Tennis player ever vanishes after lying way into tournament

Breadcrumb Trail Links

The Jan. 6 match was lambasted on social media after Abdelkader appeared unable to hit the most basic strokes

Published Jan 14, 2026 • 2 minute read

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Hajar Abdelkader, foreground, attempts to serve against Lorena Schaedel. Photo by International Tennis Federation /XArticle content

An Egyptian tennis player who was branded “worst” in sports history is suspected of cheating her way into a tournament.

Advertisement 2

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.

THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors

Article content

Hajar Abdelkader, 21, has since reportedly disappeared after footage of her 37-minute, 6-0, 6-0 defeat by 24-year-old Lorena Schaedel at an International Tennis Federation (ITF) event in Nairobi, Kenya, went viral.

Article content

How bad was she?

The Jan. 6 match was lambasted on social media after Abdelkader appeared unable to hit the most basic strokes.

Perhaps it was nerves but during one service point, she tossed the ball behind herself while attempting to serve the ball to Schaedel, who is ranked No. 1139 in the world.

Another instance saw the German player was Schaedel telling Abdelkader where to stand on the baseline in order to serve.

Hajar Abdelkader entered a low level tennis tournament in Africa as a wild card

She might be the single worst athlete we’ve ever seen

pic.twitter.com/pHb6Tzz14m

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 7, 2026

Your Midday Sun

Thanks for signing up!

Article content

Advertisement 3

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

The Egyptian wild card entrant served 20 double faults during the match and landed just eight per cent of her serves.

For what it’s worth, Schaedel lost just three points in the match, in which she committed two double faults and one unforced error.

Following the backlash, Tennis Kenya admitted Abdelkader should never have been allowed to compete and revealed she was only given a place after a Kenyan professional withdrew at the last minute.

Abdelkader has since been accused of lying to organizers to secure entry into the event, a source told the Telegraph, which reported she is nowhere to be found.

“She gave false information about her ranking and her stats,” the insider said. “We can’t find her and don’t know where she’s gone to.”

What tennis fans had to say

A profile on the ITF website claims Abdelkader, a right-handed Egyptian national, has been playing since the age of 14.

However, footage from the match, which quickly went viral, shows the woman struggling to hit the ball over the net.

Advertisement 4

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

What did I just watch? An ITF Tennis tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.

A player, Abdelkadar, who received a wildcard, didn’t seem to know how to play tennis — how to serve, from which side to serve — it looked like it was her first time on a court.

She won just 3 points and made 20… pic.twitter.com/rfEdkutq5I

— Hrach Khachatryan (@hrachoff) January 7, 2026

Advertisement 5

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

“What did I just watch?” journalist Hrach Khachatyran asked.

“A player, Abdelkadar, who received a wildcard, didn’t seem to know how to play tennis — how to serve, from which side to serve — it looked like it was her first time on a court.”

Barstool Sports wrote: “She might be the single worst athlete we’ve ever seen.”

A commenter on Reddit called her the “Raygun of tennis,” though defenders of the Olympic breakdancer noted that at least the Aussie “has practiced her sport before.”

Should never have been allowed to play

Event organizers said Abdelkader had bombarded officials with emails begging for the opportunity to play.

Each request was rejected until the last-minute withdrawal opened up a slot.

Tennis Kenya’s secretary-general, Nancy Nduku, acknowledged that Abdelkader “should not have been granted” access to play.

“The federation has taken note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happens again,” Nduku added.

Tennis Kenya noted that she was granted the wildcard spot because Abdelkader suggested “she had an appropriate level of competitive playing experience,” with the sports body pointing to her ITF profile.

The Egyptian Tennis Federation confirmed Abdelkader is an Egyptian national who lives in Kenya — and has never competed in her home country.