Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sönmez, 24 years old, defied Wimbledon strict rules on political stances made by players by carrying a watermelon pin on her racket, a subtle sign of support for Palestine that is widely used to avoid censorship. The use of watermelons to show support for Palestine - given the similar colours - originated since the war in 1967, when Israel banned public displays of Palestinian flags in occupied Palestinian lands.
Sönmez said to Anadolu Agency that competitions no longer allow her to use the pin she used to wear with the Palestinian flag. She told that she and her team had a discussion with Wimbledon, wondering why the Ukrainian flag is allowed by not the Palestinian. "They ultimately told us they definitely would not allow it", she said, via MiddleEastEye.
Wimbledon director Jamie Baker said: "We don't allow any kind of political messaging from players on court. That has been consistent across the rules for a long time". However, an Ukrainian player, Daria Snigur, was allowed to compete with a pin of her country.
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Zeynep Sönmez won her first round match against the American Ann Li but lost in second round against Claire Liu. She also lost her first round women doubles match with Jessica Bouzas, against Aoyama and Liang.