0:6, 0:6, 20 double faults The most bizarre professional debut in tennis history - opponent has to explain the rules
Her performance only lasted 37 minutes, but it remains unforgettable: Egyptian Hajar Abdelkader celebrates her debut at the W35 tournament in Nairobi: her match offers everything - except normal tennis.
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- Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader lost her official tennis debut at the ITF tournament in Nairobi 0:6, 0:6 - and showed no knowledge of the rules or any hint of technique.
- She made 20 double faults in just 37 minutes, winning just three points - all of them mistakes by her opponent.
- Despite her lack of match practice, she apparently received a wild card for the tournament, which caused astonishment and ridicule in the tennis world.
The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour 2025 is the entry-level and mid-level tour in professional women's tennis. It is organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is one level below the Challenger Series of the WTA Tour.
Players from 16 countries take part in the W35 Nairobi (prize money 30,000 US dollars). Among them are players from the world's top 400. Local hero Angella Okutoyi, for example, won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2022.
Hajar Abdelkader's palmarès is probably less impressive. Nevertheless, the Egyptian has apparently somehow managed to get a wild card for the tournament. In the starting round on Wednesday morning, she will face the German Lorena Schaedel in her official debut.
It quickly becomes clear during the warm-up that this is someone with very little - or perhaps no - tennis experience. So Schaedel has to help her opponent at the beginning (and later) to get into the right position on the court. Then the official match begins - with an umpire, of course.
The comedy show begins ...
Abdelkader smashes the first eight serves and single-handedly gives away the opening game. So much suspense is anticipated: There are more double faults to come. In the end, there are twenty for the 21-year-old. No wonder, when you can't exactly throw the ball in the air when serving.
The delicious spectacle, or rather the involuntary free tennis lesson, lasts just 37 minutes. Unsurprisingly, the result was 6:0 and 6:0, with Schaedel (WTA ranking 1026) winning 48 of the 51 points against her 21-year-old opponent. The German also caused two of Abdelkader's three points herself with double faults, and a forehand landed out of bounds.
The entire match - in which some lucky spectators were also able to witness the "historic event" - can be watched in full here. The bizarre performance also made people laugh online. One user on X suspects: "She's probably the organizer's daughter." Another says: "How can she play tennis without knowing it?". Another commented: "Looks like she's never played tennis before. She can't even catch the ball when it's passed to her."
Perhaps Abdelkader simply needed the money. The loser actually receives 297 dollars for her "performance". In other words, just under one hundred dollars per point won. That's only 165 dollars less than she would have earned if she had won.
