A representative further stated that “the results unequivocally demonstrated this was incorrect and unsuitable for a World Tennis Tour competition, as well as being regrettable for the athlete involved.”
“We recognize that appropriate steps are essential to avert a recurrence of this situation. We are investigating methods to guarantee this, through reviewing the wildcard allocation procedure, taking into account a baseline performance criterion for participation in a WTT tournament.”
Tennis Kenya admitted on Thursday that Abdelkader’s participation should have been denied, yet explained she received a last-minute wildcard entry due to another competitor’s sudden withdrawal.
The body stated her entry was permitted to preserve an equitable distribution of participants and countries within the competition, but conceded that, looking back, her involvement ought to have been disallowed.
Tennis Kenya has extended assistance to both Abdelkader and Schaedel, “considering the wide-ranging and significant media attention this particular match garnered.”
Simultaneously, the Egyptian Tennis Federation declared it possessed no documentation pertaining to Abdelkader, asserting that she had no prior association with their organization.
