Nathan Stirk / Getty Images Sports via Getty Images
By
January Nelson
Turkish No. 1, Zeynep Sönmez, has been playing with a watermelon-shaped vibration dampener on her strings for over a year. Tournaments keep banning the Palestinian pin he used to wear, but the dampener is standard racket gear, so it stays that way.
Sönmez has used the dampener in many tournaments, including some Grand Slams. The fruit represents the Palestinian flag that has been banned since the 1967 Six-Day War, its red, green, black and white pieces echoing the colors of the flag.
Zeynep Sönmez squats in the right position during the Ladies Doubles at Wimbledon on July 2, 2026 – a watermelon-shaped shock absorber is clearly visible on the strings of her racket. Photo by Anadolu via Getty Images.Celebrating her first round win over Leylah Fernandez, Sönmez throws the ball into the packed stands at the Lexus Nottingham Open on June 16, 2026. Photo by Nathan Stirk / Getty Images.
He used to wear a small Palestinian pin, until competitions began to rule as a political statement and prevented him from playing with it. At Wimbledon this year, the organizers bluntly told him the pin was out – as Ukrainian symbols were also allowed.
Sönmez in a focused position during his Day 1 match against McCartney Kessler at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on March 4, 2026. Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images.Harriet Dart looks down to return the ball to Zeynep Sönmez during their first Women’s Singles match at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on June 23, 2026. Photo by Harriet Lander / Getty Images.
“I used to wear a pin. The competitions don’t allow me to wear it anymore. We had a discussion with the organizers because the flag of Ukraine is allowed but the flag of Palestine is not allowed. In the end they told us that they won’t accept it. Therefore, I can’t wear a pin. I can use a vibration reducer, and they can’t object to that. That’s why the agency told Anadolun to put a logo on my watermelon.
At the Taste of Tennis event in Indian Wells on March 2, 2026, Zeynep Sönmez holds a giant tennis ball on the red carpet, wearing jeans and a white tee. Photo by Anna Webber / Getty Images.
His singles run at Wimbledon is over, but he’s still hitting doubles – with the same racket.
Racket raised and hand raised to the crowd, Sönmez celebrates her first round victory over Leylah Fernandez at the Lexus Nottingham Open on June 16, 2026. Photo by Nathan Stirk / Getty Images.
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