The Egyptian Tennis Federation (ETF) issued a formal statement clarifying that Hagar Abdelkader, a player recently competing in an international tournament in Nairobi, has no official affiliation with the national governing body.
The federation confirmed that Abdelkader is not registered on any official Egyptian player rosters and does not hold a national ranking or competitive status within the country.
The clarification follows questions regarding Abdelkader’s participation in a recent International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior event in Kenya. According to the ETF, the player currently resides in Kenya and was granted entry into the tournament via an “exceptional wildcard” issued directly by the Kenyan Tennis Federation. The Egyptian Federation emphasized it played no role—direct or indirect—in nominating the player or approving her participation.
Under standard ITF regulations, host nations maintain the autonomous right to award tournament wildcards to any player at their discretion, regardless of nationality. The ETF noted that because this was an international event governed by ITF rules rather than domestic Egyptian regulations, the selection process fell entirely outside of their administrative and technical jurisdiction.
The Kenyan Tennis Federation has since addressed the matter, issuing an official apology for the oversight. The Kenyan governing body acknowledged the error in granting a wildcard to an unregistered and unranked player who does not officially practice the sport in Egypt. With this admission, the ETF reiterated that the Egyptian tennis system bears no responsibility for the circumstances surrounding the player’s entry or performance in the tournament.
