick label it as “the biggest joke.” Even others, like Jon Wertheim and Martina Navratilova, raised some serious question marks seeing him get the wildcard.
Now, coming back to the Egyptian tennis player, Hajar Abdelkader, a fan tweeted, “don’t know what’s worse, the serve, the fact she’s a wild card, or that she got 3 points.”
For Abdelkader, it will surely be a tough memory. For the tennis world, it’s a moment that won’t soon be forgotten, because sometimes reality is stranger and far more unbelievable than fiction.