Hunt for 'worst ever tennis player': Egyptian tennis chiefs speak out

Egypt's tennis chiefs have have distanced themselves from the player who took up a wildcard berth at a professional tournament only to be proclaimed one of the sport's worst-ever participants, with circumstances around her involvement still shrouded in mystery. 

Hajar Abdelkader, 21, went viral for her 37-minute 6-0, 6-0 defeat to world No 1,026 Loren Shaedel after managing to win only three points and looking at times as if she was unfamiliar with aspects of the sport. 

Daily Mail Sport understands that Abdelkader was given a wildcard to the W35 event in Nairobi after first being refused one. She received an entry at late notice following another player's withdrawal. 

Although wildcards are awarded at the discretion tournament organisers, in this case Tennis Kenya, the Egyptian Tennis Federation came under scrutiny in a bid to understand more about Abdelkader's playing background and how she had come to be in a position to request the wildcard.  

But despite playing under an Egyptian flag, her would-be federation on Thursday stressed that they have nothing to do with her, and that she is not registered as one of their players. 

A spokesperson told Daily Mail Sport that the ETF 'had no role whatsoever directly or indirectly in the nomination, approval or issuance of this wild card' and that in 'no capacity' were they involved in Abdelkader's entry, adding that the organisation believes she is based in Kenya. 

The ETF also confirmed that they had no further information to share on the player's background, and that she has never competed in any of their junior competitions, development pathways, or national events, despite Abdelkader's ITF player profile claiming that she has been playing since the age of 14. 

Adding to the mystery of Abdelkader's background, Tennis Kenya when contacted for comment claimed that she had flown into Nairobi to compete in the tournament, appearing to contradict the Egyptian statement.  

Tennis Kenya downplayed the circumstances surrounding Abdelkader's entry, sharing in a statement that, despite being given information they believed formed an argument for her involvement, the wildcard 'should not have been granted'. 

'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 statement began. '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, and the decision was taken on the information provided and 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 happen again. 

'Tennis Kenya remains committed to fairness, transparency and the integrity of competition, as well as to the continued development of tennis in Kenya, East Africa, and across Africa.' 

Tennis Kenya added that Abdelkader had 'indicated that she had an appropriate level of competitive playing experience' with the wildcard issued 'based on the information provided'. 

In what may have been a source of embarrassment and confusion for the organisers, Tennis Kenya president Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani and Kenya's Olympic Committee (NOCK) president Shadrack Maluki were both in the stands at the tournament on Wednesday. 

Abdelkader was described by the Secretary General of Arab and Egyptian Tennis Federations Walid Sami as 'clearly' having never played before. 

'She has never played tennis before, and this is clear from the level she showed,' he told Batolat. 'We have no connection whatsoever with the player, neither personally or professionally, and we do not know her at all.' 

Dressed in unorthodox kit of leggings and a dark t-shirt, Abdelkader managed to execute only 8.3 per cent of her first serves, and hit 20 double faults on route to defeat. 

In one instance on serve, Abdelkader was even told where to stand by her opponent after appearing not to know the appropriate side of the court. 

The ITF World Tennis Tour is the lowest of the three tiers of competitive tours for professional players, behind the WTA and ATP tours at the top of the table, and the Challengers Tours.

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But a number of WTA players will continue to compete in ITF events should they be returning from injury, keen to bolster their ranking, or interested in a shot at the top prize, with seven players inside the top 500 in the world standings competing in Nairobi.

W35 events - who offer the second-lowest amount of prize money - still come with sizeable financial reward, with £22,000 ($25,000) available as well as ranking points.

For Abdelkader's first-round defeat, she is likely to have earned in the region of £300.