Overview
- Zeynep Sonmez said she was barred from wearing a pro-Palestine pin and placed a watermelon-shaped vibration dampener on her racket at Wimbledon on Thursday to signal solidarity with Palestinians.
- Tournament director Jamie Baker said Wimbledon’s long-standing rule bars political messaging on court but that the watermelon did not meet the threshold for disruption and would not draw punishment.
- Sonmez has argued the ban was applied inconsistently because Ukrainian symbols were allowed at the Championships in 2022 and this year.
- Wimbledon defended the differing response by calling the Ukrainian case unique and saying organisers followed government guidance and an international response when offering specific support to Ukrainian players.
- The watermelon is widely used as a proxy for the Palestinian flag and Sonmez’s action, which came during a career-best season that ended with a second-round loss, is likely to prompt calls for clearer, formal guidance on what counts as political messaging at Grand Slams.